The FIFA World Cup 2026 will be played from June 11 to July 19, with Mexico playing opening fixture at the Azteca Stadium in Mexico City, the governing body of football announced on Sunday.
The expanded 48-team tournament is being co-hosted by Mexico, the United States and Canada.
The Azteca will become the first stadium to host World Cup tournament games in three separate editions after 1970 and 1986. The venue hosted the finals of the 1970 and 1986 tournaments.
AS IT HAPPENED: FIFA World Cup Schedule announcement highlights
The United States will kick off its group stage campaign at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles on June 12 and will also play in Seattle.
Toronto was selected to host the first game for the Canadian team. Vancouver is the other Canadian venue which will host the team.
The final will be played at the MetLife Stadium in New York/New Jersey. The New York bid held off a strong challenge from Dallas to secure the July 19 game, the culmination of the expanded 48-team tournament being co-hosted by the USA, Canada and Mexico.
The decisions were announced on a live television broadcast in North America which featured comedian and actor Kevin Hart, rapper Drake and celebrity Kim Kardashian.
The 82,500-seat MetLife Stadium, across the Hudson river in East Rutherford, New Jersey, is the home of the NFL’s New York Giants and New York Jets but has held a number of international football games including the final of the 2016 Copa America tournament.
The New York bid had lobbied hard on the city’s experience at hosting major international events and it’s position as a global city with easy transportation connections for fans.
Dallas had hoped that AT&T Stadium, in Arlington, Texas, home to the NFL’s Dallas Cowboys, would benefit from having a roof to protect the game from the elements.
Los Angeles had also thrown their hat into the ring but their attempt struggled amid disagreements with FIFA about tournament upgrades needed to their NFL venue, SoFi Stadium.
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 already chosen venues.
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The tournament will take the format of 12 groups of four teams with the top two going through along with the eight best third-placed teams.
From then on the competition is a straight knock-out format with the finalists having to play eight games rather than the previous seven.
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.
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