FIFA reveals host cities for 2026 World Cup; 11 venues in U.S. 3 in Mexico, 2 in Canada

The FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Winner's Trophy sits on display Feb. 22, 2022, in Warsaw, Poland. File Photo by Leszek Szymanski/EPA-EFE


June 16 (UPI) -- FIFA on Thursday announced the 16 cities in North America that will host matches for the 2026 World Cup, with 11 venues selected in the United States, three in Mexico and two in Canada.

The 2026 World Cup will be the first tournament hosted by three different countries, and it also will be the first to expand from 32 teams to 48 in the competition.

The U.S. cities officially selected to host World Cup matches in 2026 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); Kansas City, Mo. (Arrowhead Stadium); and Boston (Gillette Stadium).

The Rose Bowl, which hosted the 1994 World Cup final, wasn't chosen as a venue, with Los Angeles' newer SoFi Stadium being selected instead. With the Rose Bowl not selected, none of the U.S. venues from the 1994 men's World Cup will be used for the 2026 tournament.

"It was the most competitive process ever for the FIFA World Cup," FIFA President Gianni Infantino told Fox Sports about the selection process. "We will be working in clusters, making sure that the teams and the fans don't have to travel too much in different areas: West, Central and East."

The cities and venues chosen to host World Cup matches in Mexico and Canada are: Guadalajara (Estadio Akron); Monterrey (Estadio BBVA Bancomer); Mexico City (Estadio Azteca); Toronto (BMO Field); and Vancouver (BC Place).




In total, 60 games are set to be played in the U.S. for the tournament, while Mexico and Canada each will have 10 matches. Once the event reaches the quarterfinal stage, all remaining knockout round games will be staged in the U.S.