Philadelphia was certainly the most glaring omission among venue cities when the USA hosted the 1994 World Cup.

The conveniently located metropolis — the birthplace of the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution — with an extraordinary soccer history could not offer a suitable playing field.

Philadelphia no longer has a soccer stadium problem. Lincoln Financial Field, home of the current Super Bowl champions, opened in 2003 and its first sporting event was a Manchester United-Barcelona friendly before a sellout crowd of 68,396.

In June of 2022, FIFA announced the host cities for the 2026 World Cup. Philadelphia, whose several U.S. National Soccer Hall of Famers include Werner Fricker, the U.S. Soccer president in 1988 when it landed the 1994 World Cup, will host six games during the summer when it will also celebrate USA’s 250th birthday.

Meg Kane served as Philadelphia’s manager of bid coordination. Now Philadelphia Soccer 2026’s Host City Executive, Kane oversees its daily operations and serves as the primary liaison to FIFA.

SOCCER AMERICA: What was your soccer experience before joining the World Cup bid effort?

MEG KANE: I am the least athletic person on planet Earth, but I am a big sports fan. I enjoy a big sports moment, and so I’ve always watched the World Cup with a keen eye. And I had some soccer adjacency.

SA: How’s that?

MEG KANE: The oldest son of my mother’s best friend, Patty Albright, is Christopher Albright, who was a major soccer player whose career I followed from a family perspective.

SA: Chris Albright! Philadelphia kid who won an MLS championship with D.C. United and was a member of the USA’s 2006 World Cup team. He finished his career with the Philadelphia Union, then became its technical director … 

MEG KANE: Now he’s a general manager of FC Cincinnati and it’s on to his cousins, [Philadelphia Union players] Cavan and Quinn Sullivan.

SA: That’s a link to a good amount of Philadelphia soccer history. Chris’ dad played college ball at Temple for Walter Bahr, the 1950 World Cup legend — and married his teammate Larry Sullivan’s sister. … Larry Sullivan coached Jim Curtin at Villanova … 

Since you started working in soccer, what have you found especially intriguing about the sport? 

MEG KANE: I’m a bit of a history nerd. I loved learning the history of Philadelphia and soccer together, and really understanding so much about the neighborhoods. 

I’m Irish Catholic and I’m a native of Philadelphia. I have always understood Philadelphia through its unique parish structure, the neighborhoods of immigrants, the different churches and languages. Matching that with the history of soccer, from the mid-1800s and the first wave of European immigration — the playing of soccer along the River Wards — has been fascinating. These powerhouses of soccer coming out of these core neighborhoods in Philadelphia.

What I find really inspiring is that if you look at the changes in immigration and immigrant communities in Philadelphia — the growth from West African, Caribbean and Latin American nations — you see soccer as a part of this growth in Philadelphia and the emergence of great players in different parts of the city.

I often share that while we identify as an American football city primarily — and certainly coming off a Super Bowl win — it is soccer that has such a powerful place in Philadelphia’s story. 

As we prepare for 2026, I find that history and heritage between the soccer and the city is really powerful. It’s an important part of our narrative as a World Cup host city.

SA: For sure, it’s a rich history. Philadelphia Scottish immigrant Bart McGhee scored the first U.S. goal at the first World Cup in 1930. Philadelphia native Elmer Schroeder coached the USA at the 1928 and 1936 Olympics and was the first American-born U.S. Soccer Federation president. …

MEG KANE: And certainly the evolution to what the Philadelphia Union has done. Especially the growth of its academy — a really important part of the story of how Philadelphia and Pennsylvania remain such a powerhouse for soccer talent in the United States.

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SA: Are any specific experiences from your previous work that you think prepared you well for your World Cup position?

MEG KANE: I say it a bit tongue-in-cheek, but working on Pope Francis’ visit to Philadelphia in 2015. Working with the Vatican and working with FIFA have some similarities in terms of both being global religions, if you will, to some extent.

Working with the Vatican, which is a foreign governance structure, actually prepared me very well for working with FIFA and understanding their approach from a European standpoint.

My background is in public relations, so I think the most important part of the next 16 months is really amplifying and generating excitement around this tournament.

I have every confidence that when the tournament happens, everyone in the United States will be all in. But I think it’s crucial to generate enthusiasm ahead of time — to bring people in and help them understand that this is a different fan experience with a different global fan base.

SA: Seems like all of us with a job in soccer have been getting frequent queries on getting game tickets. What’s that been like for you?

MEG KANE: All the time. I get so many emails asking me to donate two tickets to auctions. I wish I were the magic ticket fairy — that would be a wonderful job! But the best way is to stay connected with FIFA.

SA: How does FIFA World Cup 26 Philadelphia handle ticket queries?

FIFA controls ticketing, so the best chance is to register and stay close to FIFA’s announcements. Our website links to FIFA’s ticketing, and we frequently push updates through our social media channels.

SA: FIFA controls stadium operations and seating, but the Fan Festivals are done at the local organizing level …

MEG KANE: We see the Fan Festival as a potential legacy project for Philadelphia. 

We are doing infrastructure investment in Lemon Hill Park, which overlooks Boathouse Row and the Schuylkill River, right behind the Philadelphia Museum of Art. It has a beautiful skyline shot.

It has not been used for an event like this before. Going back to my history nerd side, it is the first parcel of land that the city of Philadelphia ever purchased to create the Fairmount Park system. It’s wonderful to be able to activate a space and give life to a space that hasn’t necessarily been used in this way before. 

So the infrastructure that we’re putting into building the Fan Festival will allow this to become a site that the city can use for festivals and events.

SA: What will the Fan Festival capacity be and will it be open for all the games?