Reaction: 2026 FIFA Men’s World Cup locations reveal | SOTU

Alexi Lalas and David Mosse reacted to FIFA announcing the 2026 Men’s World Cup stadium locations in the United States, Mexico and Canada. Additionally, they discussed Metlife Stadium officially becoming the host of the Men’s World Cup final.

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About Alexi Lalas’ State of the Union Podcast:
U.S. Soccer legend Alexi Lalas discusses the biggest stories in the world of soccer from an American perspective. Join Alexi and soccer guru David Mosse, as they break down the USMNT, USWNT, MLS, Bundesliga, Premier League, World Cup & everything in between.

Reaction: Men’s FIFA World Cup location reveal | SOTU

Alexi Lalas’ State of the Union Podcast
https://www.youtube.com/c/StateOfTheUnion

well I talked about how lousy the
weather in La has been the last couple
days hopefully that’s not the case come
the summer of 2026 wow wow yes okay so
we uh this Sunday another uh FIFA
production on Fox our good friend Rob
Stone was part of it and um uh was here
in uh in Los Angeles at Sofi one of the
uh one of the venues Jenny chaff was
also a host in Miami and we come to find
out where the United States Mexico and
Canada obviously the three uh joint
hosts for This World Cup in 2026 men’s
World Cup in 2026 where the US teams are
going to be based and where they are
going to play their group games the
other things that was announced was all
of the different venues and all the
different uh cities how many games they
were ultimately going to get obviously
we don’t know what teams those will be
involved but the number of group games
they’re going to get and then the number
of uh round to 32 16 uh quarters semi
and final so um there’s that there’s a
lot of information that came out here uh
let’s should we start with the final so
uh for those that watched you will know
and for those that don’t you probably
still know yes the final is going to be
in New Jersey in East Rutherford uh the
venue is being called New York New
Jersey that should surprise no one what
should surprise many is that it wasn’t
in Dallas all indications were pointing
towards Dallas getting the final and uh
for those that were there it was kind of
like an election night thing in that
everybody’s there everybody that
organized it and they’re all waiting for
that announcement and then what comes
obviously somebody’s very happy and then
the folks over there in New Jersey were
very happy but the folks in Dallas who
thought that they had this sewn up it
was I guess they would say taken away
from them I I thought that it was going
to go to Dallas for a number of reasons
uh time zone which is good obviously
Eastern Co East Coast is I guess better
from a European perspective but Dallas
is fine time zone number two as we know
there are roved and climate controlled
venues in this world cup four of them uh
including Dallas so you don’t to your
point have to worry uh about uh about
weather and you know what Dallas has
become now is it as sexy as New York and
as attractive as New York no so on the
surface it I’m fine it’s going to be
it’s going to be great it’s the whole
tournament is going to be wonderful but
it is a little surprising that this is
not going to be Dallas and God forbid
that there is any type of weather or
lightning um that could be certainly
problematic and just from a pure Stadium
I cannot tell you the amount of people
that when this happened said even people
from New Jersey people that love the
East Coast that said if in a compare and
contrast between stadiums it’s not even
a compare and contrast between I guess
Met Life although we’re going to call it
New York New Jersey Stadium there in
East Rutherford and AT&T which I guess
is going to be called Dallas Stadium
because they not allowed to use the
sponsors in a in a FIFA situation so M
what are your thoughts yeah you and I
are on a text chain with the State of
the Union podcast crew and some of the
reaction there Sean Sullivan boo cat
metti is hands down the worst Stadium I
have ever been to my God it’s and this
is a new stadium I played back in the
day at Old Giants stadium so this is a a
new modern type of Stadium but um
whatever they did they didn’t do enough
and Dallas is also going to between now
and 26 have I think $350 million of
improvements around so uh you know I am
a little disappointed that we’re not
going to have first what would be the
first men’s final indoors in a climate
control type of uh situation but it’s
still it’s still going to be great and I
I I look forward to that uh Dallas did
get a semi-final the semis will be in
Dallas in Atlanta Third Place game in
Miami and the final as you mentioned Met
Live Stadium I think at the end of the
day FIFA like the cache of LA and New
York uh you can call me a coastal
elitist if you want but if you go
anywhere else in the world and you say
United States what cities are you
thinking of first people are going to
invariably say New York and la and so at
the end of the day I think that won the
day even if if you actually look into
the nitty-gritty of it it might not make
as much sense but uh that FIFA they just
think a World Cup final should be held
in a global City like New York rather
than somewhere like Dallas I think that
eventually we will find out what the de
in Factor was it will leak out one way
or the other uh you know in this hyper
political age you think of what Texas is
relative to New York and New Jersey and
all that I’m not sure that that had I I
would hope that that had nothing to
nothing to do with it but you know given
given FIFA’s history hell we’ve been to
Qatar and there’s a good chance that
we’re going to Saudi Arabia going
forward so they tend to you know not
care about a that when it comes to it
but it is interesting in this in this
age and in this moment that we’re living
and growing up in New York as I did the
New York New Jersey Dynamic is funny to
me I think I’ve mentioned this on the
podcast once before but after the Giants
second Super Bowl victory over the
Patriots uh Chris Christie and Michael
Bloomberg got into this pissing contest
over where the parade should be and the
Giants ended up having to have two
different parades one in New York one in
New Jersey to satisfy both sides so yeah
that is a long running issue uh and
listen as far as FIFA’s concerned this
final is in New York people in New
Jersey can complain about it but that’s
how FIFA in the rest of the world is
going to treat it and if you go through
the venues I mean there are plenty of
venues that are not in the actual name
of what we’re calling it okay I mean
right here Sofi is in Englewood right so
you can here in uh here in Los Angeles
but you go through them all there are
plenty of them that are not in the city
that we are attaching the significance
to obviously this is different in terms
of a of a state even can go to you know
montere and these these types of uh uh
places so this is this is fine I don’t
want us to get you know just caught up
on all of this stuff New Jersey is going
to get plenty of love as a matter of
fact given the history of New Jersey
Carney right down the right down the
road and and what that what that state
and what that area has meant to soccer
in the United States they are going to
get plenty of love so New Jersey’s going
to be fine New York’s going to be fine
but when you’re talking to the world
obviously there’s much more cache and
much more name recognition which is why
the bulls and why the metro starss and
everybody have always Associated
themselves with New York you’re you want
that and you it’s sexier like you said
and it resonates around the world as
does Dallas much more than Arlington as
does Los Angeles much more than
Englewood that’s just the facts Greg
berhalter is from New Jersey correct yes
perhaps the next time we speak to him
whenever that is I I’ll bring up the
fact that the World Cup final is in New
Jersey Greg bur halter all right in July
of 2026 is going to bring us to the
Mount he is going to give us the
greatest moment of Glory when it comes
to this men’s national soccer team and
win the World Cup in basically his
backyard talk about full circle that’s
going that is certainly going to be
interesting and Dallas got nine games
too so Dallas that was probably the
peace offering and said all right you’re
not going to get the final that you
thought you’re going to get but you are
going to get nine games which is the
most of anybody out there and the us we
found out the location for all of their
group games it’ll be La Seattle and la
and again back to my point about New
York and La having this cache I never
bought the idea that La was going to get
shunted to the to the side and not play
a prominent role because I’m sorry at
the end of the day it is Los Angeles so
I knew that Stan koni and Johnny
Infantino were going to sort out their
differences to some degree that would
enable LA to play a prominent role and
it will uh it’ll host two of the US’s
group games as it did in 94 Colombia and
Romania were both at the Rose bow right
this time around it’ll be the first and
third games at Sofi yeah I think it’s
it’s important to recognize that FIFA
obviously this is a 48 team tournament
three countries uh many new
venues uh from both the US and a Mexican
and Canadian perspective and they are
airing on the side of the players and
the teams and they want to limit travel
they are having teams play in regions
for the most part and you hear Greg
berhalter immediately after this came
out he was very very clear that when
they came to coaches and when they came
to teams and federations for their input
I’m talking about FIFA Greg berhalter in
particular I’m I’m assuming Matt Crocker
and the Federation General was adamant
about how travel is a problem and so in
this situation in this scenario while
it’s not ideal for American soccer fans
who want to see their team that play on
the East Coast or the Midwest this is
ultimately a competitive decision two
games in Los Angeles the one game in
Seattle now after you get out of the
group stage you can certainly go some
different places and who knows you might
not see unless you come West your uh
your Men’s National Team play in the 20
26 World Cup in the group stage but who
knows you could probably see it you know
knock on wood they get through and they
play some different games including by
the way a a potential July not well
that’s going to happen potentially the
US you know considering where they go a
July 4th 2026 Philadelphia game
250th birthday of the greatest nation in
the world the United States that would
be something if that involved the us
it’s going to be something no matter
what but all in all I think everybody
was excited but I I I there is a part of
me that says
well should there have been a game
further east of for the US and it’s you
know it’s a couple hours two two and a
half hours up to Seattle from Los
Angeles obviously going to fly Charter
you could go two and a half hours anyway
Seattle’s going to be great and what
Seattle has become from a soccer
perspective here’s a perfect example of
how the landscape has changed and how
significantly it has Seattle for the
first time from a men’s perspective
getting a World Cup as a World Cup venue
teams like or places like Chicago out
Detroit out Orlando out these types of
places are gone so the the landscape has
changed you like that clip well my state
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