World Cup 2026: FIFA confirms which cities will host the final and the opening match

The World Cup 2026 will be the first edition of the tournament with three countries as hosts: Mexico, Canada and the United States. Furthermore, with 48 participants, this is the biggest number of teams ever in the competition.

These are the 16 cities selected as official venues for the World Cup: Seattle, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Dallas, Houston, Kansas City, Philadelphia, Atlanta, Miami, Boston, New York, Toronto, Vancouver, Monterrey, Guadalajara and Mexico City.

Of course, this World Cup could be the last dance for soccer legends such as Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. That’s why thousands of fans in America are thrilled about what’s coming in two years.

This Sunday, FIFA announced the official calendar of the World Cup 2026. Read here to find out which cities will host the final and the opening match.

Lionel Messi could play his final World Cup with Argentina in 2026 (Getty Images)

World Cup 2026: Which city will host the final?

New York will host the final of the 2026 World Cup. The owner of the Dallas Cowboys in the NFL, Jerry Jones, made a tremendous push to bring that game to Arlington, but failed. So, on July 19th of that year, Metlife Stadium in New Jersey gets the most anticipated match in decades.

World Cup 2026: Which city will host the opening match?

Estadio Azteca in Mexico City will host the opening game of the World Cup 2026 on June 11th. It’s important to remember Mexico is the first country in history to host the tournament three times.

During the group stage, Mexico’s national team will play two matches in Mexico City and one more in Guadalajara.

Which will be the 2026 World Cup format?

FIFA had to change the initial plan regarding the tournament’s format. Though the first proposal had a group stage format with 16 groups of three teams, the 2026 World Cup will have 12 groups of four national teams each.

The top two teams from each group and the eight best third-place teams from the groups will advance to the Round of 32. Then, the World Cup will enter the knockout stages all the way to the final.