NEW YORK — Kansas City and Boston are among the North American cities that will stage 2026 men’s World Cup matches — but Washington D.C. and Baltimore are not.
FIFA, soccer’s global governing body, revealed the tournament’s hosts on Thursday here in Manhattan. It selected three Mexican cities, two Canadian ones, and 11 in the United States — New York/East Rutherford, N.J.; Philadelphia; Boston/Foxborough; Miami; Atlanta; Houston; Dallas/Arlington; Kansas City; Los Angeles/Inglewood; San Francisco/Santa Clara; and Seattle.
It did not, however, select the U.S. capital. Washington D.C. merged its bid with Baltimore to counter FIFA’s concerns with FedEx Field, the oft-ridiculed home of the Washington Commanders. FIFA officials confirmed widespread negative perceptions of the stadium when they toured it last fall. In response, organizers pitched a plan to play games at M&T Bank Stadium, the home of the Baltimore Ravens, while hosting ancillary festivities and VIPs in Washington.
But FIFA ultimately snubbed the joint bid, and instead chose Boston and Kansas City, two other bubble cities. Boston’s bid was boosted by Robert Kraft, who was the honorary chair of the North American bid committee, and who has a personal relationship with FIFA president Gianni Infantino.
A FIFA spokesman also confirmed to Yahoo Sports that the Los Angeles games would be held at SoFi Stadium, not the Rose Bowl. (Organizers had considered staging games at both.)
The U.S., Canada and Mexico won the right to host the 2026 edition of the world’s most-watched sporting event back in 2018, and offered two dozen metropolitan areas as potential venues for matches. They originally proposed that there’d be 10 in the U.S., and three each in Mexico and Canada.
Instead, on Thursday, they chose 11 U.S. cities and just two north of the border. They confirmed all three Mexican candidates — Mexico City, Guadalajara and Monterrey — but only Toronto and Vancouver in Canada. With Montreal withdrawing its bid last summer, citing hefty costs, but Vancouver then reemerging as a candidate this spring, FIFA officials turned away from Edmonton.
The four other finalists not chosen were Orlando, Cincinnati, Nashville and Denver. They, like the 16 match sites, could still host team base camps, pre-tournament friendlies and “Fan Fests” — FIFA-sponsored outdoor watch parties. Most participating national teams will train at colleges and MLS facilities across the U.S.
With the World Cup expanding to 48 teams in 2026, 60 of 80 games will be held in the U.S. FIFA has not said how many matches each will host, but the North American bid committee originally proposed a minimum of five per U.S. city, including at least two knockout-round games per U.S. city. A schedule shell could be released as soon as next year.
There’ll likely be three games on opening day, one in each country, with venues for specific matches still to be determined. “We’ll take our time with that decision,” Infantino said Thursday.
The top two candidates to host the final, according to a source familiar with the planning process, are MetLife Stadium in North Jersey and AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
The other stadiums will be Lincoln Financial Field (Philadelphia); Gillette Stadium (Foxborough, Massachusetts); Hard Rock Stadium (Miami); Mercedes-Benz Stadium (Atlanta); NRG Stadium (Houston); Arrowhead Stadium (Kansas City); SoFi Stadium (Inglewood, California); Levi’s Stadium (Santa Clara, California); Lumen Field (Seattle); Estadio Azteca (Mexico City); Estadio Akron (Guadalajara); Estadio BBVA (Monterrey); BMO Field (Toronto); and BC Place (Vancouver).
Why some U.S. cities won’t be involved
Like Montreal, some U.S. cities chose not to be involved. Chicago, citing taxpayer risk and “FIFA’s inflexibility and unwillingness to negotiate,” pulled out of the running in 2018, months before the so-called United Bid had even been chosen by the 200-plus international soccer executives who comprise FIFA’s membership.
Minneapolis also withdrew due to FIFA’s demands, which include tax breaks and various local government guarantees. Host cities essentially pay to stage 3-7 games, a “Fan Fest” and other events. They welcome thousands of tourists, but FIFA collects the vast majority of revenue from the games themselves and makes a multi-billion-dollar profit.
“Specifically, we were requesting flexibility on the financial liability caps and/or stronger estimates on anticipated costs associated with the events,” the Minneapolis bid committee said in a statement. “The inability to negotiate the terms of the various bid agreements did not provide our partners, and our community, with sufficient protections from future liability and unforeseen changes in commitments.”
Like with the Olympics, host-city contracts are widely viewed as one-sided, granting FIFA widespread power to dictate the tournament while shirking financial risk. World Cups also come with civil concerns. They often bring heavy policing and, in some cases, displacement of vulnerable people.
A coalition of labor and human rights groups wrote to FIFA late last year to demand a series of minimum rights standards around the 2026 tournament, and on Thursday “expressed concern regarding negotiations with FIFA over human rights and worker rights.” Cathy Feingold, the international director at the AFL-CIO, told Yahoo Sports in a phone interview that the human rights plans presented by the selected U.S. cities were “very uneven.” (FIFA plans to follow up on the North American bid’s human rights commitments over the coming months and years.)
Host cities celebrate
Nonetheless, the 16 cities and their residents celebrated on Thursday. Many hosted downtown watch parties promoted and graced by mayors.
The World Cup is coming to KC. Amazing day for this city. Mayor Quinton Lucas and KC react. pic.twitter.com/Ne06eABoBQ
— Sam McDowell (@SamMcDowell11) June 16, 2022
Video:Reaction from Love Park watch party as Philadelphia was selected as a North American host city for the 2026 @FIFAWorldCup@FOX29philly ⚽️ pic.twitter.com/sZJXfXJC9s
— Chris O’Connell (@CoconnellFox29) June 16, 2022
The George and Dragon Pub in Fremont hosted a @FIFAWorldCup site selection watch party and they were not disappointed. Seattle will be one of the host cities in 2026. #komonewspic.twitter.com/6J5PPEZEC4
— Doug Pigsley (@DougPigsleyKOMO) June 16, 2022
Tickets will likely go on sale in 2025. The tournament will likely begin Thursday, June 11, 2026. And it will almost surely smash the record for World Cup attendance — which is still held by the 1994 men’s World Cup in the U.S.
This is the first men’s World Cup on North American soil since that one. It’s also the first with 48 teams, and the first jointly hosted by three countries.
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