FIFA officially announced the 16 North American cities that will host the 2026 World Cup matches, with 11 venues chosen in the United States, three in Mexico and two in Canada, among which the Azteca Stadium stands out as the first stadium that receives three World Cups in history.
The 2026 World Cup will be the first tournament organized by three nations and also the first to expand to 48 teams in the competition.
The cities officially selected to host World Cup matches in the United States are: New York/New Jersey (MetLife Stadium), Los Angeles (SoFi Stadium), Dallas (AT&T Stadium), San Francisco Bay Area (Levi’s Stadium) , Miami (Hard Rock Stadium), Atlanta (Mercedes-Benz Stadium), Seattle (Lumen Field), Houston (NRG Stadium), Philadelphia (Lincoln Financial Field), as well as the cities of Kansas City (Arrowhead Stadium) and Boston (Gillette Stadium).
The cities officially selected to host World Cup matches in Mexico and Canada are: Guadalajara (Akron Stadium), Monterrey (BBVA Bancomer Stadium), Mexico City (Azteca Stadium), Toronto (BMO Field) and Vancouver (BC Place). .
The following candidates were left out of the selection: Baltimore/Washington DC (M&T Bank Stadium), Orlando (Camping World Stadium), Cincinnati (Paul Brown Stadium), Nashville (Nissan Stadium), Denver (Empower Field at Mile High), and Edmonton ( Commonwealth Stadium).
Of the three nations’ original “United 2026” bid, 60 games will be played in the United States, while Mexico and Canada will each get 10 games. Once the tournament reaches the quarterfinal stage, all remaining knockout round games will take place in the United States.
Initially with applicants from 44 cities and 49 stadiums across North America, the venue selection process began in 2017. Potential applicants were asked to “provide information on each city’s transportation infrastructure, previous experience organizing major sporting and cultural events, available accommodations, protection initiatives, potential venues, and more,” which also included possible training sites, base camps, and other considerations.
In March 2018, just months before FIFA officially awarded United’s 2026 bid the rights to host the 2026 World Cup, the list of North American candidates was whittled down to 23. Areas such as Chicago weren’t on the list. , Minneapolis and Arizona, due to what city officials described as problems with financial demands from FIFA.
Other notable cities that were left out of the 2018 23-venue list included Charlotte, Detroit, Las Vegas, Salt Lake City and Tampa. Vancouver, initially out of the competition following disagreements over funding, eventually replaced Montreal after they dropped out in 2021 when the provincial government withdrew its support.
A FIFA delegation, led by Concacaf President and FIFA Vice President Victor Montagliani, made visits to all candidate host cities in late 2021.
The joint bid between Baltimore and Washington DC at M&T Bank Stadium was announced this April after FedEx Field in Landover, Maryland, dropped out of the race and opted to merge with the Baltimore bid. Under the proposal, there would be a fan festival on the National Mall in DC
The Estadio Azteca in Mexico City, which hosted the 1970 and 1986 World Cup finals, will be the first stadium to host three World Cups. Mexico will also be the first nation to host or co-sponsor three World Cups.
