Chicago: Why Not a Host City?

Chicago, Chicago.

The third most populous city in the United States and undeniably one of the most beautiful and culturally diverse. Yet, it was not a host city for the "world's greatest show." Why?

Many are quick to assume that the city was snubbed by FIFA. In reality, the truth is significantly more complicated. Initially, Chicago was a clear front-runner to host the FIFA World Cup because it boasted the historic Soldier Field, which easily met FIFA's minimum requirements regarding capacity (FIFA).

In March of 2018, however, this story took a dramatic turn. In a shock announcement, the city, following a series of meetings between local leaders, abruptly and voluntarily walked away from the bidding process.

This decision stemmed from an analysis of risk and reward. In this case, despite the lucrative monetary rewards of hotel bookings, restaurant bookings, global attention, and a large influx of tourism, it was determined that the cost to local taxpayers would be far too great upon factoring in security costs, transportation costs, and medical staffing for local games (CBC).

Ultimately, although Chicago missed out on a month of good fun, its decision to withdraw its bid for the World Cup can certainly be seen as valuing its civic duties over global prestige and thus making use of city tax revenue to make daily life better for Chicagoans.

For information concerning the allocation of funds by the city of Chicago, you can click on this page published by The Civic Federation.