Weeks after the Olympics wrapped up, and ahead of the 2026 World Cup, soccer is having a moment, Ada county officials say.
The county is looking for ways to develop part of Expo Idaho near The Park at Expo Idaho , a 97-acre project expected to be completed in 2026 at the site of an abandoned horse-racing track. They want to do it without using taxpayer dollars, and they think soccer may be the answer.
“What I’ve been feeling in this community, and I’ve been researching this for quite some time, is that there’s a need” for a soccer field complex, Bob Batista, Expo Idaho’s director, told county commissioners Wednesday. “I think there’s somebody out there — I’m hoping there’s somebody out there — that can come along and say that’s something of interest.”
Batista and Ada County Chief Operating Officer Steve Rutherford got the commissioners’ green light to explore the feasibility of this plan by putting a 30-year lease for the land — about 30 acres — up for auction.
The terms of the auction and request for bids will likely be out to the public within the next month, Rutherford said. And if the county decides to go forward with a soccer complex, he estimated it could have a signed lease and development agreement ready by the end of the year. That could be an agreement with a soccer club or a sports complex developer, Batista said.