New York, L.A., Miami Among Cities Named To Host 2026 FIFA Men’s World Cup
Thursday, June 16, 2022 at 07:43PM By Barry Janoff
June 16, 2022: New York, Los Angeles, Dallas, Miami and San Francisco were among the 16 U.S. cities named today to host games as part of the FIFA 2026 Men’s World Cup, to be staged in the U.S., Canada and Mexico.
The tournament is currently scheduled for June 11-July 12, 2026.
The full list of 11 U.S. cities and venues includes:
• Atlanta (Mercedes-Benz Stadium)
• Boston/Foxborough (Gillette Stadium)
• Dallas/Arlington (AT&T Stadium)
• Houston (NRG Stadium)
• Kansas City (Arrowhead Stadium)
• Los Angeles (SoFi Stadium)
• Miami (Hard Rock Stadium)
• New York/East Rutherford, N.J. (MetLife Stadium)
• Philadelphia (Lincoln Financial Field)
• San Francisco/Santa Clara (Levi’s Stadium)
• Seattle (Lumen Field).
Among the U.S. cities from the final list not included were Baltimore, Cincinnati, Denver, Nashville, Orlando and Washington DC.
FIFA also confirmed all three Mexican candidates: Guadalajara (Estadio Akron), Mexico City (Estadio Aztec) and Monterrey (Estadio BBVA).
Two cities in Canada were selected: Toronto (BMO Field) and Vancouver (BC Place).
“It's a historic day for U.S. Soccer and the entire American soccer community, from every corner of our grassroots all the way to the pros and our National Teams,” U.S. Soccer Federation president Cindy Parlow Cone said via the organization.
“Together with our good friends in Canada and Mexico, we couldn't be more excited to work with FIFA to host what we think will be the greatest World Cup in history.”
FIFA did not as yet name a stadium to host the World Cup Final, which will be held in the U.S.
Leading candidates include SoFi Stadium, MetLife Stadium and AT&T Stadium.
The Rose Bowl in Pasadena, hosted the1994 World Cup final, the last time the FIFA World Cup was played in the U.S. The venue was bypassed as a host stadium by FIFA for 2026.
The 2026 World Cup will feature 48 teams. Sixty games are scheduled to be played in the U.S., including all matches beginning with the quarterfinals though the FIFA World Cup title game.
Canada and Mexico are scheduled to host ten games each.
Fox Sports 1 and Telemundo are the English and Spanish rights holders, respectively, for the tournament when it is broadcast in the U.S.
Being a 2026 FIFA Men’s World Cup host city could “generate more than $5 billion in short-term economic activity, including supporting approximately 40,000 jobs and more than $1 billion in incremental worker earnings across North America,” according to a study done by The Boston Consulting Groups in conjunction with the U.S. Soccer Federation.
FIFA said the site decision “follows the most transparent and comprehensive bidding process in football history, with FIFA’s decision having been made in the best interests of the game, taking into consideration the needs of all stakeholders involved in the FIFA World Cup 2026."
“We congratulate the 16 FIFA World Cup Host Cities on their outstanding commitment and passion,” FIFA president Gianni Infantino said during a media conference following the naming of the cities.
“Today is a historic day — for everyone in those cities and states, for FIFA, for Canada, the USA and Mexico who will put on the greatest show on Earth. We look forward to working together with them to deliver what will be an unprecedented FIFA World Cup and a game-changer as we strive to make football truly global.”
FIFA global partners include adidas, Coca-Cola, Wanda, Hyundai/Kia, Qatar Airways, Qatar Energy and Visa.
The FIFA 2022 Men’s World Cup Qatar is scheduled for Nov. 21-Dec. 18.
The FIFA 2023 Women’s World Cup Australia-New Zealand is scheduled for July 20-Aug. 20.
“We were delighted by the unparalleled competitiveness of this selection process,” FIFA vp and Concacaf president Victor Montagliani said during he media event.
“We are extremely grateful not only to the 16 cities that have been selected, but also to the other six – with whom we look forward to continuing to engage and explore additional opportunities to welcome fans and participating teams. This has always been a FIFA World Cup of three countries, and that undoubtedly will have a tremendous impact on the whole region and the wider football community.”
“During the past months we have had open exchanges with the candidate host cities on a number of different topics,” Colin Smith, FIFA’s chief tournaments and events officer, said via FIFA last month.
“The host cities will be absolutely key to ensuring the successful delivery of the competition. We look forward to working with them to deliver what will undoubtedly be the largest FIFA World Cup in history.”
FIFA Prepares To Name Final U.S. Host Cities For 2026 Men’s World Cup
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