2026 World Cup Stadiums: The 16 Venues Hosting the Global Stage

The 2026 FIFA World Cup will be the biggest version of the tournament we have ever seen. For the first time ever, 48 national teams will compete over 38 days to determine the winner of the 23rd edition of the most significant sporting event on the planet.

If you are wondering where to watch FIFA World Cup, you have come to the right place. The competition will be broadcast all over the globe, but the best place to view the action is inside the stadiums themselves.

We have never before seen a World Cup spread across 16 grounds in three countries (11 in the USA, three in Mexico, two in Canada). Most venues are existing NFL or world-class soccer stadiums, although you might not recognize them at first glance: FIFA uses generic names for World Cup arenas to avoid commercial sponsorship.

In this article we have lifted the lid on the 16 stadiums that will host the 2026 FIFA World Cup, as multiple cities across North America prepare to be witnesses to history this summer.

Official 2026 FIFA World Cup Venues at a Glance

The United States: 11 Cities from Coast to Coast

While the upcoming tournament has three co-hosts, the FIFA World Cup 2026 Schedule is centered on the USA. Of the 104 games that will take place in June and July, 78 will be held in 11 US cities, from Seattle in the northwest to Miami in the southeast.

Geography matters. FIFA has essentially split the competition into three regions known as “Travel Pods” - East, Central and West. Each group has been assigned to one of these zones to avoid burnout and excessive travel between games. That spares teams the prospect of flying between New York and Mexico City for consecutive group games.

The New York New Jersey Stadium (more commonly known as the MetLife Stadium) has the privilege of hosting the World Cup final on July 19, becoming only the 19th venue in the world to stage the biggest event in the soccer calendar.

The Dallas Stadium (AT&T Stadium) has the largest capacity at 94,000; the first semi-final will take place there on July 14. The second, on July 15, will be held at the Atalanta Stadium (Mercedes-Benz Stadium), famed for its modern retractable roof. Another ground bound to earn the admiration of visiting fans is the Los Angeles Stadium (SoFi Stadium) in the USA’s high-tech West Coast hub.

The other American venues are Miami, Philadelphia, Kansas City, Houston, Seattle, San Francisco Bay Area (Santa Clara), and Boston (Foxborough).

Mexico: Three Iconic Cathedrals of Football

Mexico will make history this summer by becoming the first country to stage three different World Cups, albeit only as co-hosts this time around. The 1970 and 1986 editions took place exclusively in Mexico, and those two tournaments are widely considered among the greatest of all time by soccer fans everywhere.

The Mexican venues lend a historical weight to the 2026 World Cup, none more so than the Mexico City Stadium (Estadio Azteca). Home of Club America in the Mexican domestic game, the iconic ground is better known for hosting the World Cup finals in 1970 and 1986, as well as 17 other matches across those two tournaments.

This time around the Mexico City Stadium will welcome five matches to the country’s capital, including the opening game between Mexico and South Africa on June 11. With that, it will become the first stadium to host matches in three different World Cups.

The Estadio Monterrey (Estadio BBVA) is known as “The Steel Giant” and offers spectacular mountain views. The Estadio Guadalajara (Estadio Akron) has an eye-catching, architecturally unique “volcano” design. Those two grounds will host four games each, although only one of those is in the knockout phase. That brings Mexico’s total number of matches to 13.

Canada: The Northern Hosts

Completing the trio of North American host nations is Canada, which will stage World Cup games for the first time ever. Like Mexico, 13 matches will be played on Canadian soil in June and July.

Work was needed to get Toronto Stadium (BMO Field) up to scratch. FIFA has minimum capacity requirements which stipulate that World Cup venues must be able to welcome at least 45,000 spectators. This has now been achieved, although it is only temporary: the ground will return to its smaller size after the competition. Toronto Stadium will stage six games this summer.

Canada’s seven other fixtures are scheduled for BC Place, located in Vancouver in the Pacific Northwest. The stadium boasts a retractable roof, allowing games to take place whatever the weather. Canada will play twice here in the group stage, with BC Place also due to host two knockout ties.

FIFA Stadium Regulations and Renovations

FIFA takes a hands-on approach in ensuring all World Cup venues meet their regulations. As we discussed above, Toronto Stadium has installed temporary seating to meet the minimum capacity requirement, while many NFL grounds are replacing artificial turf with natural grass pitches for the tournament.

On top of that, some stadiums are having to remove pitchside hospitality and standard seats in order to accommodate the wider FIFA-regulation soccer pitch size. For tournaments like the World Cup, FIFA demands a minimum playing field width of 75 yards, which is larger than many existing MLS stadiums. 

The "Travel Pod" System: Minimizing Fan Burnout

This is the largest World Cup Bracket of all time and the use of three host nations further complicates the logistical task, especially as the USA, Mexico and Canada are all huge countries. The difference to the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, which is around 36 times smaller than California, is stark.

FIFA’s solution is the aforementioned “Travel Pod” system. Groups have been divided into three regional pods - West, Central and East - with every game taking place in the same zone. For instance, Group A will be held exclusively in the Central pod, Group D in the West, and Group I in the East.

This system limits travel between matches for teams and fans alike. This in turn reduces the carbon footprint of the tournament. However, the zone system will not exist in the knockout phase, so it is possible for a team to play in one pod in the round of 16 and another in the quarter-final.

The West pod comprises Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle and Vancouver. The Central pod is made up of Dallas, Kansas City, Houston, Mexico City and Guadalajara, while Atlanta, Boston, New York/New Jersey, Miami, Toronto and Philadelphia are the cities in the East.