The 16 cities that will be hosting the World Cup in 2026 have been revealed, and many of these cities are fairly close to San Diego locals.
FIFA confirmed the official list of host cities that will be home to the greatest sports competition in the world for the summer of 2026.
The last time the World Cup was held in North America was in 1994 when the U.S. was the host nation during the Bill Clinton administration era nearly 30 years ago.
This time around, however, America won't be hosting the most popular international tourney every decade that is the World Cup, as they enhanced their bid with the participation of Mexico and Canada for this opportunity.
11 cities are American-based, 3 in Mexico and 2 in Canada.
- 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);
- Boston (Gillette Stadium).
- Vancouver
- Toronto
- Mexico City (Estadio Azteca)
- Guadalajara
- Monterrey
FIFA president Gianni Infantino said in an interview that selection process was quite complicated due to the fact that there were many areas to choose from in North America between the three countries.
"It was the most competitive process ever for the FIFA World Cup," FIFA president Gianni Infantino told Fox Sports. "We will be working in clusters, making sure that the teams and the fans don't have to travel too much in different areas: West, Central and East."
U.S. Soccer president Cindy Parlow Cone said this is an historic move for the American soccer federation, to be able to accomplish this goal as co-hosts with our neighbors to the south and north.
"It's a historic day for U.S. Soccer and the entire American soccer community, from every corner of our grassroots all the way to the pros and our National Teams," U.S. Soccer president Cindy Parlow Cone said in a statement. "Together with our good friends in Canada and Mexico, we couldn't be more excited to work with FIFA to host what we think will be the greatest World Cup in history.
"I want to congratulate all the bid cities that will host games. I know you will all do a fantastic job of sharing your world-class stadiums, unique communities and culture, and amazing fans when the world comes to North America in four years," Parlow Cone added.
