PHOENIX, Ariz. (January 12, 2010) - The USA Bid Committee announced today it has chosen the Phoenix-Glendale bid as one of 18 finalists to host the 2018 or 2022 FIFA World Cup™.  The bid was put forth by the Phoenix Regional Sports Commission, in association with Global Spectrum, managers of University of Phoenix Stadium, and the City of Phoenix.  The 18 cities selected will be submitted by the USA Bid Committee to FIFA, the international governing body of the sport of soccer.

Phoenix Mayor Phil Gordon praised the region as a perfect place to host the event, “The FIFA World Cup™ is one of the largest sporting events in the world and hosting it would represent a substantial economic impact for the City of Phoenix.  The sport of soccer transcends all cultures and, if selected, Phoenix would benefit greatly from the tourism and international exposure generated by this great event.   The Greater Phoenix area, with its diverse mix of resorts, sports facilities, and hospitality is the ideal location for hosting the FIFA World Cup™ and the City of Phoenix looks forward to being home to another major international sporting event”.

The most watched sporting event in the world, the FIFA World Cup™ has not been held in the United States since 1994.  The USA, along with numerous other countries, is vying for the rights to host the event in either 2018 or 2022.  The Greater Phoenix-Glendale bid was selected from an initial group of more than 50 candidate cities.  A finalist group of 27 cities was then invited to New York City in November to conduct presentations to the USA Bid Committee. 

“Hosting the FIFA World Cup™ is a community changing event.  This effort has engaged many entities throughout the region, and will involve even more as we progress towards the final decision by FIFA.  This has been a great team effort throughout the bid process,” said Garry Hays, Chairman of the Board of the Phoenix Regional Sports Commission.    

The proposed venue for the competitions is the University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale.  A fan fest, team practice sites, and hotel clusters would be located throughout Maricopa County.

“The University of Phoenix Stadium was designed specifically to host major international soccer competitions and they do not get any bigger than the FIFA World Cup™.  We feel our facility and surrounding campus will provide the perfect footprint for the largest soccer event in the world and are hopeful the USA’s bid is successful.  If selected as a host community, this mega event would provide a major economic impact for Glendale’s entertainment district and the Valley as a whole” stated Peter C. Sullivan, Global Spectrum’s General Manager at the University of Phoenix Stadium. 

The final decision on the host countries for the 2018 and 2022 FIFA World Cup™ will be made in December of 2010.  For more information, and a list of other finalist cities, visit www.gousabid.com.