CINCINNATI – There are few people more excited about the prospect of Cincinnati hosting a World Cup match in 2026 than Aaron Kohlhepp.
Beyond being a lifelong fan of soccer (or football, for European audiences), Kohlhepp is a co-owner of Rhinehaus, a soccer-centric sports bar in the Over-the-Rhine neighborhood.
On Friday, Kohlhepp will be one of an estimated several thousand local sports fans and Cincinnati enthusiasts doing their part to lure the international soccer competition to the Queen City.
The group will show off their soccer fandom to a delegation from United States Soccer and FIFA, the international body that puts on the World Cup tournament. The delegation is in the process of selecting 10 or 11 U.S. cities to host a match, or matches, in the upcoming tournament.
The U.S. will co-host the tournament along with Canada and Mexico.
"As a fan, hosting a World Cup match would be so incredibly surreal," said Kohlhepp. "Growing up, soccer in Cincinnati wasn't really a thing, outside of a youth sport. I never thought I would see a professional soccer team here, let alone a World Cup match. Now here we are with the MLS under our belt (FC Cincinnati) and we're talking about potentially hosting the World Cup."
The international delegation is trying to finalize its list of host cities for the 2026 tournament. Cincinnati is one of 17 U.S. cities in the running. The group plans to make site decisions in early 2022.
During their visit, the group will look at soccer training facilities, get a feel for the overall feel and layout of the city, and review plans for potential special fan events. Most of those fan experiences would take place at The Banks.
From 2-5 p.m. on Friday, fans will get their first look at one of those fan areas. There will be a free street festival on Freedom Way at The Banks to encourage the community to welcome FIFA to Cincinnati.
The site is just outside Paul Brown Stadium, which would serve as the host site for local World Cup matches.
“Cincinnati is the perfect host city for the FIFA World Cup,” said David Taylor, CEO of P&G and executive committee member of the 2026 Cincy Local Organizing Committee.
“We have great facilities for matches and for training, along with incredible cultural amenities and entertainment options for the fans," he continued. "This is also one of the most inviting cities in the world, and I know the community will go all out to make this the best host city in the United States.”
Hosting the 2026 FIFA World Cup could generate more than $5 billion in short-term economic activity, including supporting approximately 40,000 jobs and more than $1 billion in incremental worker earnings across North America, according to a study done by The Boston Consulting Group (BCG), a leading global management consulting firm.
The 48-team tournament in 2026 will include 80 total matches, making it the largest in FIFA World Cup history. The study further estimates that individual host cities could expect to see approximately $90-$480 million in economic impact per city.
One of those businesses that will benefit is Rhinehaus. Many of the bar's patrons are fans of soccer – whether it's a local match involving FC Cincinnati or an international match involving some of the world's top clubs.
"Soccer is huge for Rhinehaus. We get people in there as early as 7 a.m on Saturdays and Sundays, and they stick around most of the day," Kohlhepp said.
He said that "hanging around" for soccer mornings turns into afternoons and evenings of watching American-style football. The crowd also attracts others from the neighborhood who may feed off that energy, he said.
One of the events they're most excited about is an upcoming World Cup qualifier between the United States and Mexico on Nov. 12. That event will take place in Cincinnati. Kohlhepp said they've taken out a street closure permit to host a block party.
That match will take place at TQL Stadium in the West End. The home of FC Cincinnati is brand-new and soccer-specific, but it's not big enough to support a World Cup match crowd.
TQL stadium holds about 26,000, while Paul Brown Stadium has a max capacity of closer to 70,000.
Host stadiums must have a seating capacity of at least 40,000 for quarter-final games, 60,000 for semi-finals and 80,000 for final matches, per FIFA.
Rhinehaus is less than a couple miles from both sites and expects to see big business during the World Cup.
They were "packed to capacity" for all the U.S. matches back in 2014, the last time the U.S. qualified for the World Cup.
"Sadly, we didn't qualify in 2018, so we didn't have any U.S. matches to pack the bar, but we did draw a lot of people for most matches, including massive English crowds for England's matches," Kohlhepp said. They even saw a number of Icelandic fans who were airline employees who would visit Rhinehaus during their layovers in Cincinnati.
Kohelhapp said he has been to a number of U.S. matches, both men's and women's teams, over the years.
"'At this point, it's probably more than I can count on two hands," he said.
He even attended a couple of World Cup matches in France 1998, including the the U.S. vs. Germany match in Paris.
"Seeing swarms of fans upon fans of the German team singing and dancing through the streets of Paris is something I will never forget. To think I could be seeing that in Cincinnati in five years is honestly a little overwhelming," he said.
"It would be so incredible to be able to showcase our great city, and my business, for the whole world to see," he added.
As part of the festivities on Friday, local soccer fans will gather at Walnut Street and Freedom Way to march the 32 country flags of the last World Cup played in 2018 to Paul Brown Stadium.
Kohlhepp plans to take part.
Additional information is available at 2026Cincy.com.