The World Cup won’t be coming to Baltimore or the nation’s capital.
Charm City’s joint bid with D.C. was not among the winners selected Thursday by FIFA, soccer’s international governing body and the organizer of the World Cup, to host games during the 2026 tournament.
In all, FIFA chose 11 U.S. cities to welcome World Cup matches: Boston, Philadelphia, Miami, New York/New Jersey, Kansas City, Atlanta, Dallas, Houston, Seattle, San Francisco and Los Angeles. Canada and Mexico, co-hosts of the 2026 World Cup, will have a handful of cities hosting games, too. In Mexico, they are Guadalajara, Mexico City and Monterrey, and in Canada, Vancouver and Toronto will see tournament play.
The 2026 World Cup will be the first to include 48 teams, after FIFA decided to expand the tournament from its traditional 32-team slate. It will also be the first to stage a tournament across three countries.
Local officials hoped to give Baltimore and D.C.’s World Cup chances a boost in April when the two…
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