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FIFA to reveal 2026 World Cup sites on Thursday. This is why Miami should make the cut | Opinion

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FIFA to reveal 2026 World Cup sites on Thursday. This is why Miami should make the cut | Opinion


Lastly, on Thursday, after years of fierce lobbying and countless hypothesis, FIFA will title the host cities and stadiums for the 2026 World Cup.

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Miami is on the quick record and if chosen, which is a secure guess, it will likely be an even bigger deal than the report 11 Tremendous Bowls South Florida has landed.

No offense to the NFL or American soccer, however soccer is the most well-liked sport on this planet and TV viewership of the final World Cup was 3.57 billion (1.1 billion for the ultimate recreation), dwarfing the 208 million who tuned in to the final Tremendous Bowl.

Having coated six World Cups in america, France, Japan/South Korea, Germany, South Africa and Brazil, I can say, with out reservation, that there is no such thing as a higher sporting occasion on this planet. The Olympics come shut, however for pure, unbridled fan ardour, nothing beats the World Cup and the place higher to host a world sports activities celebration than within the Miami space?

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Miami is one in all 16 cities bidding from america, together with three from Mexico and three from Canada.

It’s the first time three nations co-host a World Cup. America is anticipated to host 60 of the 80 video games, and the preliminary assumption was that each one three Mexican and Canadian cities could be chosen together with 10 U.S. cities.

Phrase now’s that Mexican venues Guadalajara, Mexico Metropolis and Monterrey are locks, as are Toronto and Vancouver, however that Edmonton (least glamorous of the three Canadian cities) could possibly be handed over in favor of an 11th — or perhaps a 12th — U.S. metropolis.

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Solely the individuals inside FIFA’s inside circle know which fortunate cities can be picked. Sources say there have been nonetheless monetary negotiations happening between FIFA and bid cities as late as final week.

However this a lot we all know: FIFA has mentioned all alongside that it’s basing its selections in the beginning on stadium dimension and excellence, and factoring in geography, lodge room capability, fan quick venues, coaching amenities, broadcast amenities, and airports.

Based mostly on these standards, Miami ought to make the lower.

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Arduous Rock Stadium (capability: 67,518) isn’t as huge as Dallas’ AT&T Stadium, L.A.’s SoFi Stadium, New York/New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium or Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium — all 4 of these are thought-about locks – but it surely is without doubt one of the nation’s premier soccer venues.

It was constructed to FIFA specs by authentic proprietor Joe Robbie, who cherished soccer. The grass discipline (or pitch, as soccer purists choose to name it) is world class, and the stadium was renovated by present Dolphins proprietor Stephen Ross to resemble a European soccer venue. It has hosted sellout crowds for South American nationwide group matches in addition to video games involving marquee golf equipment similar to FC Barcelona, Actual Madrid, Manchester United and Bayern Munich.

Arduous Rock Stadium additionally has a status for internet hosting large sporting occasions, together with 11 Tremendous Bowls, the Miami Open tennis match, and most lately, the Miami Grand Prix Formulation One race.

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Miami was not a bunch metropolis for the 1994 Cup due to schedule conflicts with the Marlins, who performed on the stadium on the time.

Coaching websites? South Florida has these, too.

FIU is house of the USL’s Miami FC; Barry College has stunning fields and has hosted coaching for the U.S. nationwide group and big-name golf equipment; the Dolphins have a brand new coaching facility adjoining to the stadium; and Inter Miami’s soccer advanced in Fort Lauderdale options eight full fields, a 50,000-square foot coaching facility and the 18,000-seat DRV PNK Stadium.

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If all goes as deliberate, Inter Miami’s Freedom Park Stadium in Miami can be prepared in time for 2026 and could possibly be utilized in some capability.

Fan fest websites? Examine.

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Lummus Park, the Miami Seaside Conference Middle and Bayfront Park in Downtown Miami had been all visited by FIFA officers throughout their web site go to, and people venues may accommodate an estimated 150,000 followers.

As for the airport, Miami ranks excessive there, too.

Miami Worldwide Airport lately grew to become the busiest U.S. gateway for worldwide passengers, in response to 2021 airport rankings printed by Airports Council Worldwide (ACI). MIA welcomed greater than 13 million worldwide passengers in 2021, shifting it from second place in 2020 to the highest rating within the U.S. and eleventh place on this planet.

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“You break down every of our buyer teams, shoppers who eat a World Cup, we then undergo their buyer journey and have to ship each single side,” Colin Smith, FIFA chief of tournaments and occasions, mentioned throughout his Miami go to final September.

“For groups, pitches are the very first thing. We have to present state-of-the-art pitches, not solely within the stadium but additionally within the coaching websites. For media, we’d like broadcast amenities. The Fan Fest has grow to be an enormous a part of huge occasions for people who can not get to the stadium — a good way for individuals to get collectively and benefit from the World Cup en masse.”

South Florida additionally has inns and eating choices aplenty. Two areas the place Miami may not make excessive marks is public transit utilization and weatherproofing. With no roof over Arduous Rock Stadium, there may be the potential of torrential summer season rain and lightning storms disrupting video games. However general, Miami has a powerful bid.

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On Thursday, from 5 p.m. to six p.m., FIFA will make its announcement. It is going to be televised on Fox Sports activities 1.

Right here’s a guess as to the way it will play out for the U.S. cities:

Locks: New York/New Jersey, Dallas, Atlanta, Los Angeles.

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The announcement is being made in New York Metropolis, and 87,000-seat MetLife Stadium is a probable spot for the ultimate. Dallas’ glitzy stadium seats 92,967 and has a roof. Atlanta has hosted the Olympics, is a broadcast hub and Atlanta United leads MLS in attendance with a median crowd of 46,239. L.A. has two stadiums, two MLS groups and is an efficient candidate to host high-profile matches.

More likely to host: Miami, San Francisco, Philadelphia, Houston, Seattle, D.C./Baltimore, Kansas Metropolis.

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Levi’s Stadium is new, has grass and the San Francisco Bay space is a superb vacationer vacation spot. Philly’s bid committee reportedly has executed an awesome job. Houston is close to the Mexican border and has a retractable roof. Seattle has nice followers and is near Vancouver and San Francisco for journey ease (turf a damaging). Arduous to think about a World Cup snubbing the nation’s capital. Kansas Metropolis has sturdy soccer tradition and could be the one Midwest venue.

Unlikely to make the lower: Boston, Nashville, Orlando, Denver, Cincinnati.

All 5 of those cities are worthy candidates. Boston and Orlando hosted World Cup video games in 1994. However they don’t verify as many packing containers as the opposite 11 cities.

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Then once more, it’s FIFA making these selections. Something is feasible. Keep tuned.

This story was initially printed June 14, 2022 5:21 PM.

Miami Herald sportswriter Michelle Kaufman has coated 14 Olympics, six World Cups, Wimbledon, U.S. Open, NCAA Basketball Tournaments, NBA Playoffs, Tremendous Bowls and has been the soccer author and College of Miami basketball beat author for 25 years. She was born in Frederick, Md., and grew up in Miami.

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Miami Baseball: Canes miss trip to Omaha, eliminated by Cards, 3-2

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Miami Baseball: Canes miss trip to Omaha, eliminated by Cards, 3-2


LOUISVILLE, Ky. – In a battle defined by grit and high emotions, the Miami Hurricanes fell to the Louisville Cardinals, 3-2, in game three of the NCAA Louisville Super Regional. The Hurricanes conclude the 2025 season with a 35-27 overall record, including a 15-14 record in ACC play, and reached their first Super Regional since 2016.

In a tight contest through the early innings, Max Galvin put Miami on the board in style. After freshman Michael Torres singled to left-center on an 0-2 pitch, Galvin blasted a two-run homer down the right-field line, giving the Hurricanes a 2-0 lead in the top of the second.

Louisville answered in the fourth inning, beginning with a bunt single down the third-base line by Garret Pike. Zion Rose followed with an RBI double down the left-field line, bringing Pike home and cutting Miami’s lead in half.

Tague Davis then singled to right, advancing Rose to third as the Cardinals threatened with runners on the corners. Bayram Hot tied the game at two with a fielder’s choice RBI, as Rose came home to score and Tyler Davis was retired at second on a 6-4 putout.

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With the game now tied, Miami head coach J.D. Arteaga turned to the bullpen, bringing in left-hander Rob Evans in relief of starter Reese Lumpkin. Evans then retired the next batter to keep the game tied.

Louisville threatened again in the fifth, as Moore led off with a single up the middle. After a flyout by Klein, Miami made another pitching change, bringing in right-hander Will Smith to try and put the Cardinals’ attack to a halt.

Moore stole second and walks to Munroe and King Jr. loaded the bases with one out.

But Smith remained composed, escaping the jam by striking out Pike before inducing a groundout to third baseman Daniel Cuvet, ending the inning and keeping the game tied at two.

But the Cardinals quickly swung the momentum back in their favor after Miami loaded the bases on a single by Galvin and back-to-back walks. The regional hosts held their composure under pressure, too, escaping the jam with a clutch double play that began with a force at home and ended with Renzo Gonzalez being thrown out at first.

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Smith responded with authority, striking out the side in order as tension mounted across Jim Patterson Stadium.

The Cardinals broke the tie in the seventh when Munroe singled up the middle and advanced to second on a wild pitch. King Jr. followed with an RBI double to center, plating Munroe and giving Louisville a 3-2 lead.

In the top of the ninth, the Hurricanes threatened with runners on first and second with one out, but came up short, as the Cardinals shut the door to seal the win.

Courtesy of Miami Athletics

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Strength Coach for Miami, Aaron Feld, Steps Down From Position

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Strength Coach for Miami, Aaron Feld, Steps Down From Position


The Miami Hurricanes and Mario Cristobal are losing one of their long-time members of the coaching staff. Aaron Feld, one of the many members of Mario Cristobal’s staff who came with him from Oregon to Miami, is stepping down from his strength and conditioning position.

“Thank you to the University of Miami and the Hurricane Football program for a great run! I have nothing but love and respect for this football team,” wrote Feld in his announcement. “This was a tough decision to have to make, but ultimately the choice was clear. At the end of the day, my wife and kids deserve more from me than my circumstances allowed, so the only course of action was to change my circumstances. Failing as a husband and a father will never be an option.”

“Developing a world-class performance team at The U will always be a highlight of my career, and I am leaving the Canes football program in extremely capable hands. I have no doubt they will continue to lead the profession and have great success,” Feld finished.

He has a duty as a father and husband and we wish him nothing but the best in his journey.

The Hurricanes will now be under the direction of Nick Tulloch and Houston Owens. Owens has been on the staff for some time, but the new addition is Tulloch. The Hurricanes have been on a mission to improve every aspect of their staff, and these additons will only help the program in the long run.

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Club World Cup team guide – Inter Miami: Messi’s star power, slow start for Mascherano

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Club World Cup team guide – Inter Miami: Messi’s star power, slow start for Mascherano


The inaugural Club World Cup starts on June 14, with its 32 teams split into eight groups of four in the opening phase.

As part of our guides to the sides that will feature in the tournament, Felipe Cardenas gives you the background on Inter Miami.


Who are they?

This is year five of Inter Miami’s existence as a professional football club. The Fort Lauderdale, Florida-based team has been both the laughing stock of MLS and the premier club of North America’s top flight. It has been a topsy-turvy start for David Beckham’s pet project. 

Inter Miami enters the Club World Cup with battered hopes and a bruised ego following a difficult start to the 2025 MLS season. Captain and global football icon Lionel Messi will lead an underperforming squad into the tournament that hopes to advance out of Group A, which includes Porto from Portugal, Brazil’s Palmeiras and Egyptian side Al Ahly.

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A place in this first playing of the expanded Club World Cup is a dream come true for Miami’s owners, but will the tournament fulfil their wishes or turn into a nightmare experience? 


How good are they? 

Since Messi’s arrival in July 2023, Miami has tasted some competitive success while becoming a commercial behemoth in the U.S. The 2022 World Cup winner’s presence has helped Miami become one of the most valuable clubs in MLS, currently valued at $1.19billion (£878m), according to a May report by Sportico. Messi’s first full year saw Miami win the MLS Supporters’ Shield, the trophy that goes to the team which earns the most points in the regular season. 


Messi’s side has had a tough start to the season (Megan Briggs/Getty Images)

In that 2024 season, under former manager Tata Martino, Miami also set a new league record for points earned (74) in a campaign that crowned Messi as the league MVP. The year ended on a sour note, however, when they were eliminated by Atlanta United in the first round of the MLS title playoffs. Martino abruptly resigned due to personal reasons and Miami hired Messi’s long-time friend and former Barcelona and Argentina team-mate Javier Mascherano as head coach. 

After a hot start to 2025, Mascherano’s side has struggled to play consistently well, and aside from an over-reliance on Messi, who turns 38 this month, the team is devoid of a tactical identity. 


How did they get here?

Funny you should ask.

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FIFA’s convoluted qualification criteria handed Miami a ticket to the big dance. Miami didn’t win the MLS Cup final to be crowned its champions, and hasn’t come close to winning the Concacaf Champions Cup, either. But FIFA has always reserved one host slot for the Club World Cup, even before the competition was expanded to 32 teams from seven and moved from being an annual event to one staged every four years.

When Miami won that Supporters’ Shield at the close of last year’s regular season, FIFA president Gianni Infantino had the loophole he needed to invite Messi and company to this summer’s competition in the United States. 

“Miami loves football. The world loves football, and the world loves Miami,” Infantino said from Miami’s home pitch last October. “You’re the best team of the season in America,” Infantino added. “You can start telling your story to the world.” 

Miami will also open the tournament, against Al Ahly at 65,000-capacity Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens next Saturday night. If Infantino was dead-set on having Messi in this first edition of the new-look Club World Cup, he succeeded. How Miami fares in it is another story.

The side is short on depth and the ageing legs of Messi and his former Barcelona team-mates Luis Suarez (38), Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba (both 36) won’t be enough to make a deep run, even if Miami advances from the group stage. 

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What’s their style of play?

Give the ball to Messi and hope he creates a moment of magic.

That sounds cynical, but unsurprisingly, everything goes through the Argentine No 10. And one can’t blame his team-mates, if we’re being honest. Messi remains highly effective around the penalty area and decisive when it matters most. He finished the 2024 MLS season with 21 goals and 17 assists (including the playoffs), but ran out of gas against Atlanta in the post-season. 

Miami wants to press high and force opponents to play narrowly. When it comes together, Miami can be formidable in transition. The problem is with the back line and overall defensive structure. Miami leaks goals and tends to play so open that a spell of good play is consistently undone by poor defending.

It wouldn’t be a shock to see Mascherano dial back the high press and play a more pragmatic style in this competition.


Tell us about the coach

Mascherano is in his first job as a professional head coach.

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Before succeeding Martino in November, he had managed Argentina’s under-20 and under-23 men’s squads, and also coached Argentina’s team at the 2024 Olympics, losing to hosts France in the quarterfinals. That was considered a massive disappointment, which led to widespread criticism of Mascherano’s acumen as a manager. 


Inter Miami’s managing owner Jorge Mas and Mascherano at his unveiling (Megan Briggs/Getty Images)

Having played under both at Barcelona, Mascherano has spoken publicly about his appreciation of Pep Guardiola’s tactics and how Luis Enrique influenced him as both a player and a coach. Still, there is little evidence to suggest Mascherano’s philosophy will resemble that of an elite coach. His close relationship with Messi, Suarez, Busquets and Alba suggests he was given the job for reasons other than his resumé.

“People can have their opinion, and those opinions are valid, clearly,” he said in December. “But I’m convinced that I’m qualified to coach this team. I’m very excited to do so. Experience in football doesn’t always make sense.”


Who is their star player?

Less than three weeks from turning 38 years old, Messi doesn’t have the same burst off the dribble that saw him embarrass defenders throughout the pitch when he played for Barcelona. These days, he tends to position himself as close to the goal as possible, where he can create and finish plays without expending too much energy. 

But late-stage Messi is still a joy to watch, even if purists may want to hold onto memories of his dominant 20-year run as the world’s best player rather than see him carrying an MLS team. He still walks about the pitch and sometimes stands motionless as the game goes on around him. Today, Messi picks his moments more cautiously than ever. 

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“Leo has turned into a complete player who plays all over the field,” Mascherano told The Athletic last year. “When you have a player like that, the most important thing is to give him the freedom to move where he believes the team needs him and for his team-mates to understand his movements.”

Messi has grown increasingly frustrated with Miami’s up-and-down form, though. Many of his young team-mates struggle to match his advanced football IQ, which has irritated this winner of 10 La Liga titles, three Champions Leagues, two Copas America and the most recent World Cup three years ago — more so when the team loses games. His patience is thinner, as well, with MLS referees taking the brunt of Messi’s anger.

This Club World Cup could be a breaking point.


And their rising star?

Venezuela international Telasco Segovia is Miami’s young player to watch. The 22-year-old attacking midfielder is a goal threat with a high ceiling. Segovia was signed this winter after spending two seasons in Portugal with Casa Pia. He has quickly become one of Miami’s key players and an on-field ally of Messi and striker Suarez. 


Telasco Segovia is one to watch at Inter Miami (Leonardo Fernandez/Getty Images)

Segovia is a versatile player, which allows him to roam the midfield and attacking areas and contribute both in possession and in transition. He tends to make the right decisions around the opponent’s penalty area and is not shy about taking his chances. There’s a maturity to him that stands out.

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On a team of veteran superstars who have won nearly everything in football, Segovia’s self-confidence and clean technical play have been a boon for Miami. 

He’s a regular for Venezuela’s national team, but if he performs at a high level at the Club World Cup, the competition could be the showcase Segovia needs to reach his full potential.


Who are their biggest rivals?

In-state rivals Orlando City can be considered Miami’s rivals, but the truth is, every team Messi and company face plays with a knife between its teeth. Miami has become both a media darling and a hated club by rival MLS supporters. 

That’s a sign that things are going as planned in South Florida, though. With Messi and his mates, Miami has sold out huge NFL stadiums and other neutral venues. Messi fans have run onto the pitch to take a selfie with him. On the road, opposing teams’ supporters have congregated outside Miami’s team hotel, hoping to catch a glimpse of the Argentine superstar. 

All of that attention has turned Miami into an MLS villain, a nemesis that fans outside of Fort Lauderdale enjoy watching suffer. I don’t think Miami would have it any other way. “A lot of people are jealous of Inter Miami,” club managing owner Jorge Mas told FDP Radio in April.

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Enough said.


Why should a neutral root for them?

Miami has plenty of detractors, but Messi boasts legions of fans worldwide. The team’s pink kit is seen across the globe these days, and Messi, even in the twilight of his career, still conjures emotions and fanfare usually reserved for a mega pop star.

Miami won’t be a favorite at this tournament. We’ve established that. But the presence of Messi will bring eyeballs to FIFA’s new baby. Neutrals will tune in to see if he still has any magic left in him. Romantics will watch in the hope he’ll turn back the clock to November and December of 2022, when he finally led Argentina to World Cup glory.

And that’s precisely what Infantino had in mind when he gave them that hosts’ spot.

(Top photos: Getty Images; design: Kelsea Petersen)

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