FIFA Announces 2026 World Cup Final Venue, Schedule Details

Soccer’s governing body revealed key dates and venues for the next edition of the world’s biggest sporting event.

FIFA revealed the host city for the 2026 World Cup final along with key details about the tournament schedule during a live broadcast at the Telemundo Center in Miami on Sunday.

The World Cup final will be played at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J., on July 19, 2026.

The news comes after widespread speculation that either MetLife Stadium or AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, would be chosen as the final’s venue. MetLife is one of a handful of U.S. stadiums that must replace its artificial turf with natural grass ahead of the 2026 World Cup. The home stadium of the New York Giants and New York Jets also plans to remove 1,740 seats to widen its field, per FIFA’s requirements, as reported by the Associated Press last month.

🥁 The #FIFAWorldCup trophy will be raised in New York New Jersey!#WeAre26 pic.twitter.com/VIuAvYxOMV

— FIFA World Cup (@FIFAWorldCup) February 4, 2024

The World Cup’s opening match locations and host city allocations for each of the nations also were revealed Sunday.

Estadio Azteca in Mexico City will host the opening match of the 2026 World Cup on June 11, marking the third time the stadium has done so. (Mexico previously hosted the World Cup in 1970 and 1986).

The United States’s first match in the 2026 World Cup will be held at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif, on June 12, 2026. The U.S. also will play a group stage match in Seattle on June 19 before returning to Inglewood for a June 25 match. Of all the World Cup sites, AT&T Stadium will host the most games with nine.

Here are the host city allocations for the tournament.

Round of 32: Every city except for Guadalajara and Philadelphia. Los Angeles and Dallas host two.

Round of 16: Vancouver, Seattle, Mexico City, Houston, Dallas, Atlanta, Philadelphia, East Rutherford

Quarterfinals: Los Angeles, Kansas City, Miami, Boston

Semifinals: Dallas, Atlanta

Third-place playoff: Miami

Final: East Rutherford

The 2026 World Cup schedule will consist of 104 games played at 16 sites throughout the United States, Canada, and Mexico over a 39-day span.

The United States will utilize 11 stadiums spread across the country to host the event. Mexico has three host cities (Guadalajara, Mexico City and Monterrey) and Canada has two (Toronto and Vancouver).

Our @FIFAWorldCup 26 Group Stage Schedule 🗓️#WeAre26 pic.twitter.com/Z22TqTgRob

— U.S. Soccer Men's National Team (@USMNT) February 4, 2024