Nearly four years to the day after it was announced that the men’s FIFA World Cup would be held in the United States, Mexico, and Canada for the first time in 2026, 16 host cities for the first-ever 48-team tournament were named on Thursday.
Eleven places in the U.S. were chosen, with five in the eastern third (despite what FIFA says about Atlanta), three in the middle, and three more in the west. Toronto and Vancouver will be the first cities in Canada to host World Cup games. Mexico City and Guadalajara will be hosting the World Cup for the third time (they did so in 1970 and 1986), while Monterrey will be doing so for the second time.
Here is the full list of U.S., Canadian, and Mexican cities chosen to host the 2026 World Cup…
Which 16 cities were chosen to host the World Cup in 2026?
USA (11)
Atlanta – Mercedes-Benz Stadium
Boston – Gillette Stadium
Dallas – AT&T Stadium
NRG Stadium is in Houston.
Arrowhead Stadium is in Kansas City.
Los Angeles – SoFi Stadium
Miami – Hard Rock Stadium
MetLife Stadium is in New York and New Jersey.
Philadelphia – Lincoln Financial Field
San Francisco – Levi’s Stadium
Seattle – Lumen Field
Canada (2)
BMO Field in Toronto
Vancouver – BC Place
Mexico (3)
Guadalajara – Estadio Akron
Mexico City – Estadio Azteca
Monterrey – Estadio BBVA
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With 23 cities trying to get one of the 16 spots, a number of well-known cities and venues were left out. In a joint bid with Baltimore, where games would have been played, Washington, D.C., the nation’s capital, was not chosen.
The Rose Bowl, where the World Cup final was played in 1994, was also not chosen. Instead, the NFL’s Rams and Chargers’ home stadium, SoFi Stadium, was chosen. Cincinnati, Denver, Nashville, and Orlando were the other U.S. cities that were not chosen to host the 2026 World Cup. Edmonton, Canada, was the only city from outside the U.S.
How to qualify for the 2026 World Cup
Now that we know the 2026 World Cup host cities, stadiums, and venues, let’s talk about the tournament itself…
First of all, it is thought (but not confirmed) that the USA, Canada, and Mexico will all automatically qualify for the 2026 World Cup because they will be hosting it.
The 48 teams will be split into 16 groups of three for the first time at the 2026 World Cup. Each team will play two games in the group stage instead of three. The top two teams will move on to the round of 32. It will also be the first time that three different countries have hosted the World Cup.
The idea behind adding 16 teams is to get rid of one round of games in the group stage and replace it with an extra round of games where you either win or go home in the knockout rounds.
The new format will make sure that almost every game at the 2026 World Cup is very important. This is because the final round of group games may not matter at all, depending on how the other games went.
Yes, FIFA will make a lot more money by changing the format, but fans will also get a better product from start to finish, with even more global superstars from “lesser” national teams than ever before.
The sites for the 2026 World Cup have been chosen. Which cities in the USA, Canada, and Mexico will host? first published on NBCSports.com
