Chicago Refused to Be FIFA's ‘Dumb Money' - Now the World Cup Is Here Without Them

The 2026 FIFAWorld Cup has officially arrived, and it’s already shaping up to be the biggest soccer event in history.

For the first time ever, 48 national teams are competing across three countries, the United States, Canada, and Mexico, with a whopping 104 matches spread across 16 stadiums.

For context, the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar had just 64 total games played across eight venues.

The first match takes place between Mexico and South Africa at Estadio Azteca in Mexico City on Thursday, June 11, and the final is set for July 19 at New York New Jersey Stadium (MetLife Stadium) in New Jersey.

And yet, even with more than a dozen cities set to host World Cup games, one of America’s most iconic sports cities won’t be part of it.

Chicago, home of the Bears, Bulls, Blackhawks, Cubs, and White Sox, won’t host a single World Cup game. And the man who made the call, former mayor Rahm Emanuel, recently told The Athletic exactly why he made the decision.

"We were on the front end of the bad side and the back end of the good side," he told The Athletic. "I said, ‘I don't know what any other mayor or governor is doing, but do you expect me to treat the Chicago taxpayers as the dumb money at the table? You've got to be kidding me.’"

"Then they said in the contract that they had the right to request a dome be built over Soldier Field. And I said, ‘You have got to take that out.' They go, ‘We never exercise it, but it's something we ask everybody.' I said, ‘I don't care if you've never exercised it. There will always be a first. Take it out and we can work through the other issues.' They said, ‘We can't take it out.'"

"Not a chance am I going to have you tell me on a $50 to $100 million expense, and you’re the one directing me to come up with that money, which means the taxpayers. That was the straw that broke the camel's back," Emanuel added. "You can't have something in there that leaves the city and the taxpayers exposed, and you get to decide it, and I have no vote in it."

More news: Fernando Mendoza Reveals Tom Brady's Message During Raiders OTAs

To qualify as a host city, candidates were required to meet extensive FIFA standards, including stadium improvements, security commitments, transportation infrastructure requirements, tax exemptions on ticket sales, large-scale fan festival areas, and commercial exclusion zones around venues lasting up to two months.

For Chicago, one clause proved to be the breaking point.

FIFA’s contract included the right to request a dome be built over the open-air Soldier Field, a potential $50-$100 million expense, at taxpayers’ cost, triggered entirely at FIFA’s discretion.

Emanuel wasn’t biting.

More news: Erling Haaland's Morocco Showing Has Norway Sweating Before the World Cup

More news: Victor Wembanyama Sends Stone-Cold Message Ahead of Must-Win Game 3 at MSG

Chicago’s official statement at the time said FIFA, “could not provide a basic level of certainty on some major unknowns that put our city and taxpayers at risk,” adding that FIFA’s “inflexibility and unwillingness to negotiate were clear indications that further pursuit of the bid wasn’t in Chicago’s best interests.”

With Chicago out of the picture, FIFA moved on to cities including Atlanta, Boston, Dallas, Houston, Kansas City, Los Angeles, Miami, New York/New Jersey, Philadelphia, and San Francisco.

2026 NEWSWEEK DIGITAL LLC.

This story was originally published June 8, 2026 at 8:36 PM.