Orlando doubles down on its long-shot World Cup bid

Orlando is all-in when it comes to making a bid to host the 2026 World Cup.

So are over 15 other U.S. cities, some of which appear to have a way better chance of landing the international event than the City Beautiful.

Still, city officials are not phased, doubling-down on the bid. After all, the estimated potential economic impact could soar north of $400 million.

"Continuing to position our community for the opportunity is a round-the-clock task and is something we have been engaging in with the community," CEO of the Greater Orlando Sports Commission Jason Siegel told the Orlando Business Journal.

"We are going to be addressing a handful of needs with the $60 million upgrade to Camping World in this phase going on right now, and we will continue to have conversation with leadership about additional enhancements to Camping World if that presents an opportunity for us to enhance the bid."

Orlando hosted five World Cup matches at the Citrus Bowl in 1994, where the extreme heat and humidity took center stage. All of the matches, scheduled at midday start times, were played in temperatures of 95 degrees or above, with humidity in excess of 70 percentage. A group-stage match between Mexico and Ireland was played in 105-degree heat.

The tournament will be hosted somewhere in the U.S. in 2026. Bids will be filed to FIFA in June, after which the federation will take around a year to choose a 2026 host.

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