Baltimore Survives Round Of Cuts For U.s. Bid

Soccer World Cup

Thirteen more stadiums have been dropped from consideration for the U.S. bid to host soccer's World Cup in 2018 or 2022, leaving 32 under consideration, including Baltimore's M&T Bank Stadium.

Failing to make the cut Thursday were Legion Field in Birmingham, Ala.; Paul Brown Stadium in Cincinnati; Ohio Stadium in Columbus; Reynolds Razorback Stadium in Fayetteville, Ark.; Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, Tenn.; the planned Sports City USA venue in Las Vegas; the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome and TCF Bank Stadium in Minneapolis; the Superdome in New Orleans; Heinz Field in Pittsburgh; Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City; the Alamodome in San Antonio; and Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe, Ariz.

An initial list of 70 stadiums was released in April. Twenty-seven were dropped in June, while Las Vegas and Salt Lake City were added, and the rest were asked to complete proposals by July 29.

U.S. organizers must submit their bid book to FIFA, world soccer's governing body, by May, and FIFA's executive committee plans to select the 2018 and 2022 hosts in December 2010. FIFA asked that 12 to 18 stadiums of 40,000 capacity or higher be submitted with each bid.