Tampa Bids For U.S. World Cup

Tampa Bay has played host to two Super Bowls (2001 and 2009) and the ACC (Atlantic Coast Conference) Championship games for the past two years (2008 and 2009). Now we’re bidding as a finalist for the FIFA World Cup for 2018 and 2022. While it may seem too early to think about 2018 soccer, other cities are starting their campaigns and signing petitions now to bring the event to their hometown.

The FIFA (Federation Internationale de Football Association) World Cup is held every four years and is the most-viewed sporting event in the world with approximately 36 billion people tuning in to the big competition. This means all eyes would be on Tampa!

With the win of the FIFA World Cup event, more jobs would be created and several millions of dollars in economic development. According to a study conducted by ERA AECOM (formerly Economics Research Associates), an economic impact of $5 billion is what the World Cup event is projected to bring to the U.S., along with 65,000 to 100,000 newly created jobs in the host cities during the tournament year.

Tampa is currently up against 26 cities, including: Atlanta, Baltimore, Boston, Chicago, Denver, Los Angeles, Phoenix and San Diego. Plus two other Florida cities, Miami and Orlando.

If you’d like to support the FIFA World Cup coming to the Bay area, vote at the following link and spread the word!