England fell short of winning its first World Cup in 60 years.
But Arthur Blank was a big winner during the 2026 World Cup and the Atlanta Falcons owner is already looking forward to a potential USA World Cup return barely a decade away.
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“I haven’t heard anything officially but I’d love to be part of that,” Blank said on Wednesday, when asked about being interested in the 2038 World Cup.
The 2030 tournament will feature co-hosts Spain, Portugal and Morocco, while Uruguay, Argentina and Paraguay will also host matches.
The 2034 World Cup has been awarded to Saudi Arabia.
The 2038 edition, which could expand to 64 teams, doesn’t have a host yet and that’s where the USA could come into play — again.
“There’s no better country that’s positioned to host a World Cup than the United States, and I think we’re seeing that on social media,” said Andrew Giuliani, executive director of the White House’s Task Force for the World Cup.
Blank joked that if the USA does get its third shot at hosting the World Cup — the first in 1994 led to the birth of MLS — he will be past the century mark.
“I’ll be 120 by then,” said Blank, who is 83-years-old and has an estimated net worth of $11 billion.
The Falcons owner was a big player in the 2026 World Cup, highlighted by keeping concession prices low inside Atlanta Stadium.
While England fell 2-1 to Argentina on Wednesday inside the NFL home of the Falcons, fans could buy a hot dog or soda for just $5 apiece.
“Fans give us their energy, their time, their passion, their resources, their families, whatever it may be, and we need to honor that in the truest sense of the word, whatever we can,” Blank told WSB-TV Atlanta.
“We can’t always control what happens on the field, what happens on the pitch, but we can control the fan experience.”
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Before the 2026 World Cup began, US Soccer opened a new home facility on a 200-acre site south of Atlanta.
Named the Arthur M. Blank National Training Center, it hosted USMNT as Maurico Pochettino’s squad prepared for Group Stage action.
The facility features 17 outdoor playing surfaces, 20 locker rooms, 19 meeting rooms and a 10,000-square-foot gym, while covering 400,000 square feet of facilities.
After hosting a World Cup semifinal, Blank said it was one of the biggest honors of his life.
“Welcoming fans from all over the world, all of the United States, the camaraderie, the connections, the combativeness, you know, their passions,” Blank said.
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“And that’s been a beautiful thing to be part of. And Atlanta’s handled it so well.”
The Falcons owner added: “It’s what we all want in our lives every day and we have to find a way to create World Cup every day in our life to bring that much joy. To ourselves personally and to everybody else we’re connected to, and Atlanta’s done a great job of doing that.”
The Falcons went 8-9 last year and fired Raheem Morris as head coach, before hiring former Cleveland Browns coach Kevin Stefanski.
Atlanta opens Week 1 of the 2026 season on the road against the Pittsburgh Steelers as Aaron Rodgers begins his last rodeo.
