2026 FIFA World Cup Schedule, Venues, Groups, Final and Semifinal – FIFA is already making preparations for the 2026 and 2030 tournaments, with several ambitious -and perhaps divisive – ideas already on the table, even though the 2022 World Cup in Qatar has yet to begin.
The 2022 World Cup will mark several historical firsts, including the first World Cup to be staged in the Middle East and the first to do so in the wintertime in the Northern Hemisphere.
The 2026 version, however, will be the first to be organized jointly by three nations—the United States, Canada, and Mexico—and will also serve as the setting for a contentious expansion to 48 nations.
With several joint bids already announced in 2030, looking even further into the future, the trend of multiple countries hosting could very well return. Countries are sharing hosting duties with their close neighbors to lessen the burden of hosting an increased number of teams at the competition.
When is the next World Cup in 2026?
Due to the increase in teams to 48 nations, the 23rd FIFA World Cup is anticipated to take place in June and July 2026 with an extended format. Initial opposition to the decision to add more qualifying teams came mainly from UEFA nations, but FIFA upheld its choice for the North American tournament as a whole.
According to current FIFA regulations, any country or national FA may submit a bid for the 2030 World Cup as long as they have not already hosted the event twice. The most likely candidates are in Europe and Latin America.
Where is the 2026 World Cup?
The three countries hosting the 2026 World Cup—the USA, Canada, and Mexico—will split up the games, with some group-stage matches taking place in one country to cut down on travel.
The Commonwealth Stadium in Edmonton and BMO Field in Toronto have been announced as the two Canadian sites, and the Estadio Azteca in Mexico City, Estadio BBVA in Monterrey, and Estadio Akron in Guadalajara have been confirmed as the three Mexican venues.
The majority of the matches will be broadcast in the US, with Atlanta, Los Angeles, the Bay Area, Seattle, Dallas, Houston, Kansas City, New York/New Jersey, Boston, Philadelphia, and Miami chosen from a list of 17 possible locations provided by the tournament’s organizers.
2026 FIFA World Cup Round of 32
| DATE | MATCH | CITY | STADIUM |
| June 28, 2026 | Round of 32 | Match 73 | Los Angeles | SoFi Stadium |
| June 29, 2026 | Round of 32 | Match 74 | Boston | Gillette Stadium |
| June 29, 2026 | Round of 32 | Match 75 | Monterrey | BBVA Bancomer Stadium |
| June 29, 2026 | Round of 32 | Match 76 | Houston | NRG Stadium |
| June 30, 2026 | Round of 32 | Match 77 | New York / New Jersey | MetLife Stadium |
| June 30, 2026 | Round of 32 | Match 78 | Dallas | AT&T Stadium |
| June 30, 2026 | Round of 32 | Match 79 | Mexico City | Azteca Stadium |
| July 1, 2026 | Round of 32 | Match 80 | Atlanta | Mercedes-Benz Stadium |
| July 1, 2026 | Round of 32 | Match 81 | San Francisco Bay Area | Levi’s Stadium |
| July 1, 2026 | Round of 32 | Match 82 | Seattle | Lumen Field |
| July 2, 2026 | Round of 32 | Match 83 | Toronto | BMO Field |
| July 2, 2026 | Round of 32 | Match 84 | Los Angeles | SoFi Stadium |
| July 2, 2026 | Round of 32 | Match 85 | Vancouver | BC Place Stadium |
| July 3, 2026 | Round of 32 | Match 86 | Miami | Hard Rock Stadium |
| July 3, 2026 | Round of 32 | Match 87 | Kansas City | Arrowhead Stadium |
| July 3, 2026 | Round of 32 | Match 88 | Dallas | AT&T Stadium |
FIFA World Cup 2026 Host
After the 1950 World Cup, FIFA adopted a policy of rotating the hosting of the World Cup in response to demand from both sports and politics. Following two World Cups in Europe in the 1930s in Italy and France, CONEMBOL (South America) and UEFA (Europe) were the two dominating federations within the expanding competition, and FIFA was eager to maintain good relations with both.
Direct rotation between Europe and Latin America persisted until 1970 when Mexico (CONCACAF) was added to the cycle. South Korea, Japan, and South Korea (AFC) then joined the cycle in 2002, and South Africa 2010 completed the cycle (CAF) in.
The process was judged out of date because member federations weren’t always prepared to take their turn when needed, which led to eligible bids being rejected. FIFA, however, reiterated its decision to terminate the arrangement after the 2018 World Cup.
Confirmed Venues 2026 World Cup Matches
| Market | State | Country | Venue | Capacity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mexico City | Mexico | Estadio Azteca | 87,523 | |
| New York City | NY/NJ | USA | MetLife Stadium | 82,500 |
| Dallas | TX | USA | AT&T Stadium | 80,000 |
| Kansas City | KS | USA | Arrowhead Stadium | 76,416 |
| Houston | TX | USA | NRG Stadium | 71,795 |
| Atlanta | GA | USA | Mercedes-Benz Stadium | 71,000 |
| Los Angeles | CA | USA | SoFi Stadium | 70,240 |
| Philadelphia | PA | USA | Lincoln Financial Field | 69,176 |
| Seattle | WA | USA | Lumen Field | 69,000 |
| San Francisco | CA | USA | Levi’s Stadium | 68,500 |
| Boston | MA | USA | Gillette Stadium | 65,878 |
| Miami | FL | USA | Hard Rock Stadium | 64,767 |
| Vancouver | BC | Canada | BC Place | 54,000 |
| Monterrey | NL | Mexico | Estadio BBVA | 53,500 |
| Guadalajara | JAL | Mexico | Estadio Akron | 46,232 |
| Toronto | ON | Canada | BMO Field | 45,500* |
Who would qualify for a 48-team World Cup?
- Africa: Algeria, Cameroon, DR Congo, Egypt, Mali, Morocco, Nigeria, Senegal, Ghana, Tunisia
- Asia: Australia, Iran, Iraq, Japan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, UAE
- North, Central America and Caribbean: Canada, Costa Rica, Jamaica, Mexico, Panama, United States
- Europe: Belgium, Croatia, Denmark, England, France, Germany, Netherlands, North Macedonia, Serbia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Poland, Portugal, Ukraine, Wales
- Oceania: New Zealand
- South America: Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Uruguay
