The World Cup in 2026 will be the first edition of the tournament with 48 participants and three different countries as hosts: Mexico, Canada and the United States.
The US would get 80% of all the matches and the rest will be distributed between Mexican and Canadian cities. However, during the last few months, there’s been a lot of speculation around the opening game.
Now, according to a report from John Sutcliffe, the famous Azteca Stadium in Mexico City is the leading venue to host the first game of the biggest soccer event. “I’m told the World Cup will be inaugurated at Azteca Stadium in a date yet to be announced. The match will be at 3PM.”
Estadio Azteca could host the opening game of the 2026 World Cup
Estadio Azteca will be the only stadium in history to host three World Cups: 1970, 1986 and 2026. That emblematic pitch saw legendary players such as Pele and Diego Armando Maradona.
Though Mexico’s national team will be the favorite to appear in the opening match, Argentina are the current champions and, why not, Lionel Messi might join those legends.
Lionel Messi with Argentina’s national team (Getty Images)
What cities are hosting the 2026 World Cup?
The host cities for the 2026 World Cup are Atlanta, Houston, Boston, Dallas, Kansas City, Los Angeles, Miami, New York/New Jersey, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Seattle, Vancouver, Toronto, Guadalajara, Monterrey, and Mexico City.
In June 2018, FIFA held a vote among its members to decide the host for the World Cup 2026. Due to the criterion of geographical rotation, the CONCACAF region, which includes North, Central America, and the Caribbean, had an advantage.
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Europe was not in contention because the 2018 World Cup was hosted by Russia, CONMEBOL and South America also couldn’t bid since Brazil hosted the tournament in 2014, Africa hosted it in 2010, and Asia had already secured the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
On that occasion, the only candidates for the 2026 World Cup were the joint bid of the United States, Mexico, and Canada, going up against Morocco. There was no competition.
CONCACAF was awarded the World Cup for the first time since the United States hosted it in 1994, promising the world a spectacular tournament. Never before in history had three countries been chosen to jointly host the 2026 World Cup.
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How to buy tickets for the 2026 World Cup?
Getting tickets for a World Cup is not an easy process. The most common and secure mechanism to purchase tickets for the 2026 World Cup is through FIFA’s website.
To do so, when the sale process officially opens, you need to be vigilant and join a virtual queue, and either through a lottery or direct purchase, gain access to the tickets.
The other option is through authorized agencies. This latter option must be approached with great caution, as this is where the famous scams occur. Only agencies authorized by FIFA can offer packages with tickets for the matches.
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It’s essential to emphasize that the initial stages of ticket sales are done through a lottery system. Being the first in line is not necessary; instead, you need to be registered when access to the tickets is distributed. If you are selected, FIFA will notify you and process the payment.
In the second stage, there are direct ticket sales through the FIFA website. First come, first served. The specific dates for these periods have not been announced yet.
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