The Stadiums of the 2026 World Cup
The 2026 FIFA World Cup is the first to be staged across three nations and the first expanded to 48 teams, and it will be played in sixteen stadiums spread across the United States, Canada and Mexico. The venues range from purpose-built NFL stadiums with retractable roofs to the historic Estadio Azteca, the only ground to host three World Cups. Together they form the largest collection of host stadiums in the tournament's history. Every venue below is on the map.
MetLife Stadium, New York/New Jersey
The final on 19 July 2026 will be held at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, the shared home of the New York Giants and Jets. Opened in 2010 with a capacity around 82,500, it is one of the largest NFL venues and was chosen ahead of rival US cities for the showpiece match. For the World Cup the artificial turf is being replaced with natural grass, a recurring engineering challenge across the American host venues, most of which normally use synthetic surfaces.
Estadio Azteca, Mexico City
The Estadio Azteca becomes the first stadium ever to host matches at three World Cups, having staged the finals of 1970 (Brazil's win with Pelé) and 1986 (Argentina's win with Maradona, and the "Hand of God"). Opened in 1966 at an altitude of around 2,200 metres, it is the spiritual home of Mexican football and is staging the opening match of the 2026 tournament. Renovated for the occasion, it remains one of the most atmospheric and historically significant grounds in world football.
SoFi Stadium, Los Angeles
SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, opened in 2020 at a cost of around $5 billion, is among the most expensive stadiums ever built. Home to the Los Angeles Rams and Chargers, its vast translucent ETFE canopy roof and indoor-outdoor design make it a striking modern venue. It will host group and knockout matches, and the surrounding Hollywood Park development makes it one of the marquee American sites of the tournament.
AT&T Stadium, Dallas
AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, home of the Dallas Cowboys and opened in 2009, has a retractable roof and a capacity that can exceed 80,000. Its enormous central video board, once the largest in the world, and its climate-controlled interior make it ideal for matches in the Texas summer heat. Dallas is one of the busiest host cities, scheduled to stage a large share of the tournament's knockout fixtures.
The other US venues
The United States is hosting eleven of the sixteen venues. Beyond New York, Los Angeles and Dallas, they include Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta (retractable roof, opened 2017), NRG Stadium in Houston, Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Levi's Stadium in the San Francisco Bay Area, Lumen Field in Seattle, Gillette Stadium near Boston and Hard Rock Stadium in Miami. Several have retractable or fixed roofs, addressing the heat and humidity of a North American summer.
Canada: Toronto and Vancouver
Canada hosts two venues. BMO Field in Toronto, normally home to Toronto FC, is being expanded toward 45,000 for the tournament. BC Place in Vancouver, opened in 1983 and fitted with a cable-supported retractable roof in 2011, has a capacity around 54,000 and is one of the most distinctive venues, having hosted the 2015 Women's World Cup final. These are the first men's World Cup matches ever played on Canadian soil.
Mexico: Guadalajara and Monterrey
Alongside the Azteca, Mexico's other host venues are the Estadio Akron in Guadalajara, home of Chivas and opened in 2010 with a green, crater-like design set into the landscape, and the Estadio BBVA in Monterrey, home of Rayados and opened in 2015, whose open end frames a view of the Cerro de la Silla mountain. Both are modern, atmospheric grounds that give the Mexican leg of the tournament a strong identity distinct from the larger American stadiums.
A tournament of contrasts
The 2026 stadiums highlight how differently the three nations build for football. The American venues are overwhelmingly NFL stadiums adapted for the tournament, with the grass-over-turf challenge a recurring theme; the Canadian grounds are mid-sized multipurpose arenas; and the Mexican venues blend the historic Azteca with two modern, design-led stadiums. The travel distances are vast — from Vancouver to Miami is a continent apart — making logistics a defining feature of the first 48-team, tri-national World Cup.
Explore on the map
All sixteen 2026 World Cup venues — from MetLife and SoFi to the Azteca, Akron, BMO Field and BC Place — are plotted on the interactive map. Use it to trace the tournament across North America, gauge the distances between host cities, or compare the new NFL super-stadiums with Mexico's historic and modern grounds. The map is the clearest way to grasp the scale of football's first tri-national World Cup.