Soldier Field in Chicago hosted the 1994 World Cup opener, but the city did not even bid to become a 2026 venue. Don’t blame Lori Lightfoot for that, as this bone-headed decision was made by the Rahm Emanuel administration.
Of course, given how small Soldier Field is in capacity, Chicago probably never really stood a great chance anyway. We all knew this day was coming, for awhile now, but it still hurt to look at the finalized official list of World Cup 2026 host cities, and not see Chicago.
The 2026 World Cup cities ? pic.twitter.com/90Q4ZwuF9L
— ESPN (@espn) June 16, 2022
As you can see, Canada only has two and Mexico just three in the 2026 North America hosted World Cup. The Neapolitan ice cream World Cup if you will. America dominates, with an overwhelming majority of the host cities, but the nation’s third largest city/metropolitan area/market is shut out.
How did this happen? Well, Soldier Field is the oldest venue in both the NFL and the MLS.
It opened in 1924, and its been renovated several times, most recently in 2003, when it got a complete makeover.
28 years ago today at Soldier Field for Germany vs Spain, very cool experience! pic.twitter.com/hqZX4QbiIn
— Milwaukee Jerky LLC (@MilwaukeeJerky) June 14, 2022
That renovation also made it the smallest capacity stadium in the National Football League at 61,500. It also has, notoriously, some of the worst field conditions in any sport due to the really poor upkeep by the park district.
It’s no wonder the Chicago Bears want to leave as soon as possible, although at least they have symmetry with their home venue. They suck, just as much as their home stadium sucks. Good riddance to the Bears, but also good luck in Arlington Heights.
Honestly, the early 2000s renovation was the dumbest idea possible. The venue remains in a less than ideally accessible location, it doesn’t have any room to expand in order to add amenities, and the city should have just built a dome, preferably a retractable one.
Because they didn’t Chicago can never host a Super Bowl or Final Four, and now it appears, a World Cup as well. As troubled as Soldier Field is, and yes that is the reason we’re left off the list, it is still angering and depressing to see Chicago totally left out.
Just unacceptable on all levels. Period.
Paul M. Banks is the owner/manager of The Bank (TheSportsBank.Net) and author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” as well as “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He has regularly appeared in WGN, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune, and he co-hosts the After Extra Time podcast, part of Edge of the Crowd Network. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram.