Four years from now, 48 nations will compete for the World Cup in 16 stadiums across North America.
FIFA announced that the following cities would be hosting the competition: Vancouver, Seattle, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Guadalajara, Kansas City, Dallas, Atlanta, Houston, Monterrey, Mexico City, Toronto, Philadelphia, Boston, Miami, and New York/New Jersey.
Of the sites, eleven are in the United States, three are in Mexico, and two are in Canada. The locations of certain games, such as the opening and final games, are to be announced at a later date.
The 2026 World Cup will mark the first time the tournament deviates from its typical 32-team lineup, moving to a 48-team competition, as well as the first time the tournament will be held in three separate hosting countries at the same time.
In 2018, the United States, Mexico, and Canada won the bid to be the host countries of the World Cup. While the United States and Mexico have hosted the tournament once and twice before respectively, this will be Canada’s first time hosting the World Cup.
In their joint bid, the countries claimed the stadiums they chose “deliver luxurious amenities and unrivaled hospitality opportunities, […] all ideally designed to host FIFA leaders and guests, international dignitaries, and the premium ticket buyer.”
According to the United Bid, due to the vastness of the three hosting countries, the bid takes into account the issue of travelling from match to match. They designed regional cluster for groups and teams by developing a software that generates the most convenient match schedules for the pre-determined criteria it is given.
The competition venues will move from west to east as teams are eliminated, with a proposed final match held at MetLife stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
Sources:
https://www.npr.org/2022/06/16/1105562734/us-cities-hosting-2026-world-cup-announcement
https://digitalhub.fifa.com/m/3c077448dcd5c0ab/original/w3yjeu7dadt5erw26wmu-pdf.pdf
FIFA announced that the following cities would be hosting the competition: Vancouver, Seattle, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Guadalajara, Kansas City, Dallas, Atlanta, Houston, Monterrey, Mexico City, Toronto, Philadelphia, Boston, Miami, and New York/New Jersey.
Of the sites, eleven are in the United States, three are in Mexico, and two are in Canada. The locations of certain games, such as the opening and final games, are to be announced at a later date.
The 2026 World Cup will mark the first time the tournament deviates from its typical 32-team lineup, moving to a 48-team competition, as well as the first time the tournament will be held in three separate hosting countries at the same time.
In 2018, the United States, Mexico, and Canada won the bid to be the host countries of the World Cup. While the United States and Mexico have hosted the tournament once and twice before respectively, this will be Canada’s first time hosting the World Cup.
In their joint bid, the countries claimed the stadiums they chose “deliver luxurious amenities and unrivaled hospitality opportunities, […] all ideally designed to host FIFA leaders and guests, international dignitaries, and the premium ticket buyer.”
According to the United Bid, due to the vastness of the three hosting countries, the bid takes into account the issue of travelling from match to match. They designed regional cluster for groups and teams by developing a software that generates the most convenient match schedules for the pre-determined criteria it is given.
The competition venues will move from west to east as teams are eliminated, with a proposed final match held at MetLife stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
Sources:
https://www.npr.org/2022/06/16/1105562734/us-cities-hosting-2026-world-cup-announcement
https://digitalhub.fifa.com/m/3c077448dcd5c0ab/original/w3yjeu7dadt5erw26wmu-pdf.pdf
