The United States, Canada and Mexico will host the first 48-team FIFA World Cup in 2026, and we now know where all 104 matches of the biggest single-elimination tournament in soccer history will take place.
New York/New Jersey will host the final on July 19, 2026, beating early favorites Los Angeles and Dallas to win the highlight of world men’s football.
The 16 host cities from three countries did not know which matches they would be awarded until Gianni Infantino, president of world governing body FIFA, made the announcement on a live television show Sunday, saying the 2026 tournament it would be «the greatest show on earth». you’ve ever seen.»
Where will the three host nations play their group matches?
The United States men’s national team, Mexico and Canada were given automatic berths in the tournament. The remaining 45 teams have yet to qualify.
“There will be 48 countries that will be deeply interested in how their team performs at the World Cup,” USMNT coach Gregg Berhalter said after the announcement. “It will be a new and exciting format for a lot of people.”
Mexico will play their opening World Cup match at the Estadio Azteca in Mexico City on Thursday 11 June, then play in Guadalajara on 18 June and then again in Mexico City on 24 June.
THE USMNT will begin in Los Angeles on June 12, then head north to Seattle on June 19 before returning to Los Angeles on June 26.
USMNT’s Christian Pulisic (Howard Smith/ISI Photos/USSF/Getty Images for USSF)
Canada will play their first game in Toronto on Friday, June 12, then play their second and third group games in Vancouver on June 18 and 24.
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Who were the winners and losers of the ad?
Well, New York/New Jersey was the big winner, with momentum seemingly building behind Dallas’ bid to host the final in recent weeks. Dallas, however, can boast of hosting the most games of any city during the tournament.
Overall Dallas Stadium will host the MOST games of any host city with 9 @FIFA World Cup™ matches 🌎
🇺🇸 🇨🇦 🇲🇽 #We are26 L #WeAreDallas pic.twitter.com/IxY2rPHi8L
— FIFA World Cup 26™ Dallas (@FWC26Dallas) February 4, 2024
The United States, as expected, will host all knockout games from the quarterfinals onwards, but the USMNT will have to get past the group stage for fans outside the West Coast to have a chance to see them play.
Canada’s 10 group stage matches will be split in half between the two host cities, Toronto and Vancouver. Both cities will also host a round of 32 match, while Vancouver will host a round of 16 match.
Mexico will open the tournament but will play only 13 of 104 matches and only three knockout matches.
How will it work?
The men’s World Cup has featured 32 teams since 1998, but will go big in 2026 with an additional knockout round and 104 matches instead of 64.
The 2026 tournament will feature 12 groups of four teams. The top two teams from each group will advance to the knockout stage along with the eight best third-placed teams – 32 teams in total.
From there there will be the round of 16, quarter-finals, semi-finals and final.
The competition will take place in 16 stadiums, with the US cities of New York, Dallas, Miami, Kansas City, Houston, Atlanta, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Seattle, San Francisco and Boston plus the Mexican venues of Mexico City, Monterrey and Guadalajara. along with the Canadian cities Vancouver and Toronto.
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Who got what?
AT&T Stadium (Dallas)
Capacity (according to the offer register): 92,967
Matches: 9
Broken down: Dallas missed the final, but got the most games of any city: five group stage games, two in the round of 32, the round of 16 and a semifinal.
AT&T Stadium will host more matches than any other stadium in the 2026 World Cup (Matthew Ashton – AMA/Getty Images)
MetLife Stadium (New York/New Jersey)
Capacity: 87,157
Matches: 8
Broken down: Five group stage matches, round of 32, round of 16 and then what everyone wanted… the final of the Men’s World Cup.
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Mercedes-Benz Stadium (Atlanta)
Capacity: 75,000
Matches: 8
Broken down: Five group stage matches, a round of 16 match, a round of 16 match and the second semi-final.
SoFi Stadium (The Angels)
Capacity: 70,240
Matches: 8
Broken down: Five group stage matches, two in the round of 32 and one in the quarterfinals.
(Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
Hard Rock Stadium (You love me)
Capacity: 67,518
Matches: 7
Broken down: Four group stage matches, round of 32, quarter-finals and playoff for third place.
Gillette Stadium (Boston)
Capacity: 70,000
Matches: 7
Broken down: Five group stage matches, a round of 32 and a quarter final.
NRG Stadium (Houston)
Capacity: 72,220
Matches: 7
Broken down: Five group stage matches, one in the round of 16 and one in the round of 16.
Location BC (Vancouver)
Capacity: 54,500
Matches: 7
Broken down: Five group stage matches (including two group matches for Canada), a round of 32 match and a round of 16 match.
Arrowhead Stadium (Kansas City)
Capacity: 76,640
Matches: 6
Broken down: Four group stage matches, a round of 32 and a quarter final.
Light field (Settle)
Capacity: 69,000
Matches: 6
Broken down: Four group stage matches, a round of 16 match and a round of 16 match.
BMO field (Toronto)
Capacity: 45,736 (expanding from current 30,000 for the tournament)
Matches: 6
Broken down: Five group matches (including co-host Canada’s opening match) and round of 32
Levi Stadium (San Francisco Bay Area)
Capacity: 70,909
Matches: 6
Broken down: Five group stage matches and a round of 32 match.
Lincoln Financial Camp (Philadelphia)
Capacity: 69, 328
Matches: 6
Broken down: Five group stage matches and a round of 16 match on July 4, the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.
Aztec Stadium (Mexico City)
Capacity: 87,523
Matches: 5
Broken down: The opening match on June 11, with Mexico co-hosting; two more group matches, a round of 16 match and a round of 16 match.
Akron Stadium (Guadalajara)
Capacity: 48,071
Matches: 4
Broken down: Only four group games.
BBVA Stadium (Monterrey)
Capacity: 53,460
Matches: 4
Broken down: Three group stage matches and a round of 16 match.
What else do I need to know?
If you like soccer tournaments and live in North America, you are in the right place.
The United States will host the Copa America in June and July this year, with 16 teams vying to win the final in Miami on July 14.
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(Top photo: Eva Marie Uzcategui – FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images)
