On Thursday, almost four years after it was announced that the FIFA Men’s World Cup would return to the United States and Mexico (and will arrive in Canada for the first time) in 2026, 16 host cities were announced to host the first FIFA World Cup. 48 teams.
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Eleven American venues were selected, five in the eastern third (despite FIFA’s interpretation of Atlanta), three in the central part of the country, and three more in the west. Two Canadian cities (Toronto and Vancouver) will host World Cup matches for the first time. A couple of Mexican cities (Mexico City and Guadalajara) will host the World Cup for the third time (1970 and 1986), while Monterrey was chosen for the second time.
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Below is the full list of cities selected to host the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico …
Which 16 places were selected as host cities for the 2026 World Cup?
USA (11)
Atlanta – Mercedes-Benz StadiumBoston – Gillette StadiumDallas – AT&T StadiumHouston – NRG StadiumKansas City – Arrowhead StadiumLos Angeles – SoFi StadiumMiami – Hard Rock StadiumNew York / New Jersey – MetLife StadiumPhiladelphia – Lincoln Financial FieldSan Francisco – Levi’s StadiumSeattle – Lumen Field
Canada (2)
Toronto – BMO FieldVancouver – BC Place
Mexico (3)
Guadalajara – Stadium AkronMexico City – Stadium AztecaMonterrey – Stadium BBVA
Latest news from the 2022 World Cup
With 23 places competing for 16 places, several notable cities (and places) were rejected. Washington DC, the nation’s capital (in a joint bid with Baltimore, where games would have been played), was not chosen.
The Rose Bowl, where the 1994 World Cup final was played, was also not selected with Los Angeles presenting two stadiums as options; SoFi Stadium, home of the NFL Rams and Chargers, was selected. Cincinnati, Denver, Nashville and Orlando were the other American cities that were lost as the venue for the 2026 World Cup, along with Edmonton of Canada.
Format and classification of the 2026 World Cup
Now that we know the cities, stadiums and venues of the 2026 World Cup, let’s talk about the tournament itself …
First, as host nations, the US, Canada and Mexico will automatically qualify for the 2026 World Cup.
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The 2026 World Cup will be the first tournament with 48 teams divided into 16 groups of three. Each team will play two group stage matches (one less than three), and the first and second place finishers will advance to the round of 16. It will also be the first World Cup played in three different host countries.
The idea behind adding 16 teams, in addition to creating additional games to increase TV and ticket revenue, is to eliminate a round of group stage games and replace them with an additional round of winning games or go home in the playoffs. Since the final round of group matches may have very little, if any, weight in anticipation of previous results, the new format will ensure that almost every match in the 2026 World Cup is very important.
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Yes, FIFA will make a lot more money by changing the format, but fans will also have a better quality product, from start to finish, with more global superstars from “less” national teams than ever before.
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