The world is preparing for an unprecedented event: in 2026, the biggest FIFA World Cup in history will take place. This tournament will be the first to be jointly hosted by three countries—the United States, Mexico, and Canada. However, this will be a fleeting record, as in 2030, the World Cup will be held in Spain, Morocco, and Portugal, with matches also in Argentina, Uruguay, and Paraguay. «We are eager to welcome fans from all over the world,» said U.S. President Donald Trump. «I have instructed my entire team to do everything possible to make this World Cup an unprecedented success. It will be the biggest, safest, and most extraordinary football tournament in history». A record number of national teams—48, 16 more than in recent editions—will participate, and 104 matches will be played, 40 more than before. FIFA expects to break all its records with the sale of television rights, sponsorships, tickets, and 'hospitality' packages. The matches will be played in 16 venues—11 in the United States, 3 in Mexico, and 2 in Canada—which is not a record, as the 2002 World Cup, co-hosted by Japan and South Korea, had 20 venues. Like in 1994, also held in the U.S., this tournament will again be the World Cup with the most distant venues: Los Angeles and Boston, separated by 4,170 kilometers coast to coast. Fans will face unprecedented travel to follow their teams. As part of its 2023-26 plan, the tournament's organization has a budget of about $3.756 billion. For that period, the projected revenue is around $13 billion, mostly linked to the World Cup. Under Gianni Infantino's leadership, FIFA has turned this World Cup into its main bet to expand the tournament and bring it to an unprecedented scale. The United States, Mexico, and Canada are co-hosting a World Cup that has never been shared among three countries before. The eventual champion will play up to eight matches, one more than in recent editions. Beyond the sports impact, FIFA aspires for the 2026 World Cup to also be an unprecedented business venture. The biggest tournament in history. Mexico will open the World Cup with the opening match on June 11 at the Estadio Azteca, although its group matches (Group A) will be split between Guadalajara, Monterrey, and Atlanta. Fans of Canada's group (Group B) will have even more to travel: with matches in Toronto, Vancouver, Los Angeles, Seattle, and San Francisco. Group D, the U.S. group, will also be split between Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, and Vancouver. The final, on July 19, will be at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, just outside New York. At the same time, the massive influx of visitors is set to boost tourism and the local economy in all host cities. «We are eager to welcome fans from all over the world,» said U.S. President Donald Trump. «I have instructed my entire team to do everything possible to make this World Cup an unprecedented success. It will be the biggest, safest, and most extraordinary football tournament in history». MetLife Stadium, which already hosted the FIFA Club World Cup final in 2025 and is home to the New York Giants and New York Jets of the NFL, is the third-largest stadium of the tournament, with a capacity of 82,500 spectators. Only the Estadio Azteca (83,000) and the AT&T Stadium of the Dallas Cowboys NFL team (94,000 seats), which will host one of the semi-finals, surpass it, while the other will be played at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. For the 2026 World Cup, and unlike the Club World Cup, all stadiums in the U.S. will be NFL venues. On the East Coast, the New England Patriots will put their stadium in Boston, the Eagles theirs in Philadelphia, and the Dolphins in Miami, in addition to the Falcons in Atlanta and the Jets and Giants in New York. On the West Coast, the stadiums of Los Angeles (Rams and Chargers), San Francisco (49ers), and Seattle (Seahawks) will be venues, while in the central region, the venues of Kansas City (Chiefs), Houston (Texans), and Dallas (Cowboys) will complete the World Cup map. This geographical dispersion of the tournament will be a real logistical challenge for fans and media. With a projected revenue of around $13 billion.
