Resolution 220644

..Title Congratulating the City of Philadelphia on winning its bid to become a Host City of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. ..Body WHEREAS, The FIFA World Cup is a quadrennial international soccer competition that brings together countries from all over the world to compete; and WHEREAS, The 23rd edition of the FIFA World Cup will begin and end in the summer of 2026. The qualifiers will start in 2023. Forty-eight teams will play 80 matches in total at the North American finals of the international association football competition. The 2026 World Cup was awarded to North America on June 13, 2018; and WHEREAS, The 2026 FIFA World Cup will be hosted by 16 cities across North America; and WHEREAS, In 2026, FIFA will hold its 23rd World Cup hosted by three North American nations, the United States, Canada, and Mexico. This is the first time in World Cup history that three countries will co-host the tournament; and WHEREAS, The 2026 FIFA World Cup host cities include two cities in Canada, three cities in Mexico, and eleven cities in the United States; and WHEREAS, On June 16, 2022, FIFA announced that Philadelphia will be one of the 16 host cities for the 2026 World Cup, with Lincoln Financial Field as a host stadium; and WHEREAS, The City of Philadelphia has worked very hard to have the opportunity to host the World Cup, and have numerous plans in place to ensure a successful event; and WHEREAS, The City of Philadelphia, its citizens, and its culture deserves to be recognized and celebrated for its selection as a host city for the 2026 FIFA World Cup; now, therefore, be it RESOLVED, BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA, That it recognizes Philadelphia as a Host City of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, and wishes its leaders luck as they prepare to host the competition. ..End