The United States can proudly call itself the mecca of the beautiful game, at least for the time being. After successfully hosting the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup, the North American nation is now gearing up to stage yet another major men’s tournament: the 2026 World Cup. This edition is equally historic, much like the Club World Cup, as it will be the first to feature an expanded 48-team format and will be co-hosted by multiple nations, with neighboring countries Canada and Mexico joining the U.S.
As each day brings the event closer, FIFA has already started unveiling a few things, with the locations and venues also being among them. After all, more than 104 games will be taking place, so keeping that in mind, a seamless schedule has been devised by the stakeholders in order to avoid any kind of discrepancy.
The United States will host a total of 78 games across 11 cities for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Dallas leads the way with 9 matches, followed closely by New York/New Jersey, Los Angeles, and Atlanta, each hosting 8 games. Houston, Miami, and Boston will each stage 7 matches, while San Francisco, Seattle, Kansas City, and Philadelphia will host 6 games apiece.
Meanwhile, as for the other two host nations, Mexico and Canada, each will stage over 13 matches. In Mexico, Mexico City will host 5 games, while Guadalajara will welcome 4. Over in Canada, Vancouver is set to host 7 games, with Toronto staging 6, and Montreal 4.
Notably, a total of 16 stadiums have been selected for the tournament — the most since the 2002 edition in Korea/Japan — featuring some iconic and world-class venues. In the United States, matches will be held at stadiums in Atlanta, Boston, Dallas, Houston, Kansas City, Los Angeles, Miami, New York/New Jersey, Philadelphia, San Francisco Bay Area, and Seattle.
2026 FIFA Word Cup. 104 games.
United States (78 games)
DAL (9)
NY (8)
LA (8)
ATL (8)
HOU (7)
MIA (7)
BOS (7)
SF (6)
SEA (6)
KC (6)
PHI (6)
Mexico (13 games)
MEX City (5)
GUAD (4)
MONT (4)
Canada (13 games)
VAN (7)
TOR (6) pic.twitter.com/BFr9OTbGxk
— Alexi Lalas (@AlexiLalas) August 5, 2025
As for the other two neighboring nations, Mexico’s FIFA World Cup fixtures will take place at Estadio Azteca (Mexico City), Estadio Guadalajara, and Estadio Monterrey, and Canada will host matches at Toronto Stadium and BC Place in Vancouver.
While all the venues and host cities appear to be finalized, the problem is that many fans still aren’t on board, each for their own reasons. This has left countless ardent US soccer supporters expressing their disbelief.
US Soccer fans question the 2026 FIFA World Cup venue
There are over 50 states in the United States of America. One could argue that with 104 games on the schedule — even after excluding the 13 matches each set to be hosted by Canada and Mexico — there are still enough fixtures within the remaining 78 games to stage at least one in nearly every state.
Yet, FIFA has chosen just 11 host cities across the U.S. What frustrated this fan the most is that not a single match has been scheduled in the Midwest — a major letdown for many in the heart of the country. No wonder one fan wrote, “Still can’t believe there’s not a single game played in the Midwest. Excited to go to Toronto!”
While fans who get to watch the games in their hometowns or nearby venues are pleased with FIFA’s decision, others — whose cities or states won’t host a single match — have voiced their frustration. Just imagine: would you travel more than 500 miles just to attend a game? Well, one fan discovered he might have to: “Closest game to me: 548 miles,” he wrote.
Credits: Instagram/USMNT
This fan from Colorado also believes that FIFA’s city selection was a missed opportunity. Denver — located in the Mountain West region — is a thriving sports hub that could’ve easily handled the global spotlight. The city already supports a strong soccer culture with the MLS side Colorado Rapids and is set to welcome the NWSL’s Denver Summit in 2026. With all that going for it, it’s no surprise that fans were left scratching their heads over Denver’s absence from the host city list: “Denver getting left out was such a shame.”
Now, one could give FIFA and U.S. Soccer the benefit of the doubt — perhaps their decisions factored in weather conditions, fan accessibility, or even team logistics like travel efficiency and minimizing jet lag. That may be why they concentrated matches in a limited number of locations.
Still, this fan was left baffled by the omission of Phoenix, especially given the capabilities of Glendale’s stadium: “I’m surprised there’s no Glendale (phx). Hot? Yes, but really grass under the roof. Sounds perfect, doesn’t it?” remarked this netizen.
While many fans are upset about their hometowns being left out of the World Cup festivities, this reaction takes the opposite stance. Instead of mourning a city’s exclusion, this fan is baffled by Kansas City making the cut, especially considering the region’s notoriously harsh summer conditions. “Those KC games will be absolutely brutal. The heat will be unbearable. What a ridiculous choice to have games there,” added another, questioning how FIFA and U.S. Soccer overlooked weather challenges in favor of other logistical priorities.
Be that as it may, this is just a glimpse of the reactions, because for every group of fans celebrating their city getting picked, there’s an equally vocal crowd displeased over not seeing theirs on the list. Regardless, share your views in the comments!
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