They can be equally fair but can also be less fair. For instance, just in the last two pages of this thread you've been talking about all the Chinese or Guatemalans that may pack a stadium if their team is in the playoff.
What happens in the stands with ticket sales is just part of the deal. Not necessarily unfair or affects the outcomes of matches. A team like Paraguay could play Guatemala and still kick their ass no matter if the have 200K in the stands.
...or Guatemala could get a lead against the run of play and park the bus, buoyed by their fans in a way they wouldn't be if they had to defend for their lives in Asunción.
You probably have not seen Guatemala play the last couple cycles have you. (Joking, yes that situation could happen but I do not think the crowd would will them to victory. It can help but they still have to execute and they would be very nervous. While Paraguay playing in harsher conditions in South America would probably not flinch too much)
Its fair in the sense that the venue(s) are decided before the teams are known. It is nevertheless a hard fact that the situation a team must deal with (crowd, travel, weather, etc) impacts their chances of winning quite significantly.
Which stadium not listed as a finalist stadium has the best shot of being used. Mine is SoFi Stadium Los Angeles. Once FIFA see this stadium.
Favorites for USA stadiums for 2026 1- Atlanta (Mercedes Benz Stadium) 2- Boston (Gillette Stadium/Patriots Foxboro) 3- Dallas (AT & T Stadium/Cowboys Stadium) 4- LA (you could use Rose Bowl or SoFi) 5- Miami (Hard Rock Stadium) 6- New York/New Jersey (MetLife Stadium) 7- San Francisco/Bay Area (Levi's Stadium) Now the 3 cities they should go to: 1- Washington DC (FedEx Field) 2- Seattle (CenturyLink Field) 3- Kansas City (Arrowhead Stadium)
I think you got it mostly right. I think Seattle is a lock and Boston isn't. I ultimately think Boston does get it. My last three would be DC, Boston and Houston. With Kansas City missing out.
I think Gillette stadium is pretty much a lock because Robert Kraft is a part of the bid and has been a prominent voice in US soccer for decades. I would not mind Seattle as host. I think it would provide the best home field advantage for the USA ever so selfishly I want it to happen. But realistically they would be so far away from the rest of the venues so I am not sure. Not to mention They have a weird rule in Seattle when Seattle Mariners baseball games occur that there is limited traffic and parking available to the NFL stadium so that conflict could be a major hurdle.
Which is why Kansas City should get it especially with it becoming a soccer haven now or even Cincinnati
Too hot, get me in the Air Conditioning down in Houston's retractable roof stadium. Seattle is pretty close to the Ba Area fwiw.
KC makes sense because there are not many Midwest representatives and they may want a central hub midway between the venues. But it is far from a sure thing.
Exactly and geographically the distance between Kansas City and Dallas...that is why I chose Kansas City
Lets see here Kansas City a stadium with no shading but central location, but not near any other venues in the swealtering heat or Houston a more modern better air conditioned retractable roof stadium closer to the Dallas venue and Mexico venues.
I think the altitude hurts Denver. A little cooler than KC in the summer, still a stadium with no shading and a huge disadvantage for teams that have to adjust to the altitude.
Washington, Philly and Baltimore are more or less all in the same area so that is problematic in of that of itself
I can't either but apparently Baltimore is trying to put a bid in but then another problem is Miami and Orlando as well given both cities are relatively close to another as well. Miami is a lock most likely but I don't even know why Orlando though of all cities would even try to bid.
USSF has the decision making authority as to which US cities/venues get selected, right? How much input does FIFA have? There are certainly a lot of considerations, but one where we don't have a lot of insight is the financial aspect. What cities/stadiums are giving the best financial deal? I have zero insight into that. Yeah maybe the decision makers care about what city has the best fans or whatever, but in the end money is always the major factor. How much more money will we make by hosting in City A vs City B? And we don't get that data.
The altitude is not that significant (1,600 meters) and not sure I would consider it a "disadvantage" since both teams have to deal with it. And its a great place to go for the travelling fans.
As per CONCACAF President Vic Montagliani that CONCACAF will have 8 teams playing in 2026...read it off of Forbes
They misquoted him. Specifically, they quoted Rob Stone, who misinterpreted what Montagliani said during a halftime show yesterday. Montagliani clearly meant that having 8 Concacaf teams in 2026 was a goal to work towards, not a guarantee.