FIFA World Cup 2026 USA: Stadiums, Schedule, Host Cities & Fan Travel Guide

Forget everything you thought you knew about the World Cup. The 2026 edition is the biggest one ever, with 48 teams, 104 matches, and three countries throwing the party at once: the USA, Canada, and Mexico. 

From June 11 to July 19, 2026, the football world basically moves to North America, and the USA is the main stage, hosting 78 of those matches, including the quarter-finals, both semis, and the big one: the Final.

Whether you’re chasing your national team or just want a summer you’ll be bragging about for the next decade, this is where your trip begins. Every stadium, every key date, and the good stuff to do between matches. Let’s go.

The Need-to-Know Bits

• Dates: June 11 – July 19, 2026 (39 glorious days)
• Kickoff: June 11 – Mexico vs South Africa at the legendary Estadio Azteca, Mexico City
• The Final: July 19 – MetLife Stadium, New Jersey
• The Scale: 48 teams, 104 matches, 16 cities, 3 nations
• USA’s Share: 11 host cities, 78 matches
• Plot twist: With 48 teams in the mix, there’s a brand-new Round of 32 before the knockouts you know and love. More drama, more nights you won’t sleep.

Where the Magic Happens: All 11 US Stadiums

Host City	Stadium	FIFA Tournament Name	Why It Matters
New Jersey	MetLife Stadium (East Rutherford, NJ)	New York New Jersey Stadium	The Final (July 19)
Dallas	AT&T Stadium (Arlington, TX)	Dallas Stadium	Semi-final (July 14); match magnet
Atlanta	Mercedes-Benz Stadium	Atlanta Stadium	Semi-final (July 15); match magnet
Miami	Hard Rock Stadium (Miami Gardens, FL)	Miami Stadium	Third-place match (July 18); quarter-final
Los Angeles	SoFi Stadium (Inglewood, CA)	Los Angeles Stadium	Quarter-final; Team USA’s opener
Boston	Gillette Stadium (Foxborough, MA)	Boston Stadium	Quarter-final
Kansas City	Arrowhead Stadium	Kansas City Stadium	Quarter-final
Philadelphia	Lincoln Financial Field	Philadelphia Stadium	Round of 16
Seattle	Lumen Field	Seattle Stadium	Group + knockout; Team USA match
San Francisco Bay Area	Levi’s Stadium (Santa Clara, CA)	San Francisco Bay Area Stadium	Group + knockout
Houston	NRG Stadium	Houston Stadium	Group + Round of 16

The other five live up north and south of the border: BMO Field (Toronto) and BC Place (Vancouver) in Canada, plus Estadio Azteca (Mexico City), Estadio BBVA (Monterrey), and Estadio Akron (Guadalajara) in Mexico. 

Fun detail: from the quarter-finals on, every single match is played on US soil.

Mark Your Calendar (and Maybe Call in Sick)

• The Big Kickoff: June 11 – Mexico vs South Africa at Estadio Azteca. A rematch of their 2010 opener. 
• Team USA’s road (Group D):
  • June 12 – vs Paraguay, SoFi Stadium (LA)
  • June 19 – vs Australia, Lumen Field (Seattle)
  • June 25 – vs Türkiye, SoFi Stadium (LA)
• Group stage: June 11 – 27
• Round of 32: June 28 – July 3 
• Round of 16: July 4 – 7
• Quarter-finals: July 9 (Boston) · July 10 (LA) · July 11 (Miami) · July 11 (Kansas City)
• Semi-finals: July 14 (Dallas) & July 15 (Atlanta)
• Third-place match: July 18 – Miami
• The Final: July 19 – MetLife Stadium, NJ

Good news for USA fans: all three group games are out West, bouncing between LA and Seattle. Basically, a built-in road trip with a flight in the middle. Dallas and Atlanta rack up the most matches of any US city, and MetLife (the biggest US venue) gets the grand finale.

Beyond the 90 Minutes: What to Do in Each City

Because let’s be honest. You’re not flying across the world just to sit in a stadium. (Okay, maybe you are. But still.) Here’s how to turn the gaps between matches into the trip itself.

West Coast

• Los Angeles – SoFi Stadium: This is the city that invented the highlight reel. Snap the Hollywood sign from Griffith Observatory (free entry, killer sunset views), ride the rides at Universal Studios, then trade the crowds for sand. Santa Monica for the pier and Ferris wheel, Venice for the boardwalk’s glorious weirdness. Got an extra day? Disneyland is about 40 minutes south in Anaheim. SoFi itself sits in Inglewood, close to LAX, so it’s an easy in-and-out. 
  

• San Francisco Bay Area – Levi’s Stadium: The stadium’s down in Santa Clara (Silicon Valley country), but the magic’s a quick train ride north in the city itself. Walk or bike the Golden Gate Bridge; book ahead for the Alcatraz night tour (it sells out fast, and it’s worth it); ride a clanging cable car up Nob Hill; and devour a sourdough bread bowl at Fisherman’s Wharf. With a free day, Napa and Sonoma wine country are about 90 minutes away. 

• Seattle – Lumen Field: Conveniently, Lumen sits right in downtown, so you’re steps from the good stuff. Ride to the top of the Space Needle, watch the famous fish-tossing at Pike Place Market (and visit the very first Starbucks next door), and tour the gloriously trippy Chihuly Garden and Glass. Hop a ferry across Puget Sound for skyline views, or commit to a full-day trip to Mount Rainier National Park, roughly two hours out. 

Central & South

• Dallas – AT&T Stadium: The stadium’s a spectacle on its own. It’s in Arlington, between Dallas and Fort Worth, with the world’s biggest column-free interior. In Dallas proper, the Sixth Floor Museum tells the JFK story from the very window it happened by, and Reunion Tower gives you the skyline from above. Then drive 30 minutes west to the Fort Worth Stockyards for twice-daily cattle drives, honky-tonks, and serious Texas barbecue. 
• Houston – NRG Stadium: Space City lives up to the name: Space Center Houston is the real deal, home to mission control and actual rockets you can walk under. Back in town, the Museum District packs 19 museums into a walkable cluster (many free), and the Menil Collection is a quiet gem. When the heat gets serious, drive an hour southeast to Galveston for Gulf Coast beaches and a breezy boardwalk. 
• Kansas City – Arrowhead Stadium: Come hungry. KC is America’s barbecue holy land. Burnt ends are the local religion, and everyone’s got a strong opinion on the best joint. Beyond the smoke, soak up jazz history in the 18th & Vine district (with the American Jazz Museum and Negro Leagues Baseball Museum side by side) and stand beneath the poppies at the genuinely moving National WWI Museum and Memorial. Bonus: the city is famous for its fountains. 

East Coast & Southeast

• New Jersey – MetLife Stadium: The Final’s host, and the city needs no introduction. Ferry out to Lady Liberty and Ellis Island, go up the Empire State Building or Top of the Rock (locals will tell you Top of the Rock has the better view, because you can see the Empire State in it), wander Central Park, and catch a Broadway show. MetLife sits in East Rutherford, NJ, about 10 miles from Manhattan, with direct train and bus links on match days. 

• Boston – Gillette Stadium: History buffs, this one’s for you. Follow the red-brick Freedom Trail past 16 Revolutionary-era sites, soak up the atmosphere at Fenway Park (America’s oldest ballpark), and cruise Boston Harbor or go whale watching offshore. The stadium is actually in Foxborough, about 45 minutes south of the city, so plan your transport. Day trip options include witchy, walkable Salem or the beaches of Cape Cod. 
• Philadelphia – Lincoln Financial Field: The birthplace of America and a seriously underrated food city. See the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall (where they signed the Declaration), then sprint up the Rocky steps at the Philadelphia Museum of Art and pose with the statue at the bottom. Refuel at Reading Terminal Market and settle the eternal cheesesteak debate yourself. Pat’s vs. Geno’s, pick a side. The stadium’s in the walkable South Philly sports complex. 
• Atlanta – Mercedes-Benz Stadium: One of the best-connected cities in the country (that airport gets you anywhere), with plenty to fill the gaps. The Georgia Aquarium is among the world’s largest, and it’s right next to the World of Coca-Cola. For something deeper, the Martin Luther King Jr. National Historical Park preserves his birth home and church. The stadium sits downtown, walking distance from all three. 
• Miami – Hard Rock Stadium: Sun, color, and serious flavor. Strut down South Beach past the pastel Art Deco buildings, get lost in the street-art explosion of Wynwood Walls, and order a Cuban coffee in Little Havana along Calle Ocho. For a wilder day, take an Everglades airboat ride to meet the alligators, or go all in with a road trip down to Key West. The stadium’s up in Miami Gardens, a bit north of the beach scene. 

Sneaky-Good Side Trips

Got a few free days? These are right there:

• Las Vegas: an hour’s flight from LA and your launchpad to a Grand Canyon helicopter ride and the Hoover Dam. 

• San Diego: two hours from LA; the world-famous Zoo, SeaWorld, and dreamy La Jolla. 

• Orlando: 3.5 hours from Miami on the Brightline train; theme-park heaven and the Kennedy Space Center. 

• Chicago: a central flight hub and perfect stopover (it skipped hosting, so it stays chill on match days); the Skydeck, river cruises, and Navy Pier. 

Make Every Day Count

The football will hand you unforgettable nights, but the days in between are where you’ll actually discover America. A Grand Canyon flight out of Vegas. Whale watching off San Diego. An airboat skimming the Everglades. The whole skyline from the top of New York. Thrillark turns your travel days into the stories you’ll still be telling long after the final whistle.

Pick your city above, open the full guide, and book early. The good stuff sells out fast.

Quick Answers for the Curious

Attractions in the USA