ORLANDO, Fla. — A company has helped Orlando and Miami get one step closer to bringing the 2026 FIFA World Cup to Florida.
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Enterprise Florida, Inc.’s Board of Directors on Wednesday voted to make $10 million in funds available to support Miami’s and Orlando’s ongoing bids to be selected as two of the 10 U.S. host cities for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, according to a news release.
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If selected as hosts, the funds will support the cities’ logistical needs to host hundreds of thousands, possibly millions of visitors, over the month-long competition.
“Bringing the FIFA World Cup back to Florida would be an ideal complement to the attractions, amenities, and events already staged in the Sunshine State,” Gov. Ron DeSantis said in a news release. “Today we are making sure that Orlando and Miami have the resources they need to bring the World Cup to the state.”
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Marc Adler, acting Secretary of Commerce and president and CEO of Enterprise Florida, Inc., said hosting the 2026 FIFA World Cup in Florida would “elevate Florida’s status as the world’s premier tourism destination even further, creating a tremendous and reverberating economic boom to the $57.4 billion impact that sports already has on our state.”
The funds requested would be used to provide a $5 million grant to the Greater Orlando Sports Commission and a $5 million grant to the Greater Miami Convention and Visitors Bureau to support security, transportation and other infrastructure needs related to serving as 2026 World Cup venues, a news release states.
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