For Philly’s 2026 World Cup chair Dan Hilferty, it’s also about what happens before then

Dan Hilferty was already at the center of Philadelphia’s 2026 World Cup planning as the chair of the local organizing committee. But his recent move to become Comcast-Spectacor’s new CEO has put him even more at the center of the action.

Comcast is among the most influential sponsors of the local World Cup effort, and certainly the most famous name. Comcast-Spectacor is just one branch of the company, whose TV division owns the Spanish-language rights to the 2026 tournament (and this year’s women’s World Cup), as well as the rights to the English Premier League, Olympics, and U.S. national team home games.

The various branches usually operate on their own. But for something this big, there’s overlap behind the scenes.

“We find synergies and [are] figuring out how we could work closely with FIFA to improve the fan experience,” Hilferty said. “But also, quite frankly, to make sure that not only our customers, but Philadelphians in general have an opportunity to be part of this great event.”

How that plays out will be one of the biggest local soccer stories of the next three years. There’s already been a lot of controversy over plans to build a sports field complex in FDR Park that would serve as a World Cup practice facility that summer.

A loud caucus in South Philadelphia is opposed to building over park land known as the Meadows. A similarly loud caucus has responded by noting the city’s lack of recreational sports facilities. Local officials have tried to claim there’s room for both.

» READ MORE: FDR Park community meeting draws hundreds, starts off in tense face-off

Hilferty made no reference to that subject, though that wasn’t too surprising — it’s been handled more by City Hall. But he has been involved in other areas, including a series of recent meetings with FIFA on subjects like hotel capacity.

“They feel very good about where we stand,” Hilferty said of FIFA. “Not only with the [stadium] site, developing sponsorships, but also planning around everything from where we’re going to do the fan fest to where we are with all the hotels.”

The fan fest location is another big item when it comes to matters beyond the sports complex, for local residents and out-of-town visitors alike. Penn’s Landing has been the front-runner location for a while, but Hilferty said there’s still no decision yet.

“That’s a dialogue with the folks at FIFA, and at this point we haven’t identified a final site,” he said.

The next big thing on the calendar is earning hosting rights for next year’s Copa América, the South American championship tournament that will come to the U.S. as a warmup for 2026. As the 2016 Copa América Centenario did, it’s expected to drive a spike in interest, and serve as a test run for World Cup host venues.

But there’s no guarantee that it will be played only at World Cup sites. Cities that came up short in the bidding could get Copa games as a consolation prize, as could big markets like Phoenix and Chicago that didn’t bid for World Cup games at all. So Philadelphia will have to compete.

» READ MORE: Dan Hilferty, who ran IBX and helped Philly land the World Cup, is new boss at Comcast Spectacor

Hilferty said the World Cup organizing committee won’t be officially involved in that, but he sent a message to the entities that will take the lead.

“I certainly hope the powers that be that are involved, whether it be the city, [the] Convention and Visitors Bureau, that we have a good shot at it.”

The Eagles will also be significantly involved — and games of the Copa’s scale would undoubtedly be at Lincoln Financial Field. Whether the U.S. plays here or not, the crowds will easily be bigger than Subaru Park’s 18,500-seat capacity.

“Our region is home to a large and passionate soccer community,” the Eagles said in a statement. “We will always be interested in participating in conversations that could lead to bringing world-class soccer events to Lincoln Financial Field for those fans to enjoy.”

While the World Cup committee might not be officially involved in Copa América planning, Hilferty knows that everyone in town shares responsibility for getting marquee events here before 2026. The Linc hasn’t hosted a big soccer game since August 2019, when the U.S. women came to town after the World Cup and drew nearly 50,000 fans — the biggest crowd for a standalone friendly in team history.

» READ MORE: Philly’s 2026 World Cup bid officials plan for the scale of hosting the world

The pandemic has obviously been a factor, but three and a half years is a long enough wait. European teams will return to the U.S. for tours this summer, and there will be the Concacaf men’s Gold Cup.

Nor has the site for the men’s Nations League final four been set yet. That’s the event where the U.S. will likely play Europe-based stars such as Medford’s Brenden Aaronson and Downingtown’s Zack Steffen, so they can take the summer off. They haven’t played at the Linc before, and it’s easy to imagine them getting a raucous reception.

“If it’s international events, if it’s local events like the Unity Cup, to maybe getting some [English Premier League] teams to come and play [here], we’re looking at all sorts of opportunities,” Hilferty said. “Obviously the city’s involved, the Convention and Visitors Bureau is involved, the Eagles are involved, the Union are involved. So we continue to look for ways to grow the game by inviting premier teams to play here — men and women.”

Last week, Hilferty was one of the guests of honor at the Union’s annual Legends of Soccer fundraiser dinner for the team’s charity foundation. The event raised more than $282,000.

“We’re all very proud of the Philadelphia Union, [what] the Philadelphia Union Foundation does for our great community of Chester and well beyond,” he said.

» READ MORE: Gio Reyna, Zack Steffen return to USMNT for this month’s Concacaf Nations League games