CINCINNATI — Growing up in southwest Ohio, FC Cincinnati defender Nick Hagglund never dreamed his hometown would host a World Cup match. Now, on the verge of host city selections, he thinks the Queen City has done more than enough to deserve it.
What You Need To Know
- Cincinnati finds out Thursday if it will host matches during the 2026 World Cup
- FC Cincinnati defender Nick Hagglund said Cincinnati earning a World Cup bid would showcase his hometown's soccer legacy
- Cincinnati isn't known as a soccer town, but supporter groups like the American Outlaws have worked to enhance local soccer culture
- Cincinnati has hosted three national team matches since the opening of TQL Stadium
On Thursday, Cincinnati and 15 other cities in the United States will learn if they’ll serve as a host city for the FIFA 2026 World Cup in North America.
FIFA officials will announce the list of 10 cities during a live broadcast on FS1. It will run from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. Soccer’s international governing body previously announced the six total sites for Canada and Mexico.
Matches played in Cincinnati would take place at Paul Brown Stadium for capacity reasons.
The Cincinnati chapter of the American Outlaws—the supporters’ group for the U.S. men’s national team (USMNT) as well as the women’s team—will host a “Selection Sunday”-style watch party at The Pitch across from TQL Stadium. It starts at 4 p.m.
Fans will probably also watch at other soccer-centric sports bars such as Rhinehaus in Over-the-Rhine, Molly Malone’s in Covington, Ky., Hap’s Irish Pub in Hyde Park and various other spots across the greater Cincinnati region.
“Growing up here, it didn’t feel like Cincinnati was even on the soccer radar. Now we’re on the verge of hosting a World Cup,” said Hagglund, 29, a native of West Chester.
“Landing the bid would be just an extreme feeling of pride,” he added. “It’s all kind of surreal.”
Hagglund described greater Cincinnati as a “hotbed for soccer talent.” For years, the region has had a thriving youth program, especially in its suburban communities.
As a kid, Hagglund played for his dad for several years before starring at Lakota West High School. He also played for the Cincinnati United Premier U18 club team, which ranked 23rd in the nation in the fall of 2009.
Toronto FC drafted him with the 10th overall pick in the 2014 MLS SuperDraft following a standout career at Xavier University.
But Hagglund feels local players often get overlooked in favor of players in more “traditional soccer cities” like St. Louis or Kansas City or Seattle. Those perceptions may also explain why it’s taken so long for Cincinnati to arrive on the national stage, he added.
Seattle and Kansas City are also in the running to host World Cup matches in 2026.
The other U.S. cities are Arlington, Texas; Atlanta; Baltimore; Denver; East Rutherford, N.J.; Foxborough, Mass.; Houston; Inglewood, Calif.; Miami Gardens, Fla.; Nashville; Orlando, Fla.; Pasadena, Calif.; Philadelphia and Santa Clara, Calif.
Part of the reason for that lack of respect, Hagglund believes, is Cincinnati didn’t have an MLS team until 2018. He thought Cincinnati would never stand a chance because of how close it is to Columbus, which has the Crew.
Hagglund attended one of those big matches at the old Crew Stadium. He attended one of the famed “Dos a Cero” matches between the U.S. men’s national team and Mexico.
While he’s always loved playing the game, attending a soccer match was an entirely unique experience.
“I sat up in the stands and was all painted up. There were signs and jerseys for both teams all around me,” Hagglund recalled. “Just watching the rivalry game in person just helped build an appreciation for the passion for the game and just excitement from a fan’s perspective.”
Those things are more common in Cincinnati nowadays, Zach Blandford believes, thanks to the creation of the FC Cincinnati and the construction of TQL Stadium.
As a member of the American Outlaws, Blandford has attended men’s and women’s national team matches around the world. He feels Cincinnati is second-to-none compared to any of those cities.
“We have a really special fan base here that’s really bought into soccer culture,” Blandford said. “These fans are always going to show up whenever a team comes to town.”
From America’s pastime to the Beautiful Game
Nowadays, for any big soccer match, you can go to any sports bar and expect to find a major European soccer match on TV. That wasn’t always the case, though.
One of the first in Cincinnati was Hap’s, a small neighborhood bar on the eastern side of Hyde Park. Its owner, Danny Thomas, only started showing matches because he “finally gave in” to a group of fans from the United Kingdom who wanted a place to watch the English Premier League.
Thomas bought an oversized satellite dish and purchased a premium sports package to appease them about 20 years ago.
Thomas was never a "soccer person," but he developed an appreciation for the game after coaching his now-grown sons when they were kids. It wasn’t always an easy sales pitch.
There were people who would come in and complain about us showing matches, Thomas said, because they thought it was too low-scoring or there wasn’t enough action. “I’d ask them, ‘What about baseball?’ You’re fine with a 1-0 game in baseball but not soccer,” he added. “They grew up with baseball so they were OK, so I think growing the sport is about education and exposure.”
The soccer crowd at Hap’s picked up in 2002 during the World Cup in Korea and Japan. Despite local late-night starts, the bar reopened shortly after closing and attracted a lot of business for matches. Thomas opened the bar after closing hours to give fans a place to watch the game even though he wasn’t able to sell alcohol.
“We were the only bar in Cincinnati at the time that would stay open,” he said. They were one of the few bars doing such a time and word spread and quickly they got packed. Crowds got even bigger with the success of the U.S. men’s national team, which advanced to the quarterfinals before losing to Germany, 1-0.
He thinks the success of the U.S. in that tournament and the experience of watching those matches helped build the enthusiasm for soccer you see in Cincinnati today.
Now, on weekends, Hap’s opens at 7 a.m. for European matches and draws big crowds for major competitions such as the recent UEFA Champions League final between Liverpool and Real Madrid.
“Over time, with the young players and the people from other cities moving here—you’ve obviously got a professional team and a great stadium and everything so it’s great,” he said. “Landing the (World Cup) bid would be great for the city, it’s great for the sport.”
Cincinnati welcomes new, louder generation of soccer fans
The American Outlaws have more than 200 chapters across the country and more than 30,000 members.
While he couldn’t provide specific membership numbers, Blandford described Cincinnati’s chapter as “one of the most active and growing. Success in recent national teams matches in Cincinnati have helped, Blandford said.
TQL has hosted three U.S. Soccer matches since it opened in May 2021, the most recent being a 3-0 win over Morocco on June 1.
Cincinnati hosted a women’s friendly between the U.S. and Paraguay on Sept. 21. In November, the U.S. defeated archrival Mexico, 2-0, in front of a sellout crowd of 26,000 in a FIFA World Cup qualifier.
Even in the hours leading up to the World Cup announcement, Blandford remains in disbelief that Cincinnati may be a host city for the tournament. It’s something he “dreamed of” but never really thought possible.
He said a lot of time and effort in recent years has gone into trying to develop a Cincinnati soccer culture.
“I never really thought that was possible when I was a kid. Heck, probably not from 10 years ago,” Blandford said. “Hearing that we won the bit would be unimaginable. I’d be glad to say I was wrong.”
In October, regional government and business leaders met with representatives from U.S. Soccer and FIFA, soccer’s international governing body, to make their sales pitch for Cincinnati to host the World Cup.
FIFA wanted to inspect training facilities and sporting venues, as well as things like entertainment options, cultural centers, hotel space and transportation for out-of-town. The tournament will attract thousands of visitors from across the globe.
They also wanted to evaluate the local passion for the sport.
“What’s been striking to me is the authenticity of your community,” said FIFA Vice President Victor Montagliani, who also serves as president of North America’s soccer federation, CONCACAF. He added the people have shown a true love for the sport.
“It’s about people,” Montagliani said. “It’s not always the most populous places that win; it’s not always the places that have the most money. Football is about the people.”
Should Cincinnati land a bid, Blandford feels some fans may have to make a hard decision. While he’d hope Cincinnati would land a match featuring Team USA, there’d be no guarantee.
If they play outside Cincinnati, some local fans may decide to follow the national team, Blandford said. He doesn’t think it’d affect local attendance.
And if they don’t land the bid? Fans will just wait for the next match that comes to town.
“People will still show up,” he said. “Cincinnati soccer fans will always show up.”