It was widely expected that Levi’s Stadium was going to be selected as one of sixteen stadiums to host the 2026 FIFA World Cup, but there still was suspense during the announcement.
Ex-soccer greats Brandi Chastain, Leslie Osborne, Danielle Slaton, and John Doyle jumped up to celebrate when the region was chosen during a nationwide broadcast shown on the stadium’s video scoreboard.
”What I love about the World Cup is there are two things that everybody speaks the same: math and soccer,” noted Chastain. “It’s a beautiful thing that brings everyone together. I’m really excited as a soccer fan not just as a player.”
Eleven cities in the US were chosen to host the World Cup, as well as two in Canada and three in Mexico. 2026 will see an expanded field of teams that will jump from 32 to 48 participants.
“It’s an opportunity for the world to see the Bay Area and what it has to offer,” added Osborne.
“My first real experience of soccer was in ‘94,” during the first FIFA World Cup held in the USA said Slaton. “2026 will have the opportunity to do that for all these girls and boys in the Bay Area.”
Next up for the Bay Area is to see how many World Cup games will be held at Levi’s Stadium, including if it will host later round matchups. But as confetti still blew in the air, Doyle wore a grin from ear to ear after the announcement.
“As a 12-year-old kid in Fremont who didn’t ever believe there would be World Cups in America, or the US would be in World Cups, to see the second World Cup back in America is a dream come true,” said Doyle.