On Wednesday, the International Football Management Agency encouraged Edmonton to bid for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, but also pointed out that the artificial stadium at the Commonwealth Stadium would have to be dismantled.

FIFA's chief match and tournament official Colin Smith witnessed the Canadian men's national team's victories against Costa Rica and Mexico last week and Tuesday night in Edmonton.

He said that the support of the fans and the city's game experience are obvious.

"The air is cold. The atmosphere is warm," he said. "It's great to see the support of the fans on a cold night."

Smith gave a positive speech to reporters on the city’s bid and introduction earlier in the day, but pointed out that the artificial turf of the Commonwealth Stadium did not meet the World Cup standards.

"Change it," he said when asked how to improve the stadium's pitch. "We are obviously playing the World Cup on natural grass."

"This is about providing the ultimate stage for the ultimate players at the highest level."

FIFA has previously stated that it will issue a host announcement at the end of 2021, but now says it will complete the selection process in the first half of next year after a "thorough evaluation."

Today marks the beginning of the third round of potential site inspections by Smith and other officials, followed by visits to Mexico City, Guadalajara, Los Angeles and Toronto in the next five days.

He said that the inspection focus includes factors such as transportation, accommodation, stadiums and training venues.

"We are concerned about the technical requirements needed to successfully host the World Cup."

It is expected that 48 teams will participate in this competition, which will cover the United States, Mexico and Canada.

The two Canadian venues under consideration are the Commonwealth Stadium in Edmonton and the BMO Stadium in Toronto.

Montreal's Olympic Stadium participated in the bidding, but the city withdrew from the bidding in July.

The City of Edmonton launched a survey in August 2020 to gauge how Edmontonians feel about hosting some of the games.

The city said that survey results showed that 77% of people in the Edmonton area support bidding, up from 74% in 2018.

Vancouver withdrew from a potential host city in March 2018, citing concerns about costs and financial transparency.

FIFA will select up to 16 venues to host the tournament.

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