Paul Brown Stadium took center stage on Tuesday in Cincinnati's bid to host high-profile matches in the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
The Hamilton County-owned venue's current specifications, as well as those required to host World Cup games, were the focus of a virtual call on Tuesday during which FIFA, world soccer's governing body, and Cincinnati’s Local Organizing Committee discussed Cincinnati's 2026 World Cup host-site bid.
The call was staged as part of the ongoing process to select host cities and sites for FIFA's prized event in 2026, which is to be hosted jointly by the United States, Canada and Mexico.
FC Cincinnati President Jeff Berding, who participated on the call on the city's behalf alongside Mayor John Cranley, Commissioner Stephanie Summerow Dumas, representatives from Paul Brown Stadium and others, said he was pleased with the tenor of the call and the progress made.
"Today's discussion, our virtual meeting, really focused on the specifications of Paul Brown Stadium to conform to FIFA regulations to host the best soccer players in the world right here in my hometown, right here in Cincinnati," Berding said during a late-morning Zoom call with media members. "The FIFA experts shared their insights and requirements to help guide our planning process. We covered literally the grass and the foundation under the grass. We talked about sight lines. We talked about the overall site on the riverfront and more.
"The county confirmed, Hamilton County confirmed that the timing is good for our World Cup bid as they are in the process of a master plan for Paul Brown Stadium and can overlay the FIFA specifications at the same time as the master-plan process."
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Paul Brown Stadium has hosted soccer matches in the past but would require changes to meet FIFA regulations for World Cup matches.
The subject of switching the venue from an artificial turf surface to natural grass was a main thrust during the call, Berding said.
"We might have talked about grass for half an hour," Berding said, adding that the hybrid grass playing surface at FC Cincinnati's West End Stadium was a subject of conversation.
Berding also noted the locally operated Motz Group, which specializes in natural-grass playing surfaces. He suggested a kind of convenience factor to having the Motz Group nearby in addition to having worked with the organization on FC Cincinnati's new playing surface.
The dimensions of the field-level surface would need to be expanded to meet FIFA's regulations for a soccer playing surface, as well as additional clearance space for advertising boards and other features.
"We need to provide greater width in the corners, and the four corners will be lifted out," Berding said. "That will provide the width. Those are the two material changes (grass and corners) that are required. Our point was we think we have the ability to make those happen."
With the U.S. expected to host most of the matches in the 2026 tournament, Cincinnati is bidding to be one of 10 cities to stage games. Other markets included in the American bid process are Atlanta, Baltimore, Boston, Dallas, Denver, Houston, Kansas City, Los Angeles, Miami, Nashville, the New York-New Jersey metro region, Orlando, Philadelphia, the San Francisco Bay Area, Seattle and Washington D.C.
The timeline for the selection process is fluid, Berding said on the call.
Said Berding: "We have a great start on our bid, and we will be working with FIFA over the next few months to ensure that we meet all of their qualifications."
The Enquirer will update this report.
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