FIFA WC 2026

Picture Credit: Twitter

International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) has named 16 host cities for the FIFA World Cup 2026. The announcement was made during a live segment from the New York studio of Fox. The tournament will have 48 games spread across Canada, Mexico and the United States marking the first occasion when three host countries have been appointed.

The host cities are Atlanta, Boston, Dallas, Houston, Kansas City, Los Angeles, Miami, New York/New Jersey, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Seattle, Guadalajara, Mexico City, Monterrey, Toronto and Vancouver. Addressing the announcement, FIFA President Gianni Infantino expressed that this day marks a historic day in North American and global football. He then talked about how this World Cup will be playing a key role in making ‘football truly global’.

Infantino said, “We congratulate the 16 FIFA World Cup Host Cities on their outstanding commitment and passion. Today is a historic day – for everyone in those cities and states, for FIFA, for Canada, the USA and Mexico who will put on the greatest show on Earth. We look forward to working together with them to deliver what will be an unprecedented FIFA World Cup and a game-changer as we strive to make football truly global.”

FIFA Vice President and CONCACAF President Victor Montagliani also expressed gratitude toward the authorities who have given the USA, Canada and Mexico to host this global tournament. He then addressed how the World Cup will have a ‘tremendous impact’ on the growth of the sport in these countries. 

Montagliani said, “We were delighted by the unparalleled competitiveness of this selection process. We are extremely grateful not only to the 16 cities that have been selected but also to the other six – with whom we look forward to continuing to engage and explore additional opportunities to welcome fans and participating teams. This has always been a FIFA World Cup of three countries, and that undoubtedly will have a tremendous impact on the whole region and the wider football community.” 

The 2026 tournament is expected to break all World Cup attendance records, which peaked at 3.6 million when the event was held in the United States in 1994. Brazil were the winners of the 1994 World Cup after defeating Italy 3–2 in a penalty shoot-out. Russian-Ukrainian footballer Oleg Salenko Hristo Stoichkov won the Golden Boot award as he scored five goals in the tournament.