The 2022 World Cup may not have kicked off yet but the stadiums for the next edition in Canada, Mexico and the United States in four years’ time have been announced – and visiting fans will be in for a treat.
After beating Morocco to win the hosting rights for the 2026 World Cup, cities across North America have been bidding to stage the world’s biggest sporting event in their stadiums.
But it hasn’t been that simple. FIFA’s calls for tax breaks and other funding assistance led cities, including Minneapolis, Chicago and Glendale, Arizona, to drop out of the running in 2018.
Meanwhile, there’s been controversy in Canada after they’ve been restricted to just two stadiums. Edmonton, which has played a central role in Canadian soccer, will not be hosting matches in 2026.
There will also be no stadiums reused from the 1994 World Cup, meaning venues like Pasadena’s Rose Bowl and New York’s Giants Stadium won’t be involved in four years’ time. Washington DC, the nation’s capital, is another notable omission.
But, like so much of American culture, their stadiums are super-sized and Canada and Mexico will be contributing some eye-catching and historic venues of their own.
The tournament will be the first World Cup with 48 participants and the organisers have certainly gone big with their selected stadiums.
We’ve collected together everything you need to know about the 16 venues for the 2026 tournament.
Atlanta
Mercedes-Benz Stadium is one of three NFL-MLS venues that will be used in 2026.
Atlanta Falcons and Atlanta United both play home matches at the stadium, which opened in 2017 and seats about 75,000.
There’s also a retractable roof which, when closed, will no doubt make the stadium used in Manaus in 2014 feel like a November night in Stoke.
Boston
The Boston suburb of Foxborough hosted games at the 1994 World Cup, but Gillette Stadium is a different venue, built near the old Foxboro Stadium.
Opened in 2002, the 70,000-seat stadium plays host to both American and English football and is a good bet to host games in the latter stages of the World Cup.
And, with an average June temperature of 24 degrees, the England manager will be crossing all his fingers and toes for matches in Boston.
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