By: Alvin Xu

48 countries will compete for the 2026 World Cup as the tournament is held in cities all over the U.S., Canada, and Mexico. This will be the first time the tournament is staged around three host nations.

The U.S., Mexico, and Canada were chosen as the winning bid in 2018, beating Morocco. The U.S. has also hosted the World Cup in 1994. Mexico hosted it in 1970 and 1986.

These will be the host cities for the 2026 World Cup: Vancouver, Seattle, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Guadalajara, Mexico, Kansa City, Dallas, Atlanta, Houston, Monterrey, Mexico, Mexico City, Toronto, Boston, Philadelphia, Miami, and New York / New Jersey.

This will be the first time that the tournament will include 48 teams instead of 32 teams. The “main” opening match will probably take place in Los Angeles or Mexico City: both cities have already hosted World Cup finals before.

The three countries U.S., Canada, and Mexico made a team bid themselves for the 2026 World Cup. Their team’s motto is “Unity. Certainty. Opportunity.” They highlighted their financial opportunity because North America already had large capacity stadiums that were ready for hosting games.

The U.S. arenas selected host NFL teams often, and sometimes they are home to some MLS squads as well. The Canadian stadiums often host the Canadian Football League and MLS, which the U.S. arenas host too. Mexico hosts teams in Mexico’s soccer league, Liga MX.

The knockout stage of the FIFA World Cup is the second and final stage of the competition, following the group stage. When it is during the knockout stage, there will be a flow from West to East, and the bid proposed siting the final match will be at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J.

Link: https://drive.google.com/drive/u/0/folders/1b5uFbAkAi7SibqiIG5XRM6PjqDRf1CRE