Baltimore’s World Cup Bid

Last Tuesday, FIFA provided an updated timeline for selection of host cities for the 2026 World Cup that will be jointly hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico.

Baltimore is among 17 U.S. cities vying to host matches , with 10 to be selected to join three cities each and Canada and Mexico that will host the quadrennial event. FIFA is now aiming to have all host cities selected by the end of 2021, provided the covid-19 pandemic allows for site visits to every city during the second half of the year.

On Wednesday, Maryland Sports Commission Executive Director Terry Hasseltine joined Baltimore Sports and Life to discuss the current state of Baltimore’s bid, the potential civic impact of hosting World Cup matches, and how Baltimoreans can get involved. His remarks are below:

Editor’s note: this interview has been edited for length and clarity.

(You can discuss this on the BSL Board here.)

Baltimore Sports and Life: So obviously we just saw the news of the updated timeline for the selection of host cities. Where would you say Baltimore’s bid sits right now?

Terry Haseltine: There’s going to be a series of exercises between now and the third quarter of this year with a site visit happening in the third quarter right now, with decision day in late 2021. So at least we know where the goal line is right now on our pursuit to make sure matches are held at M&T Bank Stadium in 2026. But regardless of that, we’re excited about a lot of the programs and initiatives that we are going on that are going on in concert with this effort.

Yesterday we announced an international football development initiative. Our first country is Benin in Africa. We’re going to lay out a lot more in regards to that particular partnership in the next 30 days, but it was nice to have the minister of sport and the president of Benin really excited about joining Baltimore’s effort to secure the World Cup. And programs like that are fundamental to the growth of the game, fundamental to making sure our bid is about presenting Baltimore and Maryland not just on a domestic stage but on a global stage, so when people have to make a decision, they see that we’re front and center, and doing good things.

BSL: Among the 17 United states cities that are bidding, Baltimore is the only one without a Major League Soccer team in-market. Do you view that as a benefit or a drawback to the bid?

I think it helps to a certain degree, and I think the reason why it helps is we’re far more pliable to FIFA and US Soccer because we don’t have, quote unquote, anchor tenants in our market. They have a better mechanism to really influence the game of soccer in our market, whereas there’s some of those markets where those programs are already established. Where can the growth really occur? How would you measure the substantial growth?

(For Baltimore), you talk about spurring growth on the commerce side. You talk about spurring growth on the grassroots side (of the game), you talk about the potential impact of a pro team landing in the market around the time of the World Cup or just shortly thereafter. You have these measuring sticks that can show how the impact of the game really changed the local environment. But don’t get me wrong, every city is a good contender.

BSL: Of course, it’s not as though the city lacks in soccer tradition. I just wrote about how the Blast have a legacy as long as nearly any pro soccer team in the country, and there’s elite youth development clubs in the region. It’s just not visible in the outdoor pro game. Could this help change that?

TH: You hit the nail on the head. Between (youth clubs) SAC and Pipeline and the Blast and their connection to the Bays, from a youth and collegiate perspective, we have some of the best soccer in the country happening in our backyard, some of the best tournament operators happening in our backyard. We just don’t have that, I call it the cherry on top of the Sundae that some others have.

Right now, I think we have a great foundation. And to us, getting World Cup match play in Baltimore I think could be a caveat to some of the legacy things that are happening in. The growth of Port Covington. Westport. Talking about some of the hamlets across the city. And talking about Harbor East and those areas. The World Cup ratchets things there up a notch or two, and the next thing you know, oila, there’s a (professional) club here.

BSL: There has already been speculation that a USL Championship soccer team could launch here in the near future, a few years before the World Cup. Would that help the bid?

TH: Obviously there are things underlying that you just don’t know if they’re playing a factor or they’re not. But right now, everything that we’re doing, from the conversations that we’ve been having, (is important). From prepping M&T to be soccer specific in 2026, to our (work on) human rights and human trafficking and sustainability (both FIFA priorities), and the fact that some of our laws and regulations and rules around those topics are some of the best in the country.

We’re trying to impact and work with Parks and Recs as it pertains to potential legacy field development or other structural development resulting from the bid. We’re collaborating with Maryland State Youth Soccer, and SAC and Pipeline. And then creating an international footprint with our international development initiative. We’re working with football for peace, aiming to host a charity match potentiallly in 2021 and if not in 2022. And so we’re looking at all of these things as key principal opportunities, whether we host a match in the city of Baltimore or not, that we are creating fundamental initiatives and programs that makes us a better place.

The biggest bucket list thing I’ve ever wanted to be a part of is the World Cup. However the legacy of the footprint of pursuing it could be just as big or bigger than of hosting the games themselves.

BSL: You mention the site visit, which was originally scheduled for 2020 before the onset of the pandemic. Given that Baltimore’s strengths can be a bit of a secret if you don’t live here, how important is that visit?

TH: Our primary focus has been on making sure we create a logistical footprint for the site visit that is second to none. We want them to come to Baltimore leaving wanting more of Baltimore. 

The challenging part for the site visit, it’s not multiple days. They’re coming in and out in 12 hours. We have so much to cover and we have so many places that we’ve got to get them to. They’re coming with an army of people. Last we knew it was going to be a pretty significant delegation on the FIFA side as well as the US Soccer side. So they can come, go out see our venues, go out and see our hospitality infrastructure, see our projected training sites and the like. And then we’re also going to have some workshops based on human rights and human trafficking and sustainability. We do have plans of taking the sustainability group out with the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, to show them some of the initiatives going on in the harbor. But they want to do stuff in a workshop, so we’ll honor that.

Technology along with us getting people to and from and around in the community is going to be critical. And then making sure that the right people are where they need to be, when they need to be, realizing that this is our red carpet moment, and we’ve got to roll it out. And if it needs to be a 100-yard red carpet, we’ll make it 100. If it needs to be 10 yards, we’ll make it 10 yards. 

BSL: How should average citizens get involved?

TH: The biggest thing right now is getting on their social media and supporting everything that gets pushed out from our social media platforms (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram), and on BaltimoreMD2026.us, and if they have a few extra dollars, there’s ways to contribute, if they want to throw $5, $10 at the effort just to be a part of it. They can also put testimonials on our site.

We need people to really, really speak out on their excitement about this. … If you want to see the World Cup land in Baltimore, you’ve got to get on there and say it. And if you want to join a committee, send us an email through Baltimore MD2026.us and we’ll get you connected in the right group. This is an entire village, group effort. And we need everyone’s knowledge and expertise to move this thing forward.

BSL: What gives you hope about the bid?

TH: Our logistics are second to none. FIFA loves our footprint. When you look at the inner harbor. When you look at Middle Branch, you look at those various pockets throughout the city that you could set up a fanfest. We’re looking at a fanfest that is not just one location in the Inner Harbor. How do you use Middle Branch? How do you use Hampden? How do you use the Mt. Washington Areas?

BSL And Baltimore is a good festival and event town …

TH: We see when people showed up for the Star Spangled Spectacular and the celebration there of the War of 1812. And then you see, when we do things of that nature, Light City and the like, people show up. But we’ll also have the infusion of international visitors that will just change the culture. This is a chance to change a narrative, to increase a conversation and to really push the city of Baltimore forward and be forward thinking and looking 50 years from now, what the impact of this could be long-term.

BSL: How do you think M&T Bank Stadium stacks up against others in contention as a venue?

TH: From the capacity side, we’re at the upper crust of capacity. I think our amenities when it comes to our club level, our seating capacity, our digital and other assets, I think we measure up extremely well. We’re obviously not So-Fi Stadium (in Los Angeles) or Mercedes-Benz Stadium (in Atlanta), which were just built in the last couple years and cost a gazillion-billion dollars to build. However, look at the stadium and our surrounding assets. We’ve got the airport in close proximity. The fact that the light rail drops you off right at the stadium, the fact that the fanfest area, the primary one that we’re looking at, is within walking distance of the main venue, the fact that we’re an open book in terms of what could be FIFA’s legacy on our city. But from a stadium perspective, we have all the amenities and we have all the things that FIFA is asking for.