FIFA has narrowed the competition for the 2026 Men’s World Cup’s hospitality contract down to two finalists, as multiple sources with knowledge of the RFP process confirmed that the field has been whittled down to Beyond Hospitality and On Location. That means Legends, which was also bidding for the contract, is no longer being considered.
Sources said FIFA plans to award the contract in mid-March following another round of negotiations with the finalists, but the governing body’s final decisions on a variety of vendor contracts for the 2026 World Cup — hosting will be split among the U.S., Canada, and Mexico — have already been delayed several times. FIFA declined to comment on the bid process.
Beyond Hospitality, a new company launched by Jaime Byrom in 2023 with 30% backing from Qatari consultancy Aspire Katara Hospitality, is the de facto incumbent. Match Hospitality AG, which Byrom founded in 2007, oversaw the FIFA Hospitality Programme for every World Cup since 2010, and Byrom’s relationship with the sport’s global governing body dates back to the 1986 World Cup in Mexico. Beyond is expected to tap Elevate Ventures and Playfly Premier Partnerships as its U.S. sales agencies — as its predecessor (Match) has for previous iterations of the World Cup — if it wins the bid.
On Location, a subsidiary of Endeavor, comes in as the challenger. The company, which was launched by the NFL in 2015 to sell hospitality packages for the Super Bowl, brings more experience operating in North America than Beyond, but hasn’t previously worked with FIFA. It also has a very busy few years ahead as the IOC’s official hospitality provider for the 2024 Paris, 2026 Milan-Cortina and 2028 L.A. Games (along with the more than 1,200 other events the company services, per Endeavor’s 2022 annual report).
Legends was hopeful of being in the final mix and this marks another disappointment for Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, who is an investor in Legends along with private equity firm Sixth Street Partners and the Yankees. Jones was public about his desire to host the 2026 World Cup Final at AT&T Stadium in Dallas, but FIFA awarded it to MetLife Stadium. AT&T Stadium will still hold a leading number of matches with nine.
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