FIFA has revealed the host cities for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, with the US to host 60 of the 80 matches throughout the tournament, and Canada and Mexico to each have 10 matches.
With the tournament to feature a 48-team expanded format for the first time, increasing from the current 32-team format, it will be held across 16 venues throughout the three countries in North America.
FIFA has not yet revealed the number of matches each venue will host or during which stage of the tournament, however, they suggested the capacity of each venue will be a key consideration for which venue will host the World Cup final.
The 16 venues selected to host the 2026 FIFA World Cup include:
- BMO Field in Toronto, Canada
- BC Place in Vancouver, Canada
- Estadio Akron in Guadalajara, Mexico
- Estadio Azteca in Mexico City, Mexico
- Estadio BBVA in Monterrey, Mexico
- Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, US
- Gillette Stadium in Boston, US
- AT&T Stadium in Dallas, US
- NRG Stadium in Houston, US
- Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, US
- SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, US
- Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, US
- MetLife Stadium in New York/New Jersey, US
- Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, US
- Levi’s Stadium in San Francisco, US
- Lumen Field in Seattle, US
Speaking after the announcement which was made at an event at Rockefeller Plaza in New York, FIFA president, Gianni Infantino, said: “This part of the world doesn’t realise what will happen here in 2026.”
“These three countries will be upside down and flipped back again.
“The world will be invading Canada, Mexico and the United States, and they will be invaded by a big wave of joy and happiness because that’s what football is about,” he said.
Notably, seven venues who originally bid to host matches during the tournament were not ultimately selected in the announcement, including a joint bid by Baltimore and Washington, D.C., which was touted as a centrepiece for the bid due to Washington D.C. ranking as the number one television market for the English Premier League.
The seven venues not selected in the final announcement include:
- Commonwealth Stadium in Edmonton, Canada
- M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore/Washington, US
- Paul Brown Stadium in Cincinnati, US
- Mile High Stadium in Denver, US
- Rose Bowl in Los Angeles, US
- Nissan Stadium in Nashville, US
- Camping World Stadium in Orlando, US
Discussing the cities not selected, FIFA chief tournaments and events officer, Colin Smith, said: “You can’t imagine a World Cup coming to the US and the capital city not taking a major role as well.”
“We’ll be engaging with all the cities that weren’t chosen to host matches.
“There are still a lot of other areas of cooperation, and working together and celebration.
“We know what a fan fest on the National Mall would be like, 250th anniversary of the US on the 4th of July in 2026.
“We’ll be engaging with all the cities so that not only the 16 we chose today, and not only the cities that were not successful, but in fact all the cities across these three [countries] celebrate the World Cup,” Smith said.
