World Cup 2026: Which Cities Will Host It?

World Cup
World Cup

On Thursday, the 16 American cities that have submitted bids to host the 2026 World Cup will find out whether they have been successful.

Four years have passed since FIFA, the international soccer governing body, decided to hold the world’s most popular athletic event in North America. Since then, twenty communities in the US,  Mexico, and Canada have been vying for the honor of hosting matches by planning and engaging in political maneuvering.

The US Cities To Host The World Cup Definitely

At 5 the clock on Thursdays this week, you may find me at the gym. ET time on Fox Sports 1, FIFA to announce the 16-19 teams who qualified for the World Cup, along with the 10-12 teams from the United States, leaving the other teams feeling as if their painstaking, time-consuming efforts were in vain.

The outcome of FIFA’s World Cup vote in Mexico is a clear conclusion. Ten games total will be played in southern Mexico, split between Mexico City, Guadalajara, & Monterrey. A further ten will be held in Canada, with Toronto and Vancouver already confirmed and Edmonton as a possible alternate. The North American bidding group initially offered 3 host cities near the border and ten in the United States, there have been rumors circulating that FIFA might pick an additional city in the United States, perhaps replacing the less attractive Edmonton.

Four American towns have long been considered sure bets, and a couple more have strengthened their case in recent months, leaving 12 American cities in the running for six or seven seats inside the 2026 Cup Final cycle.

There is less than a week left before the election, and here is how it stands according to interviews with those acquainted with the procedure and previously reported facts.

New Jersey/New York (MetLife Stadium)

Dallas/Fort Worth (AT&T Stadium)

Atlanta (Mercedes-Benz Stadium)

SoFi Stadium, Rose Bowl, L.A.

The City of Brotherly Love (Lincoln Financial Field)

Levi’s Stadium in San Francisco/Santa Clara is number six.

Houston (NRG Stadium) (NRG Stadium)

Seattle (Lumen Field)