FIFA World Cup
The 2026 FIFA World Cup, marketed as FIFA World Cup 2026 will be the 23rd Football World Cup, the quadrennial international men's soccer championship contested by the national teams of the member associations of FIFA. The tournament will take place from June 11 to July 19, 2026. It will be jointly hosted by 16 cities in three North American countries: Canada, Mexico, and the United States. The tournament will be the first hosted by three nations and the first North American World Cup since 1994. Argentina is the defending champion.
This tournament will be the first to include 48 teams, expanded from 32. The United 2026 bid beat a rival bid by Morocco during a final vote at the 68th FIFA Congress in Moscow. It will be the first Football World Cup since 2002 to be hosted by more than one nation. With its past hosting of the 1970 and 1986 tournaments, Mexico will become the first country to host or co-host the men's World Cup three times. The United States last hosted the men.
During bidding, 41 cities offered 43 venues, plus 2 under construction. The first round cut nine, and the second cut nine more, with three cities withdrawing due to financial issues. Montreal left in 2021, but Vancouver rejoined in 2022, totalling 24 venues.
FIFA announced 16 host cities on June 16, 2022. These include 2 in Canada, 3 in Mexico, and 11 in the U.S. Eight venues with artificial turf will switch to grass. Four indoor stadiums have retractable roofs. MetLife Stadium hosts the final match.
Despite soccer-specific stadiums, the largest in the U.S., Geodis Park in Nashville, falls short of FIFA's minimum. Toronto's BMO Field expands for the event. Selected stadiums, like Mercedes-Benz Stadium, host both NFL and MLS teams.
Mexico City is the only capital among host nations. Washington, D.C., and Ottawa weren't selected. Other cities cut include Cincinnati, Denver, Nashville, Orlando, and Edmonton. None from the 1994 FIFA World Cup will be reused; only Azteca Stadium has prior World Cup history.