48 teams, 104 matches, and 16 venues—the 2026 FIFA World Cup has fans on edge. Deemed to be one of the ‘biggest and most inclusive’ tournaments, the 23rd edition will be jointly hosted by the USA, Canada, and Mexico. Although there is still a lot of time to see all the qualified teams rally for the prestigious trophy, many are eager to know the details behind the schedule and the host stadiums for the upcoming edition. 

The 2026 FIFA World Cup is set to begin on June 11, 2026, and is set to run until July 19, 2026. Instead of the usual 32 teams, now 48 teams will be contesting in the expanded edition. For the first time in the history of the tournament, a round of 32 will also be played. 

2026 FIFA World Cup: Schedule and Stadiums

Group Stage: The 48 teams will be drawn in groups of 12, with 4 teams each. It will run from June 11 to June 27 and will be hosted in all 16 selected cities across the US, Canada, and Mexico.

Round of 32: While 16 teams will be forced to exit the tournament early, the remaining will contest the next round from June 29 to July 3. Only Guadalajara and Philadelphia won’t be hosting the RO32, with Los Angeles and Dallas set to host over two matches. 

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Round of 16: The RO16 will run from July 4 to July 7. Only eight cities will get to host, including Vancouver, Seattle, Mexico City, Houston, Dallas, Atlanta, Philadelphia, and New York/New Jersey.

Quarter-final: The remaining 8 teams will be contesting in Los Angeles, Kansas City, Miami, and Boston from July 9 to July 11. 

Semi-finals: Canada and Mexico won’t be hosting the final four teams. Both US-based cities, Dallas and Atlanta, will host the semi-finals on July 14 and July 15. 

Third place: Two losers from the semi-final campaign will be contesting for a bronze medal on the day before the final of the World Cup in Miami.

Final: The 2026 FIFA World Cup final will be played on July 19 in New York/New Jersey. 

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Here is the list of all the stadiums:

United States: Mercedes-Benz Stadium (Atlanta), Gillette Stadium (Massachusetts), At&T Arena (Dallas), NRG Stadium (Houston), Arrowhead Stadium (Missouri), Los Angeles Stadium (Los Angeles), Hard Rock Stadium (Miami), MetLife Stadium (New Jersey), Lincoln Financial Field (Philadelphia), Lumen Field (Seattle), Levi’s Stadium (San Jose)

Mexico: Akron Stadium (Guadalajara), Estadio Azteca (Mexico City), Estadio BBVA (Guadalupe)

Canada: BC Place (Vancouver), BMO Field (Toronto)

Where will the USMNT, Canada, and Mexico kick off their first match of the 2026 World Cup? 

Notably, all the host teams will be playing on their home soil. Speaking for the opening game of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, Mexico will do the honors. They will be playing at the Azteca Stadium in Mexico City on June 11. As for the USMNT, they will be playing their first match at the SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles on June 12. 

The very same day, the third host country, Canada, will also play their first match at Toronto’s BMO Field. Likewise, Miami’s Hard Rock Stadium will host the third-place match. The final will be held at the MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford on July 19. Fans of the hosting nations will be beaming with hope if either of the host countries can qualify for the final. 

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