Raleigh to Host Soccer World Cup Games?

revolu
04/24 05:05 PM

that would be phenomenal

Matt
04/24 05:08 PM

Would be phenomenal. I think we’d probably get a first-round, lower-tier game. Think Costa-Rica/Croatia or something like that. Not that I’d mind. It would rock.

Brian
04/24 06:10 PM

At least as of this upcoming football season, C-F will be the only local stadium with the required capacity and the uncrested field preferred for FIFA events.

B
04/24 07:35 PM

Maybe SAS is planning to build a couple of giant world cup quality fields.

paperclip
04/24 08:23 PM

Who’s Playin?

devin
04/24 08:51 PM

they ought to just put sod in the RBC center. that’d be hilarious! c-f is probably a better idea, tho haha

Sam
04/24 10:48 PM

This would be awesome if it works out.

I don’t think that Raleigh currently has (or would be able to develop in advance) adequate infrastructure to host such an event, though.  It’s one thing to have (American) football games at Carter-Finley every other weekend in the autumn.  However, it’s entirely another to host a city full of both domestic and international visitors, most of whom would be without personal transportation while staying in hotels in the area.

Don’t get me wrong, I’d love to see it happen!

andrew fipps
04/24 11:56 PM

I recently saw the world cup qualifier between trinidad and tobago and the usa in nashville, and i have to say, though it was just a qualifier and trinidad is not a premier team, that raleigh has the infra structure needed.It was a record showing and still not near capacity. maybe a fifth. It was a great game and great experience. USA 3 nil. By the way jed, i like the site and good seein ya.

corey3rd
04/26 10:40 PM

This issue came up when the USA previously hosted the World Cup. Carter-Finley couldn’t host it because there’s not enough space on the field. The only stadium that can handle it was Duke’s Wallace Wade Stadium. But the place at the time was considered a security nightmare. Don’t think Duke wants to have international hooligans roaming the campus.

Jake
04/27 08:12 PM

The World Cup Soccor tournament would be awsome if it came to Raleigh..Heck NC! I do think it needs to be somewhere where the venue is large snd good infrastructure is set in place. With that said, If Charlotte comes anywhere in the picture we might as well forget about it. Especially since they have the carolina panthers stadium a much more fitting venue they will more likely be appealing than carter finley imho.

ChiefJoJo
04/28 12:07 AM

I agree with Sam & Jake.  I’d love to see it, but I believe part of a venue package will need to include a viable mass transit network and plenty of hotel spaces, and I don’t think even by 2018 we’ll have either.  With Charlotte having a bigger stadium, downtown location (near mass transit), and the corporate backing, I think they’d come out ahead.  We do have a decent futbol following here, which is one of our advantages.

sally
04/28 10:15 AM

On the contrary. I saw a game in Bordeaux, France, in 1998. There was no mass transit - and there were very few hotels (certainly no Marriott or Sheraton). But there was a fan festival in the town centre - and there were busses to the stadium for those with tickets to the game. (We rented a car and a house.)

lilpistolstarta
04/28 11:18 AM

This would definitely be awesome for the area, especially with how large youth soccer is in the Triangle.  However, I just don’t see it happening without mass transit as others have pointed out.  I went to the 06 World Cup in Germany and the 08 Euro Championships in Austria/Switzerland and transit is key.  Even the smaller cities we went to had above ground mass transit…like Innsbruck, Austria. I’ve also been to a few US friendlies and qualifiers and again transit was key.

Mike Schmitz
04/29 05:42 PM

I applaud you who desire to see a WC match.  However, I do not see Raleigh as being 1 bit prepared to accomodate the masses.  These are not just high dollar persons in hotels.  They come in droves; from all walks of life, and all levels of income.  Extremely multi-national.  And very accomadated to some form of great public transportation other than the Wolfline or CAT.  Carter Finley at 60K capacity does not even begin to do justice for the fans of World Cup level matches.  I attended a WC match in Dusseldorf .  We were 2 of 85K in attendance. 
If I have missed a venue in Raleigh that can hold more near that number, have parking, a place for camping.  A place for hosting the World Cup Pavilion and all of its festivities is also needed.

My long winded answer is for my tax $ that would need to be paid to host it.  I’d rather visit another Great city other than Raleigh and enjoy the elite field of teams competing.

Bless your heart Raleigh - your not ready.

Mike Schmitz
04/29 06:01 PM

correction.  The city was Dortmund.  And capacity is near 81K.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Borussia_Dortmund

corey3rd
04/29 06:06 PM

Now don’t go ragging on Carter-Finley for its seat size not being up to World Cup standards. Have you looked at the stadiums hosting 2010 in South Africa? 7 of the 10 arenas are 60,000 or less. Three of them are only 40,000. Capacity is not an issue. The amount of field at the bottom of the seats is an issue.

Mike Schmitz
04/29 06:19 PM

Nice. 9 stadiums there to handle at least 50K.  What are Raeigh/ NC’s other 8 stadiums.  They could be in VA or SC too.  Lets just have the WC up and down the I95 corridor.  Polokwane to Cape Town is 1500Km or 932 miles.  What other 8 staiums are within 932 miles.  CF has the capacity it seems, but I still feel Raleigh does not.

corey3rd
04/29 06:23 PM

Mike - back off the crack pipe. Did anyone say that NC was hosting every game?

You’re rant about our stadium not being big enough seating wise to ever dream of hosting a World Cup was bogus. Admit it. And move on.

corey3rd
04/29 06:29 PM

for anyone curious - the stadium sizes for the 2010 World Cup can be found here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2010_FIFA_World_Cup

lilpistolstarta
04/29 07:13 PM

The 2 games I went to in Germany for World Cup 06, were in Hamburg and Kaiserslautern.  Both of those stadiums seat less than Carter-Finley does.  Its more about moving the people to/from the game…only if we had a stadium in downtown Raleigh!

Soccer World Cup Games Coverage
06/06 06:17 AM

The US is getting better and better at soccer, which is quite surprising. I think they are looking forward to a great career in football. They should host the event some time in the future…

charlie
06/17 10:40 PM

Carter Finley’s field in not wide enough. At least that was the deal in last US World Cup.

KK
06/27 02:23 PM

“A place for hosting the World Cup Pavilion and all of its festivities is also needed.”

Fairgrounds?

4townie
06/27 02:41 PM

seeing how South Africa is about to blow $5 billion to host an event that featured quite a lot of empty seats, Raleigh really has a lot better stuff to do with its cash than hand it over to a criminal organization called FIFA.

150
06/28 09:26 AM

4townie:  One thing to consider is that this isn’t South Africa.  The ‘94 World Cup was (still is, I believe) the most succesful WC financially.  There’s a large pool of people with disposable income in this country that can fill seats.

I don’t, not even for a second, think Raleigh can handle hosting WC matches.  Raleigh won’t be selected either, unless they spend a fortune to upgrade mass transit, increase lodging options, and build a completely new stadium.  I saw Mexico-Italy at RFK in ‘94, taking the Metro to the stadium.  Raleigh can’t offer that experience, even 22+ years later, without spending a ton.  Do any of us think they’d do that? 

Let’s try supporting the Railhawks instead.  Once we can draw more than 2000 to our local team, maybe then we can dream larger.