US bid for future World Cups lures 58 hosts

A total of 58 venues from 49 major US metropolitan areas have confirmed interest in being considered as a World Cup host stadium to the USA bid committee seeking either the 2018 or 2022 events.

Bid officials said Thursday that they were rejected by only 12 venues among those they contacted regarding possible inclusion in bidding to FIFA to host the global football showdown, which was previously staged at US cities in 1994.

US venues as large as the Meadowlands and as small as US collegiate venues will make their pitches to be included, 30 of them American football venues. Rejections came only from certain US college stadiums.

Three other cities asked to be included – Raleigh-Durham in North Carolina, Salt Lake City, Utah, and Las Vegas, which has no suitable venue at the moment.

“We are very pleased by the impressive response and are certainly gratified by the enthusiasm,” US bid committee executive director David Downs said.

“Tourism, economic impact, meaningful global exposure and a legacy of being at the center of a World Cup await host venues and cities if we are fortunate enough to stage the tournament here in 2018 or 2022.”

Twelve stadiums with at least 40,000 seats are needed for the event with 80,000-seat venues needed for the opener and championship match. A World Cup attendance record of 3,587,538 spectators was set at US sites in 1994.

Australia, England, Indonesia, Japan, Mexico, Russia, Spain-Portugal, Netherlands-Belgium and the US group seek either the 2018 or 2022 World Cup while Qatar and South Korea have applied for the 2022 event.

Final bids are due in May of 2010 with a decision from FIFA on both events the following December.