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World Cup 2026 host cities: List of 16 stadiums, venues selected by FIFA in USA, Canada, Mexico

The 2022 FIFA men’s World Cup in Qatar hasn’t even happened yet, but the focus is already turning to what will be the biggest World Cup ever held in the history of the tournament in 2026.

The 2026 World Cup will be the first to feature a 48-team expanded format, increasing the field from the current 32-team setup which has existed since 1998.

FIFA on June 16 announced its 16 venue selections for the 2026 event, which for the first time will be held across three countries: North American nations USA, Canada and Mexico will team up to host the event with more teams (48) and matches (80) than ever before.

“This part of the world doesn’t realize what will happen here in 2026,” FIFA president Gianni Infantino said in a press conference after the selection of the venues. “These three countries will be upside down and flipped back again. The world will be invading Canada, Mexico and the United States, and they will be invaded by a big wave of joy and happiness because that’s what football is about.”

In an event that was held at Rockefeller Plaza in New York City, the world governing body made its final decisions known with 16 stadiums selected: 11 in the USA alone, three in Mexico and two or two in Canada.

World Cup host cities 2026 announcement

There were 22 host cities and 23 total venues (two in LA) on the shortlist for selection, but only 16 made the cut.

The 16 cities were unveiled by region, starting with cities out west, followed by central region cities and then the five cities in the east. A total of 60 matches will be played on U.S. soil with 10 each in Mexico and Canada.

The specific stages and the number of matches that each stadium will host have yet to be announced and were not part of the venue selection announcement. But after the event, FIFA officials indicated that when it comes to the World Cup final, the capacity will be “first and foremost” among the considerations taken into account.

It’s also worth noting that Toronto will be expanding BMO Field to meet FIFA’s capacity requirements. It will go from its current 30,000 capacity to 45,000 for the event in 2026.

Country City Stadium Capacity
Canada Toronto, Ontario BMO Field 45,500
Canada Vancouver, B.C. BC Place 54,000
Mexico Guadalajara, Jalisco Estadio Akron 46,232
Mexico Mexico City Estadio Azteca 87,523
Mexico Monterrey, Nuevo Leon Estadio BBVA 53,500
USA Atlanta, Ga. Mercedes-Benz Stadium 71,000
USA Boston, Mass. Gillette Stadium 65,878
USA Dallas, Tex.
(Arlington, Tex.)
AT&T Stadium 80,000
USA Houston, Tex. NRG Stadium 71,795
USA Kansas City, Mo. Arrowhead Stadium 76,416
USA Los Angeles, Calif.
(Inglewood, Calif.)
SoFi Stadium 70,240
USA Miami, Fla. Hard Rock Stadium 64,767
USA New York / New Jersey
(East Rutherford, N.J.)
MetLife Stadium 82,500
USA Philadelphia, Pa. Lincoln Financial Field 69,176
USA San Francisco, Calif.
(Santa Clara, Calif.)
Levi’s Stadium 68,500
USA Seattle, Wash. Lumen Field 69,000

Below are the seven cities that missed out on hosting the World Cup at the final hurdle. One of them was the joint bid by Baltimore and Washington, D.C.

“You can’t imagine a World Cup coming to the US and the capital city not taking a major role as well,” said FIFA’s chief tournaments and events officer Colin Smith after the venues announcement. “We’ll be engaging with all the cities that weren’t chosen to host matches. There are still a lot of other areas of cooperation, and working together and celebration. We know what a fan fest on the National Mall would be like — 250th anniversary of the U.S. on the 4th of July in 2026.

“We’ll be engaging with all the cities so that not only the 16 we chose today, and not only the cities that were not successful, but in fact all the cities across these three cities celebrate the World Cup.”

Country City Stadium Capacity
Canada Edmonton, Alberta Commonwealth Stadium 56,302
USA Baltimore, Md.
Washington, D.C.
M&T Bank Stadium 71,006
USA Cincinnati, Ohio Paul Brown Stadium 65,515
USA Denver, Colo. Mile High Stadium 76,125
USA Los Angeles
(Pasadena, Calif.)
Rose Bowl 92,000
USA Nashville, Tenn. Nissan Stadium 69,143
USA Orlando, Fla. Camping World Stadium 60,219

The Rose Bowl in Pasadena hosted the final of the 1994 World Cup, when the event was last hosted by the USA. Edmonton had been rumored to be out of the running for several days, though CONCACAF president and Canadian Victor Montagliani indicated that other cities would be approached with opportunities for cultural events and fan fests around the World Cup.

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