The 2026 World Cup is in full swing – and an interesting question has been raised.This year’s edition of the tournament is being hosted in the United States, Mexico and Canada across a total of 16 venues, that have attracted plenty of praise.The 2026 World Cup has already produced some dramatic momentsGetty11 of those are re-designed NFL stadiums that have undergone changes to make them more soccer friendly and in keeping with FIFA’s strict branding rights.Those venues have already produced some iconic moments as fans from across the globe have fallen in love with some spectacular arenas.In its early days, the World Cup has already seen Kylian Mbappe‘s brace that made him France’s all-time record goalscorer.Lionel Messi’s sensational hat-trick against Algeria in his 200th appearance for Argentina and Harry Kane’s heroics for England in a 4-2 thriller against Croatia.However, one popular US tourist destination is not part of the biggest soccer tournament on the planet, despite having a state-of-the-art $1.9bn stadium.Allegiant Stadium, home of the Las Vegas Raiders, was voted as the best U.S. stadium by Billboard magazine in 2024.It has hosted plenty of big events already, namely the Super Bowl, the CONCACAF Gold Cup Final, and massive international friendlies.However, when it comes to the World Cup, it was left out of the stadium list, for reasons which some may label as mistakes.Why Allegiant Stadium is not hosting World Cup gamesFIFA has strict requirements about pitch dimensions for World Cup matches, with requirement for run-off space for players and additional space for photographers and security.Allegiant Stadium utilizes a 20-million-pound retractable grass field tray that rolls outside the venue to receive sunlight.Allegiant’s 20 million pound removable surface is too narrow to host World Cup gamesGettyThousands of seats would have had to be removed in order to create the additional space requiredGettyBut the concrete perimeter was built fairly close to the field of play for NFL matches, with the purpose to boost atmosphere.In order to meet the requirements, thousands of lower-level seats would have had to be moved.The structural overhaul would have forced a nine-month closure of the stadium, which would have overlapped with the NFL season and concerts – making it financially unfeasible.Financial demands also created issues, with Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority President and Chief Operating Officer Steve Hill noting that requirements were more elaborate than anticipated.The city were expected to provide two outdoor venues – capable of seating 20,000 people to watch every tournament game at a big screen at no cost, Hill told the Las Vegas Review Journal.It also would have included constructing training facilities to meet international team standards.The city of Las Vegas thought that requirements were more elaborated than anticipatedGettyInstead of complying with FIFA’s demands, Las Vegas realized they did not need to compromise municipal funds to attract summer crowds.The decision allowed the city to focus its resources on hosting the Super Bowl, Formula 1, and high-profile combat sports.Ultimately, the omission of Allegiant Stadium stands as a rare instance where a city looked at the world’s biggest game, weighed the financial risk, and decided that Sin City was already big enough without it.The stadium hosted it’s first Super Bowl in 2024 when the Kansas City Chiefs beat the San Francisco 49ers in overtime, and the NFL’s showpiece will be back for a second time.Allegiant has also been confirmed as the host for Super Bowl LXIII in February 2029 and is likely to be a regular on the circuit for the big game.Stay up to date with USMNT across all our talkSPORT platforms – subscribe to our YouTube channel for the latest news, opinion, exclusive interviews and our daily unfiltered, unscripted show ‘The S* Word, from 8am ET