The Greater Orlando Sports Commission, City of Orlando, Orange County and Orlando City Soccer Club have assembled a team of community leaders from public and private sectors working hand-in-hand with the goal of bringing the 2026 FIFA World Cup to Orlando.
We take a regional approach to executing high-profile events and form host committees for each of our marquee events dating back to the 1994 FIFA World Cup. We determine how best to use our collective resources and create a strategic plan to deliver epic athlete and fan experiences.
Our Bid Committee is broken into topic-specific sub committees including events/operations, special events, marketing/public relations, finance/administration, youth/grassroots, accommodation, human rights, public safety/security, sustainability, transportation, sponsorship/partnerships, community relations, and fan fests.
The USMNT defeats Panama 4-0 at Exploria Stadium in FIFA 2018 World Cup Qualifier.
The USWNT defeated England 1-0 to win its 2nd SheBelieves title in three years.
The Orlando City Soccer Club in partnership with the Downtown Development Board, Greater Orlando Sports Commission and iHeart radio hosted a watch party for the 2018 FIFA World Cup Final on July 15, 2018.
The USMNT earned a 1-0 victory against Ecuador on March 21, 2019 at Exploria Stadium.
Orlando was selected in May of 2019 to participate in the WNT Everywhere Campaign. Player murals were unveiled in 11 cities across the United States ahead of the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup.
Greater Orlando 2026 World Cup Pursuit Partners unveiled their new Host City Candidate logo on Thursday, June 20, 2019.
GO26 along with GrayRobinson hosted a Community Leader Forum to celebrate the 25th Anniversary of the 1994 FIFA World Cup. The event was hosted on June 20, 2019 and Abe Madkours, publisher and editor of the Sports Business Journal moderated the panel discussion with key officials of the 1994 FIFA World Cup, including Marla Messing, Executive Vice President of the 1994 FIFA World Cup; Alan Rothenberg, Chairman and CEO of the 1994 FIFA World Cup; Joanie Schirm, Orlando Chairman for the 1994 FIFA World Cup; and Ross Berlin, Senior Vice President of Venues for the 1994 FIFA World Cup.
GO26 along with the Orlando Downtown Development Board hosted a watch party on June 20, 2019 for the U.S. Women’s National Team as they took on Sweden for the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup.
GO26 hosted a 25th Anniversary VIP celebration of the 1994 FIFA World Cup. The celebration took place on June 20, 2019 and featuring Alex Leitao, Chief Executive Officer of Orlando City Soccer Club, Mayor Buddy Dyer, Mayor of the City of Orlando; Mayor Glenda Hood, Former Mayor of the City of Orlando; Mayor Jerry Demings, Mayor of Orange County; and Jason Siegel, Chief Executive Officer of Greater Orlando Sports Commission.
GO26 hosted a watch party on July 7, 2019 for the U.S. Women’s National Team as they took on Netherlands in the final match of the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup.
The MLS All-Stars took on Athletico Madrid on July 31, 2019 at Exploria Stadium.
The Downtown Orlando Partnership will be hosting a World Cup Lunch and Learn event on November 6, 2019.
The USMNT secured a 4-1 win over Canada in the critical Concacaf Nations League home match on Nov. 15 at Exploria Stadium.
Jason Siegel, Chief Executive Officer of the Greater Orlando Sports Commission participated in a FIFA World Cup Host Cities Panel Discussion at Soccerex Miami on November 21-22, 2019.
The United Soccer League hosted their end-of-year meetings in Orlando on December 10-12, 2019.
Ashlyn Harris and Ali Krieger joined Mayor Buddy Dyer as the City of Orlando declared March 5 as “SheBelieves Day”.
The reigning FIFA Women's World Cup champions, the U.S. Soccer Women's National Team beat England 2-0 in this elite four-team international tournament.
Representatives from all 17 U.S. bid cities attended a virtual host city workshop, as FIFA and U.S. Soccer scheduled the next steps in the venue selection process.
Orlando hosts the MLS is Back Tournament, which marked the league’s return to action after the season was suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The entire tournament was successfully staged in the ‘Disney Bubble’ at ESPN Wide World of Sports.
GO26 Partners gave a presentation to officials from FIFA and U.S. Soccer in a one-on-one virtual setting.
Jason Siegel, President & CEO of the Greater Orlando Sports Commission participated in a panel discussion at Host City 2020, an international virtual sports conference, to discuss Orlando’s pursuit of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
The Scotiabank Concacaf Champions League tournament resumed and crowned a champion, with the final seven matches played behind closed doors at Exploria Stadium. The tournament was suspended in May 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Orlando hosted the US Women’s National Team for their spring training camp, as well as two friendly matches played against Columbia at Exploria Stadium.
The US Men’s National Team opened their 2021 international season with a friendly match against Trinidad & Tobago at Exploria Stadium.
The entire SheBelieves Cup tournament is staged at Orlando’s Exploria Stadium. Competing against national teams from Argentina, Brazil and Canada, the USWNT clinched its fourth SheBelieves Cup title, becoming the first back-to-back champions in the tournament’s six year history and the first team to not allow a single goal at the competition.
Florida Citrus Sports announced it has acquired Florida Cup, the annual international soccer festival that combines sports, music and entertainment. Through the partnership, Florida Cup will target top clubs from Europe while continuing to attract elite clubs from North and South America.
GO26 Partners met with officials from FIFA and U.S. Soccer to outline Camping World Stadium’s infrastructure and upgrades.
Orlando’s Exploria Stadium hosted Jamaica, Costa Rica, Suriname, and Guadeloupe in group stage matches of the 2021 Concacaf Gold Cup.
Florida Cup matches took place at Orlando’s Camping World Stadium, with teams including Everton, Atletico Nacional, Millonarios FC, and Pumas Unam.
Kaka joins Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer, Orange County Mayor Jerry L. Demings and Orlando City SC / Orlando Pride Chairman Mark Wilf as Honorary Chairmen of the GO26 Local Organizing Committee.
Orlando’s Organizing Committee was formed in August of 2017. With the Greater Orlando Sports Commission, City of Orlando, Orange County and Orlando City Soccer Club providing leadership, the committee will add muscle, resources and creativity to ensure the success of the event.
The contribution of the region’s stakeholders in youth/grassroots soccer will be vital to the success and legacy of the event.
Our nationally ranked agencies collaborate on a regular basis for all marquee events to focus on the safety of our visiting teams, delegations, fans and local residents.
Working closely with our community experts and relevant stakeholders, we will strategize and implement sustainability initiatives throughout the entire event process, including before, during, and after the staging of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
