FIFA has unveiled 16 host cities for the 2026 World Cup with Edmonton being left off the list. The Edmonton Elks released the following statement expressing the club’s disappointment in FIFA’s decision.
As proud members of the Edmonton community we’re disappointed by the news that our city won’t play host to games during the 2026 FIFA World Cup. We know Edmonton would’ve been a tremendous host, as it has been so many times before for other premier sporting events.
We look forward to working with our partners at the City of Edmonton to ensure Commonwealth Stadium continues to evolve and is capable of hosting premier events, while also providing the best possible home for us as the stadium’s anchor tenant.
Toronto and Vancouver were the only two Canadian cities selected to host games for the tournament. 11 cities in the United States — Atlanta, Boston, Dallas, Houston, Kansas City, Los Angeles, Miami, New York/New Jersey, Philadelphia, San Francisco, and Seattle — will also host games, as will three cities in Mexico including Guadalajara, Mexico City, and Monterrey.
In March, Edmonton made an aggressive bid to host games with financial backing from the province. Commonwealth Stadium hosted a World Cup qualifying game in November 2021 when Canada defeated Costa Rica by a score of 1-0 in front of 48,806 fans.
Dates for the 2026 FIFA World Cup have not yet been announced.
