Atlanta, Seattle, Boston area among cities chosen to host 2026 World Cup games

Atlanta, Seattle and the Boston area are among the 16 cities named as host sites for the 2026 World Cup, FIFA, soccer’s international governing body, announced Thursday.

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The cities officially selected to host World Cup matches in the U.S. are: 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 (Arrowhead Stadium) and Boston (Gillette Stadium), The Athletic and ESPN reported.

Cities chosen to host matches in Mexico and Canada are: Guadalajara (Estadio Akron), Monterrey (Estadio BBVA Bancomer), Mexico City (Estadio Azteca), Toronto (BMO Field) and Vancouver (BC Place), according to ESPN.

The 2026 World Cup will be the first tournament hosted by three nations, and the first to expand to 48 teams, according to ESPN.

FIFA selected the bid as joint hosts between the U.S., Mexico and Canada in June 2018, WSB-TV reported. Canada and Mexico will host 10 games each.

Sixty matches are scheduled to be played in the U.S. Once the tournament reaches the quarterfinal stage, all remaining knockout round matches will be held in the U.S., according to ESPN.

Foxborough hosted games at the 1994 World Cup, but Gillette Stadium, which opened in 2002, is a new venue for the matches, WFXT-TV reported.

“Atlanta is a soccer town, and we’re excited to bring the game’s best athletes to the world’s best city,” Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens said in a statement to WSB-TV. “Atlanta has already been home to the Super Bowl and the Olympics, and through our strong collaboration with the State and our business community, we will welcome folks from all over the world to fill every seat in Mercedes-Benz Stadium in 2026.”

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