2026 FIFA World Cup in the US, Canada and Mexico
The 2026 World Cup will be hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico. Together they want to offer unity, security and opportunities to the World Cup 2026, football sport, football fans and the world[ref].
| World Cup 2026 | |
|---|---|
| Host country: | Canada, Mexico and the US |
| Date: | June 11 - July 19, 2026 |
| Teams: | 48 |
| Matches: | 104 |
| Host cities: | 16 |
| Stadiums: | 16 |
| Edition: | 23 |
| Champion: | Argentina |
This edition is the 23rd FIFA World Cup, FIFA's quadrennial global football tournament. FIFA believes that a bigger World Football Championship also means a better tournament. Partly due to the expansion of the number of participating countries, the selection process for the allocation of the host country has been tightened.
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? min. reading time | ? wordsThe tournament will be the first to be hosted by three countries and the first World Cup in North America since 1994. This will be the first World Cup to feature 48 teams, an increase from the previous 32.
Official name of the 2026 Football World Cup
The 2026 FIFA World Cup has different official names:
- FIFA World Cup 26™
- FIFA World Cup™
- Copa Mundial de la FIFA 26™
- Copa Mundial de la FIFA™
- Coupe du Monde de la FIFA 26™
- Coupe du Monde de la FIFA™
- World Cup 26™
- World Cup™
- FIFA®
- COPA MUNDIAL™
- COUPE DU MONDE™
- MUNDIAL™
Setup World Cup 2026
The 2026 World Championship has been expanded to 48 participants, so that the schedule consists of 104 matches (instead of 32 participants and 64 matches).
There are 12 groups of 4 countries each, with the numbers 1 and 2 progressing to the knockout rounds, as well as the 8 best numbers 3.
FIFA aims to promote football and wants as many people as possible to participate in the sport towards the 2026 World Cup. Top talent is born every day and in 2026 there will only be more. The combined population of the US, Mexico and Canada is estimated to be 550 million people by 2026.
Where is the 2026 World Cup?
The 2026 World Cup will be held in Canada, the United States and Mexico. Having previously hosted the 1970 and 1986 tournaments, Mexico will become the first nation to host or co-host the men's World Cup three times. The United States last hosted the men's World Cup in 1994, while this will be the first time Canada has hosted or co-hosted the men's tournament.
Canada has proven its experience in hosting major sporting events. Competitions for women and youth are only getting bigger in the country. The Canadians are at the forefront of human rights and environmental friendliness. They want to use the football tournament to promote economic advancement for their diverse population, promote racial and gender equality, and improve infrastructure.
- Founded: 1867
- Population: 36.7 million
- Area: 9,985,000 km2
- Time zone: UTC -3.5 to -8
- Languages: English and French
Mexico wants to inspire its citizens to go beyond its borders and show future generations that anything is possible. The country has been allowed to organize the World Cup twice before and therefore knows that the tournament is good for the development of a country. Mexico wants to show the world that it is a culturally developed country, with health benefits, equality between citizens and the promotion of an active lifestyle.
- Founded: 1810
- Population: 122 million
- Area: 1,973,000 km2
- Time zone: UTC -5 to -8
- Languages: Spanish
In the United States, the focus on sports and a healthy lifestyle has never been higher. Football is also growing in popularity and more and more people are taking an active part in the sport. The 2026 World Cup is hoped that the spark will spread to the 326 million inhabitants and that football will become even bigger in the country, because the US is the only developed country where football is not the most popular sport. The US has hosted the tournament once before. In 2026, the US will celebrate 250 years of democracy.
- Founded: 1776
- Population: 323 million
- Area: 9,834,000 km2
- Time zone: UTC -4 to -8
- Languages: English
At a time when the countries of the world are being driven apart by political forces, the 2026 World Cup will remind us of the common values and ideals: friendship, mutual respect and unity as people. This is the vision. This is the mission.
16 stadiums in 16 host cities
The US, Canada and Mexico have proposed 16 host cities and 16 stadiums for the 2026 World Cup. The opening game will take place in Los Angeles, Mexico City or New York. The semi-finals may take place in Atlanta, Boston and/or Dallas. The stadium for the 2026 World Cup final is in Dallas, Los Angeles or New York.
| Host cities | 16 |
| Stadiums | 16 |
| Opening match | Mexico City |
| Semi-finals | Atlanta, Dallas |
| Final | New York/New Jersey |
The host countries all have the necessary football stadiums available, so there is no need to build new arenas. A small number of stadiums are in need of renovation to, among other things, expand the capacity during the World Football Championship.
Allocation World Cup 2026 organization
The 2026 World Cup will be hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico. The combined bid of the North American football federations has been chosen by the members of FIFA by a majority vote to host the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
210 FIFA members attended the congress, of which 203 countries are eligible to vote.
Votes from the first round of voting [ref]:
- Morocco: 65 votes (33%)
- US, Canada and Mexico: 134 votes (67%)
- None of the bids: 1 vote (1%)
- No choice: 3 votes
Financial figures of the 2026 World Cup
The organization of the 2026 World Cup will cost $ 2.16 billion [ref]. This is offset by revenues from ticket sales and tourism of $1.8 billion and $1.3 billion. The total profit from the football event should amount to $14.3 billion.
| Organization costs | $2.16 billion |
| Proceeds from ticket sales | $1.80 billion |
| Revenue tourism | $1.30 billion |
| Total expected profit | $14.3 billion |
The costs for the 2026 World Cup are quite high. This is largely due to the use of no fewer than 16 football stadiums. The organizational costs are also offset by high revenues from media, marketing, ticket sales and tourism. United 2026 has an excellent sports and entertainment business.
Ticket sales for 12 stadiums are expected to bring in $1.8 billion. In the 16-stadium option, the return is as much as $2 billion. The rental costs still have to be deducted from that, after which a profit of $ 1.4 billion remains. United 2026 expects to sell 5.8 million tickets and millions of football fans at the Fan Fests.
Provisional ticket prices in US Dollars:
| Round | Cat 1 | Cat 2 | Cat 3 | Cat 4 | Buss. | Skybox | Special |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Opening | 774 | 614 | 320 | 60 | 2.201 | 2.201 | 581 |
| Group | 323 | 304 | 174 | 21 | 993 | 993 | 262 |
| Last 32 | 347 | 311 | 174 | 31 | 1.044 | 1.044 | 275 |
| Last 16 | 370 | 317 | 174 | 42 | 1.095 | 1.095 | 289 |
| Quarter final | 549 | 420 | 266 | 66 | 1.590 | 1.590 | 420 |
| Semi finals | 1.072 | 716 | 411 | 84 | 2.910 | 2.910 | 768 |
| 3/4 place | 720 | 542 | 336 | 66 | 2.060 | 2.060 | 543 |
| Final | 1.550 | 1.051 | 695 | 128 | 4.309 | 4.309 | 1.137 |
Revenue from tourism is also higher than before. More people will spend the night in the hotels in the host cities and the catering industry will also benefit from this. It is expected to create 40,000 jobs, and 100,000 volunteers will also work to ensure that the football event runs smoothly.
The expected TV revenues will be 9% higher than previous editions of the World Cup. The good economy and worldwide interest in the tournament will provide very large marketing income.
Opportunities and risks of the 2026 World Cup
The risks present in the host countries during the 2026 World Cup have been extensively assessed by FIFA. A distinction is made between technical components (infrastructure and commercial), compliance with laws and regulations, safety and medical affairs, sustainability, human rights and environmental protection.
The table below shows the risks of the 2026 World Cup in the US, Canada and Mexico.
| Technical components (infrastructure and commercial) | |
|---|---|
| Stadiums | Low |
| Team and umpires facilities | Low |
| Accommodations | Low |
| Transportation | Low |
| Accommodations and transportation | Low |
| IT&T and IBC | Low |
| FIFA Fan Fest | Low |
| Organization costs | Medium |
| Media and marketing | Low |
| Ticket sales and tourism | Low |
| Compliance with laws and regulations | |
| Government support | Medium |
| Contracts | Low |
| Security and medical matters | |
| Safety and security | Low |
| Health and medical affairs | Low |
| Volunteers | Low |
| Communication, PR and promotion | Low |
| Related events | Low |
| Sustainability, human rights and environmental protection | |
| Sustainable event management | Low |
| Human rights and labor law | Medium |
| Environmental protection | Low |
The United 2026 bid has the desired level of infrastructure already in place and fully operational, unlike Morocco's bid (the other candidate).
The joint bid of the United States Soccer Federation, the Canadian Soccer Association and the Mexican Football Association has a big advantage in terms of economies of scale for the World Cup with 48 countries.
Because the FIFA World Cup is only held once every 4 years, FIFA wants to show new innovations and developments every tournament. United 2026 is very ahead of that. The host countries can fully invest their energies in sports-related technologies, fan involvement, multimedia interaction and other forms of digitization.
Safety, security and health
United 2026's safety and security plans are sufficient to cover the activities and strategies of the 2026 World Championship. However, FIFA still has questions about how the 3 countries deal with activities that cross borders.
The healthcare and medical aspects are of high quality in the US, Canada and Mexico. The matches of the 2026 World Cup will be played under relatively high temperatures. In Monterrey, Dallas, and Houston, temperatures can sometimes reach as high as 32 degrees. United 2026 has indicated that these matches can be played in stadiums where the temperature can be regulated.
25,000 volunteers will be deployed for the 2026 World Cup . United 2026 has indicated that attracting foreign volunteers is not discouraged, but that they are initially selected from residents of the host cities.
Sustainability, human rights and environmental protection
United 2026 is committed to sustainability and wants to go much further than FIFA prescribes.
Due to the policies of US President Trump, FIFA questions the free travel of all fans to the US. The president has imposed restrictions on residents of a number of countries.
Also with regard to human rights and workers' rights, the World Football Association is not yet satisfied with the commitments made by Canada and the United States.
The host countries have indicated that they will develop new, higher standards in terms of environmental and sport sustainability . 10 specific objectives have been set to ensure that the impact of the 2026 World Cup on the environment will be very limited.
World Cup 2026 frequently asked questions (FAQ)
When will the 2026 World Cup be held?
Where will the 2026 World Cup be held?
References
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Football World Cup 2026: schedule, groups, qualification, host cities and stadiums. Everything about the World Cup 2026 in the US, Canada and Mexico.
About the author
Author of this content is Patrick. I have been playing soccer for more than 25 years and follow the daily news closely. My hobbies include playing football, running and maintaining various websites, in addition to my job as a financial professional.
I do not work for any related company or institution, so the information is reliable and independent. The information has been collected accurately from reliable sources and is regularly updated.