World Cup 2026 playing sites revealed as tournament will be staged across 3 countries

The 2026 FIFA World Cup sites were announced Thursday.

One of the world’s biggest sporting events will be played in North America. 

The matches will be played at stadiums in the United States, Canada and Mexico.

The Cup will be broken into three regions, and here is where matches will be played:

Western Region

• Vancouver, Canada (B.C. Palace)
• Seattle, Washington (Lumen Field)
• Santa Clara, California (Levi’s Stadium)
• Los Angeles, California (SoFi Stadium)
• Guadalajara, Mexico (Estadio Akron)

Central Region

• Kansas City, Missouri (Arrowhead Stadium)
• Arlington, Texas (AT&T Stadium)
• Atlanta, Georgia (Mercedes-Benz Stadium)
• Houston, Texas (NRG Stadium)
• Monterrey, Mexico (Estadio BBVA)
• Mexico City, Mexico (Estadio Azteca)

Eastern Region

• Toronto, Canada (BMO Field)
• Foxborough, Massachusetts (Gillette Stadium)
• Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (Lincoln Financial Field)
• Miami Gardens, Florida (Hard Rock Stadium)
• East Rutherford, New Jersey (MetLife Stadium)

It will be the first 48-nation World Cup, increased from the 32-team system used since 1998. There will be 16 groups of three nations. Each team will play two first-round games instead of three, and one nation in each group opens against an opponent who will have already played.

The top two teams in each group will move to a 32-nation knockout bracket.

The U.S. will host 60 of the 80 matches under FIFA’s plan, including all matches from the quarterfinal round of the knockout stage onward. It’s the first time the U.S. will host World Cup matches on the men’s side since 1994, two years before Major League Soccer held its first season.

Mexico will become the first country to host the World Cup three separate times. Canada is hosting men’s World Cup matches for the first time.

The 2022 World Cup is set to kick off at the end of the year in Doha, Qatar.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.