For FIFA World Cup Host Cities, Legacy a Key Focus

When the FIFA World Cup was last in the United States in 1994, its lasting legacy was the formation of Major League Soccer, which has grown to 30 teams around the U.S. and Canada.

Next summer’s return of the World Cup to North America has led to an evaluation and in some cases a fresh look at what host cities want to be able to have as a legacy project with everything from new community venues to deeper relationships within the region

“The legacy of how can we increase programs, places and people are really are our key initiatives,” said Monica Paul, president of the North Texas FIFA World Cup Organizing Committee. “We did four years ago an analysis based on four cities within our region — Fort Worth, Frisco, Dallas and Arlington and the demand for youth soccer.

“We were 150-plus soccer fields short,” Paul continued. “We need to move the needle. We’re trying to identify regions from underserved perspectives where it could be a mini-pitch, street pitch, etc., integrating soccer into middle schools and getting access to kids who can play the sport.”

Seattle Host Committee Chief Strategy Officer April Putney referenced the city’s hosting of the 1962 World’s Fair, which changed the city’s skyline forever with the Space Needle.

“We have really centered legacy and planning in all aspects of our World Cup work,” Putney said. “We think it’s core to our success. We don’t think hosting a single sporting event is going to change the world or solve all our community’s ills but it would be remiss to not leverage this … We are focused on delivering a people-based legacy.”

Seattle’s first host city supporter was not a business but instead the Puyallup Tribe of Indians, marking the first time in the tournament’s history that an indigenous people have entered into an agreement with any host city.

The official announcement in June 2023 was in front of a red and black mural depicting one of the oldest forms of competition in North America, sləhal, as the Puyallup Tribe will be an Official Legacy Supporter for all Seattle26 activities and activations.

Puyallup people have lived along the shores of what is now called Puget Sound since time immemorial. The Puyallup Tribe will work with SeattleFWC26 on a number of initiatives throughout the next several years to allow the tribe the opportunity to share their story, in their own voice, on the global stage.

“We are doing things appropriately and right for our city and our region,” Putney said. “(The Tribe is) really excited to be able to tell their story about their past and their amazing future and all Indigenous people.”

Philadelphia Soccer 2026 will partner with the U.S. Soccer Foundation to invest $2 million in youth soccer initiatives surrounding the local region. Other cities are also partnering with the U.S. Soccer Federation on mini-pitches in their communities. U.S. Soccer has launched a Soccer Forward Foundation to reach diverse communities.

In Northern California, the Bay Area Host Committee has set up the BAHC Foundation with focuses on workforce development, sports for all and sports for change, plus green communities.

“When you’re launching a sports hub and people are reacting and you see kids playing on something that you’ve developed, it makes you feel like we can actually have a real impact on this region,” said BAHC President and CEO Zaileen Janmohamed.