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Las Vegas suffered double 2026 World Cup blow as $2bn stadium failed to address one crucial factor
The World Cup will not be heading to Las Vegas next summer.
FIFA will host its biggest ever World Cup next summer when the prestigious tournament heads to Canada, the United States of America and Mexico.
However, there will be no World Cup games hosted in Las Vegas, despite the city being a major sports and entertainment hub.
The team hosts three major professional sports teams with the Las Vegas Raiders (NFL), Vegas Golden Knights (NHL), and Las Vegas Aces (WNBA).
Sin City will also welcome the Las Vegas Athletics next year, an MLB team, which is relocating from Oakland, California.
The city also hosts other major events like the Las Vegas F1 Grand Prix, which was recently won in thrilling fashion by Dutchman Max Verstappen, and UFC events, held at the $2 billion Las Vegas Sphere.
This all, in theory, made Las Vegas an ideal place to host World Cup games, and it’s why the city was part of the bid in 2018.
However, after the city submitted their bid, it soon withdrew the proposal due to several financial and logistical reasons.
Why are there no 2026 World Cup games in Las Vegas?
The main issues centred around the stadium that was going to host several World Cup fixtures, Allegiant Stadium, the $2 billion home of the Las Vegas Raiders.
The stadium does not meet FIFA’s required field standards because the retractable grass field tray and seating bowl structure make the playing surface too narrow.
NFL fields are narrower than a FIFA-regulation pitch. However, other stadiums can widen their pitch to safely host football games.
Organisers of Allegiant Stadium have claimed they cannot do this without costly and disruptive measures like closing the venue down for several months.
World Cup cities
The World Cup will span across three countries and 16 cities
USA
- Dallas Stadium – Arlington, Texas (capacity 94,000)
- New York New Jersey Stadium – East Rutherford, New Jersey (capacity 82,500)
- Atlanta Stadium – Atlanta, Georgia (capacity 75,000)
- Kansas City Stadium – Kansas City, Missouri (73,000)
- Houston Stadium – Houston, Texas (capacity 72,000)
- San Francisco Bay Area Stadium – Santa Clara, California (71,000)
- Los Angeles Stadium – Inglewood, California (70,000)
- Philadelphia Stadium – Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (69,000)
- Seattle Stadium – Seattle, Washington (capacity 69,000)
- Boston Stadium – Foxborough, Massachusetts (65,000)
- Miami Stadium – Miami Gardens, Florida (capacity 65,000)
Canada
- Toronto Stadium – Toronto (capacity: 45,000)
- BC Place Vancouver – Vancouver (capacity 54,000)
Mexico
- Estadio Azteca Mexico City – Mexico City (capacity 83,000)
- Estadio Monterrey – Guadalupe (capacity 53,500)
- Estadio Guadalajara – Zapopan (capacity 48,000)
And with several other events taking place over the summer like concerts and festivals, the idea of shutting down the stadium was deemed unacceptable.
In 2018, the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority President and Chief Operating Officer Steve Hill claimed that, in total, the city would need at least $100 million to host the game.
“One of the questions we had … was who would actually sign those contracts,” Hill said.
“There really is no (organization). The Stadium Authority could have considered doing that, but we don’t have the financial ability to back up that signature, and that was a requirement, and justifiably so, in our ability to stay in the process.”
It should be remembered that World Cup games were one of the reasons for building the stadium when planning began back in 2015.
World Cup draw to be hosted in Washington’s Kennedy Center, not Allegiant Stadium
To soften the blow of missing out on hosting World Cup games, Las Vegas was set to host the World Cup draw, which takes place next week on December 5.
World Cup 2026 match schedule
- Group stage: June 11-27
- Round of 32: June 28 to July 3
- Round of 16: July 4-7
- Quarter-finals: July 9-11
- Semi-finals: July 14-15
- Third-place play-off: July 18
- Final: July 19
Pedro Cedillo, a Pachuca executive involved in World Cup preparations, told ESPN: “I understand it will be in Las Vegas, and that’s where we need to be present.”
However, after several sources had confirmed to multiple outlets that the draw was heading to Vegas in August, just weeks later, it was announced that the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. was set to be the venue instead.
The decision came after US President Donald Trump intervened to ensure that the draw took place in the nation’s capital.
Roma Daravi, the Kennedy Center’s vice president of public relations, told The Associated Press that FIFA are paying $7.4 million to hold the draw at the performing arts venue.
FIFA is donating $2.4 million, with the rest coming in “sponsorship opportunities”, according to Daravi.
“When you look at the full picture, it totals $7.4 million to the Kennedy Center, plus incurred expenses,” Daravi added.
How does the FIFA 2026 World Cup draw work?
All 48 teams will have their name printed on a piece of paper and folded into a plastic ball numbered 1-4 to represent their pot.
Selectors then mix up the balls and pick them one at a time to determine who falls in which group.
The three hosts in Pot 1 have had their groups pre-determined.
Mexico are in Group A, Canada is in Group B, and the United States is in Group D.
FIFA also announced that the top-four ranked teams (Spain, Argentina, France and England [who could face rivals Scotland]) will be placed into four different quadrants of the bracket.
This means they will not play each other until the semifinals and the finals, should they reach these stages.
talkSPORT will bring you live coverage of the 2026 World Cup Draw. Drive with Andy Goldstein and Darren Bent will come live from Tom’s Watch Bar for the official after party at 7pm in the UK on the talkSPORT YouTube channel.
World Cup draw
Which teams are in which pots?
Pot 1: Canada, Mexico, USA, Spain, Argentina, France, England, Brazil, Portugal, Netherlands, Belgium, Germany
Pot 2: Croatia, Morocco, Colombia, Uruguay, Switzerland, Japan, Senegal, Iran, Korea Republic, Ecuador, Austria, Australia
Pot 3: Norway, Panama, Egypt, Algeria, Scotland, Paraguay, Tunisia, Côte d’Ivoire, Uzbekistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, South Africa
Pot 4: Jordan, Cabo Verde, Ghana, Curaçao, Haiti, New Zealand, European Play-Off A, B, C and D, FIFA Play-Off Tournament 1 and 2
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