With World Cup interest, is Regina ready to be a host city?

The world is taking notice of new Mosaic Stadium after it was listed a possible venue for matches in the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Canada, the U.S. and Mexico have put forward a joint bid to host the major sporting event. On Tuesday, they released a list of 44 cities – including Regina – as possible hosts for the game.

The bid committee has contacted the cities to find out the level of interest in hosting, and how they could accommodate the tournament.

Kirk Morrison is the director of events, conventions and trade shows with Economic Development Regina. He told 980 CJME they are excited about the opportunity.

“It’s exciting to be seen and recognized as a potential host city for something like the FIFA World Cup,” Morrison said.

Morrison said Regina’s reputation as a host city has been bolstered by the new stadium, along with successful events such as the Grey Cup and World Junior’s Hockey Championship.

He said a group has been put together and will be responding to the initial request for information from the bid committee.

“If there’s more interest from Canada Soccer, there will be more consultation with some key stakeholder groups in Regina.”

Morrison explained that from there, they would continue to assess the feasibility of hosting the event in the Queen City.

There are requirements in order to host a FIFA event, including the need for a stadium to hold at least 40,000 people. New Mosaic Stadium currently seats around 33,000.

There are also questions about whether natural grass is required to host the event. A grass requirement was not included in the release sent out by Canada Soccer.

The City of Regina has until Sept. 5 to declare its interest in hosting a World Cup game.