NASHVILLE, TN - Nashville, Tennessee, is a soccer city, according to FIFA President Gianni Infantino.
The head of soccer's global organizing body visited Music City on Tuesday as part of a media tour of the United States ahead of this summer's FIFA Club World Cup. The newly-expanded format will include 32 teams, playing in the traditional World Cup-style tournament of group play and knockout rounds.
In his visit to Nashville's Geodis Park, which will host three matches in the group stage, Infantino was impressed with the growth of soccer in the city.
"Nashville is a beautiful city," he said. "It's of course a music city, and it has become – thanks to the work of all of you – a soccer city as well... We love Nashville already. We love the people here. We love the fact that it has become a true soccer city with a great soccer stadium. I love it."
World-class facilities
Throughout his remarks, Infantino was enamored with Nashville SC's facilities. Both Geodis Park, whose 30,109 seats make it the largest soccer-specific stadium in the United States and Canada, as well as their state-of-the-art training facility in Antioch, garnered praise from the FIFA president.
"I visited training facilities here in Nashville that are absolutely splendid," he said. "I'm sure that some of the top teams in the world will want to be in these facilities, and this will be certainly one of the cities where fans from all over the world this year and next year will want to come."
