Chicago's World Cup bid met the same fate as its tilt at the
Olympics when it was dropped Tuesday from U.S. plans for the 2018
or 2022 World Cup.
Americans organizers selected 21 stadiums in 18 metropolitan
areas to submit in their bid book to FIFA in May.
Also left off was San Francisco, but organizers said the Bay
Area could return to contention if the 49ers get a new stadium in
Santa Clara. Others not making the cut included Cleveland; Detroit;
Jacksonville, Florida and St. Louis.
Chicago, beaten by Rio de Janeiro for the 2016 Olympics in
October, has virtually no chance of getting back in consideration.
That was a major surprise, given that Soldier Field hosted the 1994
World Cup opener.
"I think there's a little Olympic fatigue. I think the Park
District had a tough time wrestling with FIFA requirements in short
order after the IOC decision," U.S. Soccer Federation president
Sunil Gulati said.
Gulati also cited the 61,000 capacity of renovated Solider
Field for World Cup soccer.
"It would have been by about 10 percent the smallest
stadium," Gulati said.
Stanford Stadium south of San Francisco, also a 1994 World
Cup site, and the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum had been among 32
stadiums in contention before 11 were trimmed Tuesday. Other 1994
World Cup sites dropped were Washington's RFK Stadium and the
Citrus Bowl in Orlando, Fla.
Eighteen metropolitan areas and 21 stadiums survived the cut
and will be part of the bid when FIFA's executive committee votes
on Dec. 2 in Zurich.
The 18 metropolitan areas have stadiums in Atlanta;
Baltimore; Dallas-Arlington, Texas; Denver; East Rutherford, New
Jersey; Foxboro, Massachusetts; Glendale, Arizona; Houston;
Indianapolis, Missouri; Kansas City, Missouri; Landover, Maryland;
Los Angeles-Pasadena, California; Miami; Nashville, Tennessee;
Philadelphia; San Diego; Seattle; and Tampa, Florida.
Gulati said they 18 stadiums would create an average capacity
of 78,000 and allow the sale of a record 5 million tickets. The
1994 tournament in the U.S. set World Cup records with 3.59 million
total attendance and an average of 68,991.
FIFA's rules call for nine to 12 stadiums to be picked. David
Downs, U.S. bid executive director, said he hoped the governing
body could be persuaded to expand the final list to 14.
