FIFA revealed the 16 venues for the 2026 World Cup, which will be played in the United States, Mexico and Canada

FIFA revealed in the early hours of this Friday the 16 venues that will host the 2026 World Cup, which takes place in the United States, Mexico, and Canada, and will be the first in history with 48 qualified teams, including the three host countries.

“Tonight, a very important milestone in the countdown to the 2026 FIFA World Cup was reached with the announcement of the 16 host cities of the first edition of the most emblematic tournament in world football to face 48 teams,” FIFA said.

“We want to congratulate the 16 host cities of the World Cup for their incredible commitment and passion. Today is a historic day for all cities and states, for FIFA, for Canada, the United States, and Mexico, who will put on the greatest show on the planet,” said FIFA President Gianni Infantino.

“We are looking forward to collaborating with them to organize a World Cup like no other and that will mark a milestone on the road to making football truly global,” added Infantino, who believes that “the level of competitiveness of this selection process is unparalleled”. ”

The list of 16 venues includes a historical setting that is highly appreciated by Argentine fans such as the Azteca stadium in Mexico City, which at the same time will be the first in history to host three World Cups, as happened in 1970 and 1986. In that scenario, it is worth remembering, that the Brazilian Pelé lifted the Jules Rimet trophy in the 1970 World Cup final, and Diego Maradona lifted the World Cup 16 years later.

The United States will have a total of 11 venues, many of them new compared to the first World Cup organized in 1994. The most emblematic stadium is the SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, with a capacity of 70,000 spectators and built for 4.9 billion euros. dollars considered the most expensive in history.

This field, along with the other 10 chosen, are usually venues for meetings of the American Football League (NFL) and also of teams from the Soccer League (MLS), but none of them hosted World Cup matches held in 1994; not even the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, which hosted the final that year between Italy and Brazil, but this time it did not pass the selection process. Infantino said that the venue for the opening match and the final will be defined later.

“By 2026, soccer will be the number one sport in this part of the world. We will choose the best cities for the opening and the final, but each game will be a final in this World Cup”, Infantino pointed out. “Living a World Cup in Mexican lands will allow us to give greater strength to our soccer to inspire more followers of the Mexican team, who will live again in 2026, after 40 years, the maximum expression of our sport,” said the President of the Mexican Football Federation, Yon de Luisa.

Baltimore, Cincinnati, Denver, Nashville, Orlando, and Washington are the cities that were left out of the final review process. The 2026 tournament is expected to break the World Cup attendance record, which peaked at 3.6 million when it was held in the United States in 1994.

Host cities of the 2026 FIFA World Cup

USA

• Atlanta. Mercedes-Benz Stadium. It is the home of the Atlanta United of the MLS and the Atlanta Falcons of the NFL. The stadium opened in 2017 with a regular capacity of 71,000 seats.
• Boston. Gillette Stadium, in Foxborough, Mass. Another of the fields is shared by an NFL team, the emblematic New England Patriots, and another from the MLS, the New England Revolution. Located in a suburb of Boston, it has a capacity for 65,878 spectators.
• Dallas. AT&T Stadium, in Arlington: It is the home of the Dallas Cowboys of the American Football League (NFL). It is a field with a retractable roof and artificial turf with a capacity of 80,000 spectators, expandable up to 105,000. Opened in 2009, the venue has hosted massive events in other sports, from boxing matches to the NBA All-Star in 2010.
• Houston. NRG Stadium. Home to NFL teams (Houston Texas), football (Houston Dynamo), and many other events including huge rodeo shows. It is also covered with a retractable roof and has an air conditioning system for 72,000 spectators.
• Kansas City. Arrowhead Stadium: home of the Kansas City Chiefs of the NFL, it is one of the stadiums with the longest history in the NFL since its opening in 1972 and currently has a capacity of 76,000 spectators.
• Los Angeles/SoFi Stadium. It is a state-of-the-art stadium inaugurated in 2020 at a cost of almost 5,000 million dollars. With some 70,000 seats, SoFi Stadium hosted the last Super Bowl game in February in which the local Rams prevailed.
• Miami. Hard Rock Stadium, in Miami Gardens. It usually hosts the games of the Miami Dolphins of the NFL, but also other important sporting events such as the Miami Open of tennis. Opened in 1987, the court has a capacity of 67,000 spectators.
• New York/New Jersey. MetLife Stadium. Located in East Rutherford, it is shared by the two New York NFL teams, the Jets and the Giants, although it is located in New Jersey, on the other side of the Hudson River. It was inaugurated in 2010, has a capacity of 82,500 spectators, and was the venue in 2016 for the Copa América Centenario final in which Chile defeated Argentina on penalties.
• San Francisco Bay Area. Levi’s Stadium. Located 65 kilometers from San Francisco, it was opened in 2014 and has a capacity of 68,500 seats. It is the home of the iconic San Francisco 49ers of the NFL.
• Seattle. Lumen Field – Seattle (Washington) Lumen Field is home to two soccer teams, the Seattle Sounders of the men’s league (MLS) and the OL Reign of the women’s league (NWSL), as well as the Seattle Seahawks of the NFL. The facility opened its doors in 2002 and has a capacity of 68,000 spectators.

Mexico

• Mexico City: Azteca Stadium, the first to host the finals of two World Cups, and now it will host matches from three different editions. Opened in 1966, more than 100,000 people attended the 1970 World Cup final in which Pelé’s Brazil beat Italy 4-1. In 1986, the Coloso de Santa Úrsula saw Diego Maradona lift the trophy after Argentina’s 3-2 win against Germany.
• Akron Stadium, Zapopan (Jalisco). Home of the Chivas de Guadalajara team, it opened its doors in 2010 with an avant-garde design that alludes to the figure of a volcano. The facility has a capacity of 46,000 spectators and hosted the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2011 Pan American Games.
• Monterey. BBVA Stadium: it is one of the most modern chosen venues. The Rayados de Monterrey stadium was inaugurated in 2015 and has a capacity of 53,000 spectators.

Canada

• Toronto. BMO Field is the home of MLS’s Toronto FC and has a capacity of 45,000 spectators. Opened in 2007, it was the first stadium to host an MLS final outside of the United States.
• Vancouver. Completed in 1983, BC Place is home to MLS’s Vancouver Whitecaps and rugby’s BC Lions. It has a capacity of almost 60,000 spectators.