FIFA announces the cities that will host the 2026 North American World Cup

FIFA on Thursday announced the 16 North American cities that will host World Cup matches in 2026. 11 cities in the United States, three in Mexico and two in Canada have been selected. It will be the first tournament in which 48 teams will participate.

The cities selected to host the World Cup in the USA are: New York/New Jersey (MetLife Stadium); Los Angeles (SoFi Stadium); Dallas (AT&T Stadium); San Francisco Bay Area (Levi’s Stadium); Miami (Hard Rock Stadium); Atlanta (Mercedes-Benz Stadium); Seattle (Lumen Field); Houston (NRG Stadium); Philadelphia (Lincoln Financial Field); Kansas City, Missouri (Arrowhead Stadium); and Boston (Gillette Stadium).

The Rose Bowl Stadium, which hosted the 1994 World Cup, was not selected. Instead, it will be played at a new stadium in Los Angeles, SoFi Stadium.

The cities selected to host the World Cup in Mexico and Canada are Guadalajara (Estadio Akron), Monterrey (Estadio BBVA Bancomer), Mexico City (Estadio Azteca), Toronto (BMO Field) and Vancouver (BC Place).

“It was the most competitive process ever at a World Cup,” FIFA president Gianni Infantino told Fox Sports television of the selection process. “We will work in groups to ensure that teams and fans don’t have to travel too much to different areas.”

FIFA selected the venues from 22 candidates. The unsuccessful U.S. cities were Cincinnati, Denver, Nashville, Orlando, Washington/Baltimore and Edmonton, Canada.

The U.S., Canada and Mexico won the 2018 hostship by beating second-place Morocco. The U.S. previously hosted the World Cup in 1994, and Mexico hosted the tournament in 1970 and 1986.

Source:: ESPN