The 2026 World Cup will be bigger than ever before. For the first time three countries will host the games together: the USA Canada & Mexico. This huge sports event starts on June 11 next year. It will bring 48 soccer teams from around the world to North America. This is more teams than any previous World Cup. Millions of fans will travel to watch the matches in different cities. The tournament happens at a time when there are some political issues between the host countries. Former US president Donald Trump has caused some tension with his comments. Still the event will be the biggest soccer competition ever held. It will be different from past World Cups because of its size and the way it’s shared between three nations. The games will take place in many different stadiums across North America. This makes it a very special World Cup that will make history in the sport.
The 2026 World Cup games will take place in different stadiums across North America. These include the famous Azteca Stadium in Mexico City & the new SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles which cost 5 billion dollars to build. There will be 104 matches played over six weeks. Most games will happen in the United States with 78 matches while Canada and Mexico will each host 13 games. The final stages of the tournament will all be in the United States. The championship match will be played on July 19 2026 at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey which can hold 82500 fans. The tournament will be big and exciting for soccer fans across North America.
The FIFA 2026 Spectacle: As Big as 104 Super Bowls Combined
The World Cup is coming back to America in 2026, & US officials think it will be huge for soccer in their country.
The last time America hosted was in 1994 over 30 years ago. The head of US soccer Don Garber thinks this World Cup will make the sport more popular than ever before. FIFA boss Gianni Infantino says it will be like having 104 Super Bowls at once with about 6 billion people watching worldwide. There’s good reason to be excited. The 1994 World Cup still holds the record for most fans at games with around 68,000 people per match. The 2026 event could make $11 billion which would be a record. The tournament will be bigger this time with 48 teams instead of 32. They’ll play in 12 groups of four teams each. The top two teams from each group move forward plus eight of the best third-place teams. Some people worry this new format might make the early games less exciting since more teams will advance.
Visa Chaos Before the Cup: How Backlogs Could Affect FIFA 2026 Fans
People wonder how President Trump’s strict policies might affect the World Cup. Trump has started trade fights with other countries and made it harder for visitors to enter the US. He’s also had tense relations with Canada which is helping to host the games. Some travelers from friendly nations like France & Britain have faced problems at US borders lately. Trump banned travel from 12 countries including Iran who will play in the World Cup. But the ban won’t stop Iranian players from competing. Trump leads the White House team planning the World Cup and says fans shouldn’t worry about coming to America. “The US government will work hard to keep everyone safe & make sure visitors have a good time” Trump said. FIFA boss Infantino who works well with Trump agrees that America will be welcoming. “Anyone who wants to come enjoy the games can do that” said Infantino. But with a year left before the tournament it’s not clear if these promises will work out as planned.
The US State Secretary Rubio talked about visa problems for the World Cup. He said embassy workers might need to work extra hours to handle all the applications. Right now people from Colombia must wait 15 months for a US visa. Rubio told other politicians that Colombian fans won’t make it to the World Cup without faster visa processing. The ticket prices are another big problem. FIFA plans to use a system that changes prices based on how many people want tickets. This means popular games could cost thousands of dollars. Ronan Evain who leads a fan group thinks this is wrong. He told The Times newspaper that FIFA shouldn’t use this pricing system because it takes advantage of loyal fans.
