Major League Soccer is voicing its frustration over major delays in the construction of the league’s latest venue in Nashville.
With aspirations to host the FIFA World Cup in 2026, Nashville Soccer Club and Major League Soccer issued a joint statement, saying the two groups had met with Nashville mayor John Cooper at MLS headquarters in New York City.
“The new stadium and ancillary development have very broad support throughout Nashville and has been overwhelmingly approved multiple times by Metro Council,” the statement read. “Despite that, Mayor Cooper has not provided approval to begin the demolition to move forward with the stadium project. So, for the past four months, Nashville SC has worked to make the stadium deal even better and has proposed a number of new solutions to satisfy his concerns.”
The new proposals have not helped move things along, according to the statement.
“Even with these proposed new solutions, the Mayor today refused to commit to move forward with the demolition and the approved stadium plan,” the statement continued. “During today’s meeting, MLS Commissioner Don Garber made it clear to Mayor Cooper that Major League Soccer would not have awarded Nashville an expansion team without the commitment made by the city to build a soccer stadium at the Fairgrounds. The Mayor’s continued refusal to proceed is a deep disappointment to Nashville SC and MLS.
“Nashville SC has agreed to work with the mayor’s office over the next week to advance the discussions and finalize a plan to begin the stadium construction project. MLS and Nashville SC hope to arrive at mutually agreeable solution and have an update regarding the project by February 6."
