Where should the 2026 World Cup final be held?

[PhillyRising]

Originally Posted by MAC123

Thank god that didn't happen. Still would like to see a new Jets Stadium tho. In NYC

The could put it on the footprint of Shea. The Jets are more of a Queens/Long Island team anyway...they seem far flung from their core fans base over in New Jersey.

[PhillyRising]

.

[Steely Dan]

Originally Posted by PhillyRising

It may not look pretty...but for us....it works.

great.

it's still ugly as fuck.


being from chicago, and the product of a generations-deep mixed-side marriage (maternal all northside cubs/paternal all southside sox), i'm acutely familiar with the differences between a stadium surrounded by city and one surrounded by ugly-ass parking lots.


i'll take the former EVERY time.

[TempleGuy1000]

Originally Posted by Steely Dan

great.
i'll take the former EVERY time.

I don't disagree, but I will tell you there is a pretty big difference between being setup next to the Dan Ryan Expressway vs. being on Broad Street.

The idea that they would be showing aerials of the parking lot instead of the new I-95 waterfront park is funny to me though.

I got a good laugh yesterday at Trump saying that if he wins, the US will hold a year's long world fair in Iowa in 2026 instead. Pennsylvanian's still control most of the America250 congressional committee.

[Steely Dan]

Originally Posted by TempleGuy1000

I don't disagree, but I will tell you there is a pretty big difference between being setup next to the Dan Ryan Expressway vs. being on Broad Street.

yeah, the dan ryan is a true shit-show.

one of the most obnoxiously wide urban expressways in the nation.


but at least in comiskey's case, when you come out of the 35th street red line station, the stadium is right there, with only a 3 minute walk to the first stadium entrance.

https://www.google.com/maps/@41.8309...8192?entry=ttu



coming out of NRG station into the philly sports complex, the vast empty spread of land before your is a little bit more visually daunting, with walks to citizens bank and lincoln finacial being 6 minutes and 8 minutes, respectively.

https://www.google.com/maps/@39.9052...8192?entry=ttu



but the oceans of asphalt are bad in both cases.

america generally sucks at this.

[MAC123]

Originally Posted by PhillyRising

The could put it on the footprint of Shea. The Jets are more of a Queens/Long Island team anyway...they seem far flung from their core fans base over in New Jersey.

Would love to see a new Jets Stadium by Citifield, a new Giants Stadium as well.

[PhillyRising]

Originally Posted by Steely Dan

yeah, the dan ryan is a true shit-show.

one of the most obnoxiously wide urban expressways in the nation.


but at least in comiskey's case, when you come out of the 35th street red line station, the stadium is right there, with only a 3 minute walk to the first stadium entrance.

https://www.google.com/maps/@41.8309...8192?entry=ttu



coming out of NRG station into the philly sports complex, the vast empty spread of land before your is a little bit more visually daunting, with walks to citizens bank and lincoln finacial being 6 minutes and 8 minutes, respectively.

https://www.google.com/maps/@39.9052...8192?entry=ttu



but the oceans of asphalt are bad in both cases.

america generally sucks at this.

The Vet and Spectrum used to sit right at the subway. I think the visual is getting you more. Their replacements were built further east...and it's basically a few city blocks.

The city should have pushed for the Union to build Subaru Park on the old footprint of The Vet. That would have made the visual better and maybe less offensive to those not from Philadelphia.

[TempleGuy1000]

Originally Posted by PhillyRising

The Vet and Spectrum used to sit right at the subway. I think the visual is getting you more. Their replacements were built further east...and it's basically a few city blocks.

The city should have pushed for the Union to build Subaru Park on the old footprint of The Vet. That would have made the visual better and maybe less offensive to those not from Philadelphia.

and there's still a chance Pattison Place will be built on the one blocks: https://pattisonplaceoffices.com/

[thoughtcriminal]

Originally Posted by PhillyRising

The city should have pushed for the Union to build Subaru Park on the old footprint of The Vet. That would have made the visual better and maybe less offensive to those not from Philadelphia.

or even better, the Union should just play at the Linc. Other MLS teams play in NFL stadiums (New England, Atlanta, Seattle), I am sure that the Union would do well there. Better than Temple football, for sure. And then the stadium wouldn't sit there empty all through the spring and summer, and the Union just might develop an even bigger following, which they deserve given that they have become one of the MLS' top teams.
I know, people whine about the football yard lines when the seasons overlap, but I'd rather deal with that than going all the way down to freakin' Chester. At least you can take the subway to the linc.
Subaru Park has done *nothing* for the city of Chester. Nothing. Stadiums never do. Why politicians refuse to learn this lesson is beyond me. But that was the promise and the expectation when Gov Rendell insisted that the stadium be build there. Fail. Time to admit it and move the team to where they can grow the fan base.
They are embarking on expanding the training facilities, creating new practice fields where there is currently stadium parking. while this may be a good thing for their training, it is a nightmare for people who drive to games. they could continue to make Chester their base for training, but play their matches at the Linc, and not be the only Philadelphia team that doesn't play in Philadelphia.

[thoughtcriminal]

but getting back to the original topic, I still think there is an outside chance that the World Cup Final is played in Philly.
I know I brought up the fact that FIFA rules stipulate that the final be played in a stadium with at least 80,000 seats, and that the linc only holds about 70,000. But remember, this is FIFA we are talking about. rules can be bent, broken, or otherwise ignored. For a price, of course....
Dan Hilferty, former CEO of Independence Blue Cross and who is in charge of the Philly World Cup Bid, I am sure is shrewd enough to broker some kind of deal that compensates FIFA for those 10,000 seats in order to make Philly the focus of the world in the SemiQuinCentennial.
Long shot? You bet. But so were the Colonies in 1776.... (groan)

[PhillyRising]

Originally Posted by TempleGuy1000

and there's still a chance Pattison Place will be built on the one blocks: https://pattisonplaceoffices.com/

I'd be shocked considering the lack of need for office space due to the WFH craze...but I wouldn't be shocked if apartments wound up being built along Broad on those lots.

I guess the ESports venue is dead?

[PhillyRising]

Originally Posted by thoughtcriminal

but getting back to the original topic, I still think there is an outside chance that the World Cup Final is played in Philly.
I know I brought up the fact that FIFA rules stipulate that the final be played in a stadium with at least 80,000 seats, and that the linc only holds about 70,000. But remember, this is FIFA we are talking about. rules can be bent, broken, or otherwise ignored. For a price, of course....
Dan Hilferty, former CEO of Independence Blue Cross and who is in charge of the Philly World Cup Bid, I am sure is shrewd enough to broker some kind of deal that compensates FIFA for those 10,000 seats in order to make Philly the focus of the world in the SemiQuinCentennial.
Long shot? You bet. But so were the Colonies in 1776.... (groan)

It's going to be East Rutherford or Inglewood.

The Linc only holds 67000.

[thoughtcriminal]

Originally Posted by PhillyRising

I'd be shocked considering the lack of need for office space due to the WFH craze...but I wouldn't be shocked if apartments wound up being built along Broad on those lots.

I guess the ESports venue is dead?

the ESports venue was being "reimagined" as a multipurpose venue. But I wouldn't be surprised if it died soon.
the ESports team relocated to Seoul, Korea.

[thoughtcriminal]

Originally Posted by PhillyRising

It's going to be East Rutherford or Inglewood.

The Linc only holds 67000.

we'll see....
I will say this, that in the article below, it states that Philly is only approved to host games through the quarter final round.
But the main thrust of the article is that the number of games to be played in the next WC will now be 104, up from 80 which was already a record. And that Philly may host as many as 9 matches with the expanded schedule.

"In mid-March, the FIFA Council unanimously approved an amendment to the competition format from 16 groups of three teams to 12 groups with four teams each. This decision increases the total number of matches played throughout the tournament to 104, up from 80, which was already set to be the largest number of games played in a World Cup yet.

Meg Kane, the host city executive for Philadelphia Soccer 2026, said the format change makes the likelihood that Philadelphia will be home to more matches than originally planned “very real.” It is one of 16 cities across the U.S., Canada and Mexico chosen to host 2026 World Cup matches.

Philadelphia Soccer used five to six matches as the framework during the bidding process from 2017 to 2022, but with the additional 24 games, Kane estimates Philadelphia could end up getting as many as nine. The city is qualified to host matches up through the quarterfinal round.
Behind paywall:
https://www.bizjournals.com/philadel...world-cup.html

[bobdreamz]

I'm surprised how many of you haven't even considered Miami / Ft. Lauderdale in the Polling especially after this :

• Video Link