Edmonton soccer fans are not happy about FIFA's World Cup snub

Jun 16 2022, 11:07 pm

Soccer fans in Edmonton are not impressed the city was not chosen as a host city for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

FIFA revealed 16 World Cup host cities in North America for the 2026 tournament on Thursday afternoon. Toronto and Vancouver were the only Canadian cities chosen, leaving Edmonton out.

The mayor of Edmonton and minister of culture also expressed their disappointment that Edmonton was not selected, joining many fans in the process.

“Today, I am disappointed to announce that Edmonton was not successful in our bid for the FIFA World Cup in 2026”, Mayor Sohi said in a news release and on Twitter.
“We advocated fiercely, we had our provincial and federal government partners on board to provide funding, and most of all, we had the support of Edmontonians,” he added.

Many fans in YEG echoed that sentiment.

Matches in Vancouver will be held at BC Place, while Toronto matches will take place at BMO Field. A real grass field will be installed at BC Place for the tournament, which is a requirement of FIFA for men’s World Cup matches. BMO Field will add temporary seating to boost its capacity.

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