For the very first time in the history of the FIFA World Cup, three nations will host the competition in 2026. FIFA announced in 2018 that USA, Mexico, and Canada will be the three countries that would play host to the rest of the world four years from now.
These North American countries will house 48 teams and for the first time in the history of football, the World Cup in 2026 will feature 80 games.
On Thursday, June 16, 2022, FIFA decided to reveal the 16 cities that will host the games. Eleven of the cities are in the United States of America, while three are in Mexico, and the remaining two are in Canada.
FIFA World Cup 2026 Venues In Each of the three host Countries
USA
The United States of America got the highest number of cities to host the FIFA World Cup in 2026. The cities include Seattle, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Kansas City, Dallas, Houston, Boston, New York/New Jersey, Philadelphia, Atlanta, and Miami. Los Angeles’ Lo-Fi Stadium is among the favorites to host the final.
MEXICO
Three cities in Mexico will host some games in the World Cup. These cities are; Mexico City, Monterrey, and Guadalajara.
CANADA
The two cities selected to host some of the FIFA World Cup matches in Canada are Toronto and Vancouver.
History Of These Countries In hosting FIFA Competitions
Both the United States and Mexico have hosted men’s World Cups in the past. Hence, in 2026, Mexico in particular will become the first country in the world to host the tournament thrice (1970, 1986, and 2026).
After hosting it in 1994, the United States will join Mexico, Brazil, Italy, France, and Germany as countries that have hosted multiple men’s World Cups in 2026.
Canada has held two FIFA World Cups: the FIFA Women’s World Cup (2015) and the FIFA Men’s Under-20 World Cup (2007), so the country is familiar with hosting a world-class football tournament.
FIFA World Cup 2026 Tournament Format
The 2026 World Cup will be the first to utilize an expanded format, as opposed to the 32-team format used since the 1998 event in France. The tournament size will be expanded by 50% to a 48-nation event.
An additional 16 teams will compete in the event, resulting in increased worldwide interest and more games throughout the tournament. FIFA, on the other hand, stated that the new system would not increase the maximum number of games that any side may play, stating that each finalist would be limited to seven games.
The group stage for the 2026 World Cup will be divided into 16 groups of three teams, according to the new structure. The top two teams from each group will then advance to a 32-team knockout stage, which is expected to be chaotic and exciting.
