Atlanta enters bid to host 2026 FIFA World Cup
France's players lift the Fifa World Cup trophy after the Russia 2018 World Cup final football match between France and Croatia.
ATLANTA - The City of Atlanta has put in a bid to be one of the cities across North America to host the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Twenty-three cities in the United States, Mexico, and Canada were submitting as part of the bid for the major sports event, but only 10 cities in the United States will host the games. Atlanta is hoping to be one of those cities.
“Atlanta offers the best that any city can offer—rich culture and diversity, support of human rights issues, and a history of successfully hosting national and international events – which makes the city a natural place to host the FIFA World Cup,” Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms said in a statement. “Thank you to the FIFA Organizing Committee for considering Atlanta as a Host City for the 2026 competition.”
In its bid, the city has highlighted its work hosting large-scale sporting events including the 1996 Summer Olympic Games, three Super Bowls, four NCAA Men's Final Four tournaments, and two dozen SEC football championship games.
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The process also requires each city to examine possibly human rights-related risks and opportunities that come from hosting the World Cup. Officials say they will soon create a Human Rights Advisory Council with immigrant community leaders, business leaders, human trafficking advocates, and more to help discuss the initiative.
The city's preliminary findings will be presented to FIFA next year, which, if the city is chosen, will be built upon until 2026.
Along with the 10 U.S. cities, three cities in Canada and three cities in Mexico will also be selected to host games.\
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