On Sunday, FIFA announced the locations for the 2026 World Cup. The tournament will be taking place in North America with the United States, Mexico, and Canada all hosting a select number of games. While everyone knew where matches would be held, finding out when they would happen in their respective cities has generated more excitement around the tournament.
The opening matches will take place in Mexico. One will be held in Mexico City at the Estadio Azteca with Mexico facing a team that will be drawn into their group. The other match will take place in Zapopan at the Estadio Akron where Liga MX club Guadalajara plays their home matches.
Canada will host their first ever World Cup match on June 12 at BMO Field in Toronto, Canada. Matches will also take place in Vancouver during the group stage.
As for the United States, the national team will be playing two games in Los Angeles and one in Seattle during the group stage. All matches played in Los Angeles will be held at SoFi Stadium while the matches in Seattle will be played at Lumen Field. Other cities that will be hosting group stage matches include Atlanta, Boston, Dallas, Houston, Kansas City, Miami, New York, Philadelphia, and San Francisco.
While the United States, Mexico, and Canada will all be hosting matches during the knockout stages, the United States will be the primary hosts following the round of 16. The quarterfinals will see games played at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri, and Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida.
The semifinals featured different cities hosting matches with AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas and the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia being announced as venues. The Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida will host the third-place game, a match that features the two losers of the semifinals in a game that determines who finishes third in the World Cup.
However, the biggest announcement was which city would get the honor to host the biggest sporting event of all time: the World Cup Final. While several cities were considered as hosts, FIFA announced that the final would take place at the MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. The final will be held on July 19 and it should be a memorable spectacle for both fans in attendance and around the world.
Once all of the national teams have qualified for the World Cup, a group stage draw will take place in December 2025. Following this announcement, kickoff times will be scheduled and fans will know where their country will be playing their matches. The announcement made this past Sunday will begin to generate hype in North America as every city will begin their preparation to help host one of the world’s biggest sporting events.
