World Cup 2026 Host Cities: All 16 Cities Across the United States, Mexico and Canada

The 2026 World Cup is hosted across 16 cities in three countries. Eleven cities are in the United States, three in Mexico and two in Canada, making this the largest geographical footprint of any World Cup. Each host city has a single stadium assigned, with the exception that some cities are referenced by their broader metropolitan area (New York/New Jersey, San Francisco Bay Area, Boston/Foxborough) where the venue itself sits in a suburb.

This guide gives a high-level view of all 16 host cities. Per-city detail, including the assigned stadium, transit options, climate during June and July, and which matches each city hosts, is on the linked individual pages.

The 16 host cities

The cities are listed by host country and broadly grouped by region:

United States (11 host cities)

• Atlanta, Mercedes-Benz Stadium, capacity 75,000, hosts a semi-final.
• Boston, Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, capacity 65,878, hosts group and knockout fixtures.
• Dallas, AT&T Stadium in Arlington, capacity 80,000, hosts a semi-final and quarter-final.
• Houston, NRG Stadium, capacity 72,220, hosts group and knockout fixtures.
• Kansas City, Arrowhead Stadium, capacity 76,416, hosts group and knockout fixtures.
• Los Angeles, SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, capacity 70,240, hosts group and knockout fixtures.
• Miami, Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, capacity 64,767, hosts group and knockout fixtures.
• New York / New Jersey, MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, capacity 82,500, hosts the World Cup final on 19 July 2026.
• Philadelphia, Lincoln Financial Field, capacity 69,796, hosts group and knockout fixtures.
• San Francisco Bay Area, Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, capacity 68,500, hosts group and knockout fixtures.
• Seattle, Lumen Field, capacity 68,740, hosts group and knockout fixtures.

Mexico (3 host cities)

• Mexico City, Estadio Banorte (Azteca), capacity 87,523, hosts the opening match on 11 June 2026.
• Guadalajara, Estadio AKRON in Zapopan, capacity 48,071, hosts group fixtures.
• Monterrey, Estadio BBVA Bancomer in Guadalupe, capacity 53,500, hosts group fixtures.

Canada (2 host cities)

• Toronto, BMO Field, capacity 30,000, hosts group fixtures including a Canada home match.
• Vancouver, BC Place Stadium, capacity 54,500, hosts group fixtures and a round of 32 game.

How the host cities were chosen

The 22-city candidate list submitted in the joint US-Mexico-Canada bid was narrowed to 16 host cities by FIFA in June 2022. The evaluation balanced stadium quality, capacity, broadcast facilities, transit, accommodation and the financial terms each city was prepared to offer. Several large North American cities did not make the final cut, including Cincinnati, Denver, Edmonton, Nashville, Orlando and Washington/Baltimore.

Some host cities are explicitly metropolitan-area names rather than single cities, reflecting the fact that the actual stadium sits in a suburb. New York/New Jersey is hosted at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ. Boston's matches are at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, MA. The San Francisco Bay Area's matches are at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara. This is consistent with FIFA's branding for past World Cup host cities, where the metropolitan-area name typically takes precedence over the suburb where the venue sits.

Climate and time zones across the host cities

The 16 host cities span four time zones, three climate-region types and an altitude range from sea level (Boston, Vancouver, Miami) to over 2,200 metres (Mexico City). The broad climatic groupings are:

• Pacific Northwest: Seattle and Vancouver have the mildest climate of any host cities, with summer afternoon highs typically 22-27 degrees Celsius and low humidity.
• West coast Mediterranean: Los Angeles and the San Francisco Bay Area enjoy dry summer weather with cooler temperatures near the coast.
• Continental United States: Atlanta, Kansas City, Boston, Philadelphia, New York/New Jersey have warm and humid summers with afternoon thunderstorms common.
• Southern United States: Dallas, Houston and Miami face extreme heat and humidity, with afternoon highs frequently above 35 degrees Celsius. Both AT&T Stadium and NRG Stadium are climate-controlled.
• Canadian summer: Toronto matches the climate of the Great Lakes region of the United States, while Vancouver's coastal mild summer is among the most pleasant of any host city.
• Mexican high altitude: Mexico City and Guadalajara sit at high elevation, giving milder temperatures than the latitude would suggest. Both cities experience the rainy season in June and July, with afternoon thunderstorms common.
• Mexican north: Monterrey has hot and arid summers, similar to southern Texas.

FIFA's kick-off scheduling balances broadcast windows with player welfare. Matches in the hottest venues (Dallas, Houston, Miami, Monterrey) are typically scheduled for evening kick-offs to avoid peak afternoon heat.

Travel between host cities

The geographical span is significant. The shortest flight between two host cities is Boston to New York/New Jersey (under 60 minutes flight time, plus airport transfer). The longest cross-country flight is Seattle to Miami at over five hours. The two Canadian cities offer modest extra travel: Toronto is a short flight from the US east coast, and Vancouver is closer to Seattle than to anywhere else. Mexico's three host cities are all reachable from the United States in under three flight hours, with Monterrey the closest to the central US cluster.

FIFA published bracket-pairing logic that aims to keep teams within reasonable geographical clusters where possible. Group-stage scheduling concentrates each team's three group matches in regions that minimise travel distance, with longer flights typically reserved for the knockout rounds when fewer teams remain.

Fan zones and host-city activations

FIFA Fan Festivals are planned for every host city, providing free outdoor viewing areas for every World Cup match plus live music, food, and family activities. The Fan Festival programme is the largest free fan activation FIFA has ever run, with each host city building its festival site at a central location near transit and accommodation.

Local activations vary by city. The opening match in Mexico City is expected to draw enormous local crowds to the Azteca neighbourhood and central Mexico City fan zones. The final at MetLife Stadium will be paired with major fan zones in Manhattan and across the New Jersey side of the river. Each host city's Fan Festival operating hours and location are published by FIFA closer to the tournament.

Travel for visiting fans

The 16 host cities span every major airline hub in North America, making it possible to combine tournament viewing with regional travel. Internal flights between host cities are operated by major US carriers (American, Delta, United, Southwest) plus Air Canada (for Canadian cities) and AeroMexico/Volaris (for Mexican cities). Rail options are limited but useful for some routes (Northeast Corridor between New York/New Jersey, Philadelphia and Boston).

Visa requirements vary by visitor nationality and host country. UK and EU citizens generally need ESTA (United States), eTA (Canada) and the standard visitor permit (Mexico). Each host city's individual page covers transit-from-airport detail and accommodation tips relevant to that city.

Related guides

• World Cup 2026 hub, with the full tournament guide.
• All 16 World Cup 2026 venues, with capacity and stadium detail.
• How the 2026 World Cup format works: groups, knockouts and the new round of 32.
• Full fixture schedule, by venue and by date.
• How to watch the 2026 World Cup.