Maryland Stadium Authority Thanks the Baltimore-Maryland 2026 FIFA World Cup Host Committee Co-Chaired by Maryland Lt. Governor Rutherford and City of Baltimore Mayor Scott

The multi-year 2026 FIFA World Cup bid effort unified the region, showcased our sports facilities and elevated our destination for future opportunities

The Maryland Stadium Authority (MSA) wishes to express our sincerest and heartfelt appreciation to Maryland Governor Hogan, Lt. Governor Rutherford and City of Baltimore Mayor Scott for their strong steadfast support of the Baltimore-Maryland 2026 FIFA World Cup Host City bid. Their commitment to the bid’s vision of economic, environmental and human-rights initiatives that would benefit Marylanders for generations further inspired the work of the Baltimore-Maryland 2026 World Cup Host Committee led by Terrance (Terry) Hasseltine, the Executive Director of the Maryland Sports Commission, President, Sport & Entertainment Corporation of Maryland and MSA’s Vice President of Marketing and Communications.

With the success of the A.C. Milan v Chelsea sold out match at M&T Bank Stadium in 2009, Terry Hasseltine began championing the cause to complete and compete in the 2026 FIFA World Cup Host City bid. Terry’s Herculean efforts and tireless commitment inspired and activated communities across the region, uniting soccer fans in Maryland, Washington, D.C. and Virginia to work ‘Together As One’ to bring the beautiful game home and welcome the world. All of us at the MSA are grateful for Terry’s vision and leadership, we are proud that M&T Bank Stadium was a finalist. We know the FIFA delegation will never forget their Baltimore Ravens game-day experience which is second to none. Our highest compliments to the MSA’s and the Ravens’ stadium facilities, security teams and partners for lovingly maintaining and operating M&T Bank Stadium and hosting year-round events. MSA must acknowledge the Baltimore Ravens for enthusiastically supporting the bid and leveraging their resources without hesitation for this team effort.

“The Baltimore-Maryland 2026 FIFA World Cup Host City bid was a complex multi-year and multi-jurisdiction team effort by persons who are passionate about the transformative power of sports on communities,” said Thomas Kelso, chairman, MSA. “The MSA wishes to take a moment to express our gratitude for their friendship and partnership and looks forward to future opportunities to showcase Maryland as a world-class destination for sports and entertainment,” he added.

In April, when Baltimore-Maryland and Washington, D.C. merged bids with all matches to be played at recently renovated M&T Bank Stadium with a flagship FIFA Fan Festival™ on The National Mall for our nation's 250th birthday we truly believed ‘Together As One’ we had a winning bid. MSA thanks FIFA and US Soccer for their guidance throughout the bid process and looks forward to supporting our sister cities selected ensuring the success of the United U.S.-Canada-Mexico 2026 FIFA World Cup games.

“While we are disappointed that DC and Baltimore-Maryland were not selected as host cities, we will look for ways to bring the FIFA 2026 World Cup to life for fans and visitors in our Nation's Capital and the Maryland region. We also want to thank the many officials, business and community leaders as well the hundreds of DC and Baltimore-Maryland region soccer fans that worked on and supported this excellent joint effort. We look forward to continuing our partnership with FIFA and exploring other opportunities to be part of this historic event in 2026," said Max Brown, Chairman, Events DC Board of Directors and Terrance Hasseltine, President of Baltimore-Maryland 2026 and Executive Director of Maryland Sports Commission.

The MSA invites all sports fans, and especially soccer fans to celebrate our love of the game ‘Together As One’ for the English Premier League teams Arsenal versus Everton “The Charm City Match” at Baltimore’s M&T Bank Stadium. The match takes place on July 16, which will be part of both sides’ preparations for the 2022/3 English Premier League season, tickets are available at https://www.baltimoreravens.com/fans/charm-city-match/ 

THANK YOU:

Maryland Governor Hogan, Lt. Governor Rutherford and City of Baltimore Mayor Scott
Maryland Stadium Authority’s Leadership, Board of Directors and Team
Baltimore-Maryland 2026 FIFA World Cup Host Committee and Subcommittee Members
Maryland Sports Commission and The Sport & Entertainment Corporation of Maryland

Corporate Partners: Brown Advisory, Continental Realty, BGE, Arcimoto, Under Armour, Whiting-Turner, Capelli Sports, PressBox, BD (Becton, Dickinson and Company), CareFirst, Merritt Companies

Bid Partners:  State of Maryland, City of Baltimore, District of Columbia, Baltimore Ravens, Baltimore Orioles, Maryland Bobcats, Visit Baltimore, TEAM Maryland, Elite Tournaments, Maryland SoccerPlex, University of Maryland at Baltimore County (UMBC), Towson University, Loyola University Maryland, Goucher College, Stevenson University, Morgan State University, Reedbird Park, Maryland State Youth Soccer Association, Football for Peace (after merger Events DC and Destination DC)

Ambassadors and Individual Contributors:  Ray Lewis, Cal Ripken Jr., Angel McCoughtry, Luke Cooper, Ron Stanley, Justin Tucker, Oguchi Onyewu, and Bunmi Jinadu

Maryland Stadium Authority Thanks the Baltimore-Maryland 2026 FIFA World Cup Host Committee Co-Chaired by Maryland Lt. Governor Rutherford and City of Baltimore Mayor Scott
The multi-year 2026 FIFA World Cup bid effort unified the region, showcased our sports facilities and elevated our destination for future opportunities (pdf)