FIFA World Cup 2026

11 JUNE - 19 JULY | USA, CANADA & Mexico

FIFA World Cup 2026 Overview

Insider Experience Sports has been offering access to once-in-a-lifetime American sporting events for over 10 years. With arguably the world’s biggest individual sporting event coming to North America in 2026, you can now register to receive more information on how to secure your tickets.

Opening Game in Mexico City, Final in New York

Please fill out the form to register your interest in the FIFA World Cup 2026 to be played in North America, with the opening game being played on 11 June in Mexico City, and the final game being played at MetLife Stadium in New York on the 19 July.

REGISTER NOW | PREMIUM HOSPITALITY
Or you can call or email us directly: +61 3 9969 7611 or
info@insiderexperience.com

Everything we know about the FIFA World Cup 2026 Locations, Dates, Times, Tickets and More

The FIFA World Cup 2026 Draw has taken place, with all games, opponents and cities confirmed. 

 

WHAT WE KNOW ABOUT THE SCHEDULE | FIFA WORLD CUP 2026

1) We know where the Australia Socceroos will be playing (Group D) 

– Sunday 14 June Australia vs UEFA Playoff C Team TBD (One of 4 teams are playing for this spot: Slovakia, Kosovo, Turkiye, Romania).  BC Place in Vancouver. 2pm AEST.  (9pm on Sat 13 June in Vancouver).

– Saturday 20 June Australia vs USA.  Lumen Field in Seattle.  5am EAST (12pm on Friday 19 June in Seattle)

– Friday 26 June Australia vs Paraguay.  Levi’s Stadium in San Francisco.  12pm AEST (7pm on Thur 25 June in San Francisco).

2) We know where the New Zealand All Whites will be playing (Group G)

– Monday 15 June New Zealand vs Iran.  SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles. 11am AEST.  (6pm on Sun 14 June in LA).

– Sunday 21 June New Zealand vs Egypt.  BC Place in Vancouver.  11am EAST (6pm on Saturday 20 June Vancouver)

– Friday 26 June New Zealand vs Belgium.  BC Place in Vancouver.  1pm AEST (8pm on Thur 25 June in Vancouver).

3) We know when the to tournament will start and end.

– 11 June Opening Game at Estadio Azteca in Mexico City (home of the Club America’ Mexican soccer club).  Mexico vs South Africa.

– 19 July Grand Final at MetLife Stadium in New York / New Jersey (home of the New York Giants and New York Jets in the NFL).

4) We know the dates and locations for the Semifinal games.

– 14 July at AT&T Stadium in Dallas (home of the Dallas Cowboys).

– 15 July at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta (home of the Atlanta Falcons).

5) We know the dates and locations for the Quarterfinal Games.

– 9 July at Gillette Stadium in Boston (home of the New England Patriots).

– 10 July at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles (home of the LA Rams & LA Chargers).

– 11 July at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami (home of the Miami Dolphins).

– 11 July at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium (home of the Kansas City Chiefs).

NEW FORMAT FOR THE FIFA WORLD CUP 2026

In 2026, FIFA will expand to a 48-team World Cup, therefore teams will be drawn into 12 groups of four. The top two in each group, plus the eight best third-place teams will advance to the Round of 32 – the first of five single-elimination knockout rounds.

This is the first 48-team World Cup. The 2026 Group Stage will be the longest and busiest ever staged. After host-country openers, the first two weeks will feature four games per day. The final four days of group play will each feature six games!

After the 17-day group phase, the Round of 32 will begin immediately with no days off. The same applies for the Round of 16, no days off after play is completed from the Round of 32. There will be 27 straight days of World Cup Soccer, which is unprecedented.

 

TRAVEL ACROSS THE USA FOR THE FIFA WORLD CUP 2026

In Qatar in 2022, all eight stadiums were within a 35-kilometre radius. To mitigate coast to coast travel for teams and fans, FIFA has divided the 16 host cities into three distinct regions (or clusters):

East Region: Miami, Atlanta, Philadelphia, New York, Boston, Toronto

Central Region: Kansas City, Dallas, Houston, Mexico City, Guadalajara, Monterrey

Western Region: Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, Vancouver

Most teams and groups – though not all – will stay confined to one region during the group stage. Come the knockouts, according to a World Cup official – paths will be designed to grant teams that top their group favourable travel itineraries.

 

WHAT TIME WILL ALL THE GAMES START FOR THE WORLD CUP

No one really knows at this point.

In 2026, a typical day will feature four games, each lasting two hours, across multiple time zones and disparate climates. That is what makes this entire scheduling exercise such a headache.

The ideal schedule for worldwide TV viewers and broadcasters will put each game in its own unique window, with at least 30 mins buffer in between.

WHAT ABOUT THE STADIUMS HOSTING WORLD CUP GAMES?

All 11 US stadiums, even those already blessed with grass – will develop and install specialised natural-grass playing surfaces for the World Cup.

NFL fields are 53.3 yards wide. FIFA requires a playing field at least 68 metres (74.4 yards) wide, with a total grass pitch area at least 85 meters by 125 meters (93 yards by 136.7 yards). That’s a problem for several US stadiums, with some of them undergoing construction to remove sideline and corner seats to accommodate the World Cup requirements.

FIFA World Cup 2026 Match Locator Map

Stadiums Hosting World Cup Matches

WHICH CITIES AND STADIUMS GOT WHICH WORLD CUP GAMES?

Here’s a full breakdown:

Atlanta (Mercedes-Benz Stadium) 8 games, 5 in group stage, 1 Round of 32, 1 Round of 16, and 1 Semifinal.

Boston (Gillette Stadium) 7 games, 5 in group stage, 1 Round of 32, and 1 Quarterfinal.

Dallas (AT&T Stadium) 9 games, 5 in group stage, 2 Round of 32, 1 Round of 15 and 1 Semifinal.

Houston (NRG Stadium) 7 games, 5 in group stage, 1 Round of 32, 1 Round of 16

Kansas City (Arrowhead Stadium) 6 games, 4 in group stage, 1 Round of 32, 1 Quarterfinal.

Los Angeles (SoFi Stadium) 8 games, 5 in group stage, 2 Round of 32, 1 Quarterfinal.

Miami (Hard Rock Stadium) 7 games, 4 in group stage, 1 Round of 32, 1 Quarterfinal and 3rd place match

New York (MetLife Stadium) 8 games, 5 in group stage, 1 Round of 32, 1 Round of 16, Final match

Philadelphia (Lincoln Financial Field) 6 games, 5 in group stage, 1 Round of 16

San Francisco (Levi’s Stadium) 6 games, 5 in group stage, 1 Round of 32

Seattle (Lumen Field) 6 games, 4 in group stage, 1 Round of 32, 1 Round of 16

Toronto (BMO Field) 6 games, 5 in group stage, 1 Round of 32

Vancouver (BC Place) 7 games, 5 in group stage, 1 Round of 32, 1 Round of 16

Guadalajara (Estadio Akron) 4 games, all in group stage

Mexico City (Estadio Azteca) 5 games, 3 in group stage, 1 Round of 32, 1 Round of 16

Monterrey (Estadio BBVA) 4 games, 3 in group stage, 1 Round of 32

HOW CAN I GET TICKETS TO THE FIFA WORLD CUP 2026

Hospitality packages are available now, with the regular ticket lottery beginning 10 September 2025.   Fans can register on the FIFA website directly by creating a FIFA ID.  On 10 September, at 11am Eastern time in the USA, the entry period for the presale draw will open and that will run until Friday, Sept 19.  This presale draw is limited to Visa cardholders only.

A draw period will take place following that entry, with communications being sent to selected users, giving fans an opportunity to purchase tickets if selected.  Fans who are selected will be notified by email and will be given a date and time slot to purchase tickets – which are subject to availability – with purchasing windows opening on October 1st.  At this time single match tickets to all matches as well as venue and team-specific offerings will be made available. 

Tickets will begin at USD$60 at the start of sale for group stage matches and range up to USD$6,730 for premium seats at the World Cup Final.

A 2nd Phase Ballot with a registration window is expected to run from October 27-31 is targeted.  The same process will apply, with an application process, and selected fans being provide a time slot to make ticket purchases.

A 3rd Phase Ballot with a registration window is expected to run after the Group Stage Draw on Dec 5th.  At this time, fans will know where teams will be playing in order to purchase tickets.

Closer to the tournament, people who were not eligible for the presale draw or who would like to purchase more tickets can do so.  There will also be an official resale platform launched by FIFA to avoid unauthorised reselling.

Hospitality packages can already be purchased, and have three distinct offerings:

  • Single match offerings: Starting at $1,350 per person, this package provides one group stage game of your choice, excluding the host nations, and one round of 32 match of your choice. This also includes access to the FIFA hospitality options around matches.
  • Venue series: Starting at $8,275, this package allows fans to watch all matches at any venue of their choice. Including 4-9 matches, no match days or stages are excluded from this option, alongside matchday hospitality options.
  • Follow my team: Starting at $6,750, this package is not currently available for the host nations but will allow fans to follow their team at all of their group stage matches and one round of 32 match. Like the other offerings, this also includes access to matchday hospitality.

Please Register now and we will share more information with you on how to secure your tickets.