New Jersey to host 2026 FIFA World Cup final, Mexico City the opener
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Miami: The 2026 FIFA World Cup final will be held at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey at the home of the National Football League's New York Giants and New York Jets, world soccer's governing body announced on Sunday.
The 48-team World Cup tournament, which will conclude on July 19 at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, is being co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico.
Canada will host 13 games in total, including 10 in the group stage split evenly between Toronto and Vancouver, while Mexico will also get 13 games, including 10 during the group stage in Mexico City, Guadalajara and Monterrey, reports Reuters.
The rest of the tournament will be held in 11 cities across the United States. Toronto, Mexico City, and Los Angeles will host the opening matches of their respective national teams.
The open-air stadium for the final, which opened in 2010 and has a capacity of 82,500, hosted the Copa America Centenario final in 2016.
Mexico City's iconic Estadio Azteca stadium will host the opening match of the tournament on June 11 when Mexico will become the first nation to stage the World Cup for a third time. The opening day will also feature a match in Guadalajara.
"The most inclusive and impactful FIFA World Cup ever is no longer a dream but a reality that will take shape in the form of 104 matches in 16 state-of-the-art stadiums across Canada, Mexico and the USA," said FIFA president Gianni Infantino.
"From the opening match at the iconic Estadio Azteca to the spectacular final in New York New Jersey, players and fans have been at the core of our extensive planning for this game-changing tournament... that will not only set new records but also leave an indelible legacy."
Atlanta and Dallas will host the semi-finals while the third-place game will be played in Miami. The quarter-final games will take place in Los Angeles, Kansas City, Miami and Boston.
The decisions were announced on a live television broadcast in North America that featured Infantino alongside comedian and actor Kevin Hart, rapper Drake and celebrity Kim Kardashian.
The World Cup will take place during celebrations of the 250th anniversary of American independence. The expansion of the tournament to 48 teams from 32 means there will be an additional 24 matches, making up a total of 104 games across the 16 venues.
FIFA says the match schedule, which will not be complete until the qualification process has ended, has been designed to limit travel for the teams. The full draw for the tournament is expected to be held in late 2025.
Group fixtures have been designed to avoid cross-coast travel for the teams, who will also be able to choose from team bases in their group's region.
The 16 host cities for the tournament are Atlanta, Boston, Dallas, Guadalajara, Houston, Kansas City, Los Angeles, Mexico City, Miami, Monterrey, New York-New Jersey, Philadelphia, San Francisco Bay Area, Seattle, Toronto and Vancouver.
