United 2026 FIFA president Gianni Infantino (right) posing with the presidents of several North American soccer associations, after declaring the United bid was selected to host the 2026 FIFA World Cup at the 68th FIFA Congress at the Expocentre in Moscow on June 13, 2018. (more) 2026 FIFA World Cup football championship Ask the Chatbot a Question More Actions Print print Print Please select which sections you would like to print: Table Of Contents Cite verifiedCite While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. Select Citation Style MLA APA Chicago Manual of Style Copy Citation Share Share Share to social media Facebook X URL https://www.britannica.com/event/2026-FIFA-World-Cup Feedback Feedback Corrections? Updates? Omissions? Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). Feedback Type Select a type (Required) Factual Correction Spelling/Grammar Correction Link Correction Additional Information Other Your Feedback Submit Feedback Thank you for your feedback Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article.

　　External Websites Ask the Chatbot a Question Written by Fred Frommer Fred Frommer is a sports historian, author, and writer who has written for a host of national publications. Fred Frommer Fact-checked by The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica Last Updated: Dec 5, 2024 • Article History Table of Contents Table of Contents Ask the Chatbot a Question Location: Canada Mexico United States (Show more) See all related content { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "FAQPage", "mainEntity": [ { "@type" : "Question", "name" : " Where will the 2026 FIFA World Cup take place? ", "acceptedAnswer" : { "@type" : "Answer", "text" : "The 2026 FIFA World Cup will be jointly hosted by the United States, Mexico, and Canada." } } , { "@type" : "Question", "name" : " How many teams will compete in the 2026 World Cup? ", "acceptedAnswer" : { "@type" : "Answer", "text" : "A total of 48 teams will compete in the 2026 World Cup." } } , { "@type" : "Question", "name" : " How many cities will host 2026 World Cup games? ", "acceptedAnswer" : { "@type" : "Answer", "text" : "World Cup games will be played in 16 cities across the United States, Mexico, and Canada." } } , { "@type" : "Question", "name" : " When will the 2026 World Cup take place? ", "acceptedAnswer" : { "@type" : "Answer", "text" : "The 2026 World Cup will take place from June 11 to July 19." } } ] } Top Questions Where will the 2026 FIFA World Cup take place? The 2026 FIFA World Cup will be jointly hosted by the United States, Mexico, and Canada.

　　How many teams will compete in the 2026 World Cup? A total of 48 teams will compete in the 2026 World Cup.

　　How many cities will host 2026 World Cup games? World Cup games will be played in 16 cities across the United States, Mexico, and Canada.

　　When will the 2026 World Cup take place? The 2026 World Cup will take place from June 11 to July 19.

　　2026 FIFA World Cup, international men’s football (soccer) tournament which will take place in North America, with matches in 16 cities across the United States, Mexico, and Canada. It will be the first time that three countries jointly host a World Cup, and only the second time that more than one country has done so. (Japan and South Korea teamed up to host the 2002 World Cup.) The 2026 tournament also marks the first time that 48 teams will compete, an increase from the previous 32.

　　A majority of the 2026 World Cup matches will take place in the United States, with 11 U.S. cities serving as hosts: Los Angeles, Miami, Atlanta, Seattle, Houston, Philadelphia, Kansas City, Boston, Dallas, the San Francisco Bay Area, and the New York City metropolitan area. The host cities in Mexico will be Guadalajara, Mexico City, and Monterrey; and the host cities in Canada will be Toronto and Vancouver. The World Cup previously took place in North America three times: 1970 and 1986 in Mexico, and in 1994 in the United States. The 2026 tournament will be the first time the men’s World Cup has been played in Canada.

　　Choosing tournament locations Because of FIFA’s policy against using non-sponsor corporate names, most of the host stadiums will be rebranded for the tournament. Below are the names that will be used in the World Cup and what those stadiums are usually called.

　　

Stadium names during and outside the World Cup

name for the 2026 men’s World Cup	usual stadium name
Atlanta Stadium	Mercedes-Benz Stadium
BC Place Vancouver	BC Place
Boston Stadium	Gillette Stadium
Dallas Stadium	AT&T Stadium
Estadio Azteca Mexico City	Estadio Azteca
Estadio Guadalajara	Estadio Akron
Estadio Monterrey	Estadio BBVA
Houston Stadium	NRG Stadium
Kansas City Stadium	GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium
Los Angeles Stadium	SoFi Stadium
Miami Stadium	Hard Rock Stadium
New York New Jersey Stadium	MetLife Stadium
Philadelphia Stadium	Lincoln Financial Field
San Francisco Bay Area Stadium	Levi’s Stadium
Seattle Stadium	Lumen Field
Toronto Stadium	BMO Field

FIFA, the sport’s world governing body, awarded North America the 2026 World Cup in 2018 over Morocco by a vote of 134–65. The North American bid, often called the United bid, highlighted that the three countries had 23 already constructed stadiums that could be used during the tournament. The bid also promised that the hosts had the infrastructure—including hotels, training sites, and transportation facilities—needed to handle players and fans. During the evaluation of the risk each bid presented, FIFA gave Morocco 3 high-, 10 medium-, and 7 low-risk grades. The organization gave the United bid 17 low- and 3 medium-risk grades. The winning bid also claimed that a World Cup in North America could generate $11 billion in profits for FIFA—more than double what Morocco projected—which could translate to each national association receiving tens of millions of dollars in funds for development. Some felt that the prospect of greater profits ultimately made FIFA’s decision. Moroccan official Moncef Belkhayat criticized North America for basing its bid “on dollars, on profit, while Morocco [was] offering an offer that is based on passion for football.” The decision marked the fifth time that the North African nation had failed to land the World Cup.

　　The 16 host cities were selected from the 23 potential locations in the United bid’s initial proposal. Cities were selected with logistics and travel in mind. Some cities, such as Chicago, voluntarily withdrew from consideration due to the costs associated with preparing for and hosting such an event. FIFA created three regions (eastern, central, and western) in order to organize where different teams would play and prevent fans and players from having to travel long distances.

　　The 2026 World Cup will see 48 teams competing: 8 teams from Asia, 9 from Africa, 6 from North America (Canada, Mexico, and the United States will take 3 of the spots as host countries), 16 from Europe, 6 from South America, 1 from Oceania, and 2 additional teams that will be decided by intercontinental playoffs. In the first round, teams will be divided into 12 groups of four teams each. These groups will play a round-robin of three games. The top two teams from each group will advance to the knockout round. The top eight third-place teams (based on points scored, goal differential, and other criteria if necessary) will likewise advance for a total of 32 teams. Because of the larger field, this World Cup will last 39 days, an increase from the roughly 32 days in previous tournaments. The number of matches will increase from 64 to 104.

　　In early 2024 FIFA announced the full 2026 World Cup schedule. The opening match will be played on June 11 in Mexico City’s Estadio Azteca. The final is scheduled for July 19 at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, which will be rebranded as New York New Jersey Stadium for the event in order to comply with FIFA’s corporate name policy.