With the imminent release of the 2026 World Cup schedule, soccer fans both in the United States and around the world will know the location of all the games in the rapidly approaching international tournament.
The upcoming tournament will be held in three countries for the first time and will feature an expanded field of 48 teams, as FIFA aims to deliver the biggest World Cup in history.
While the competition will culminate with the final on July 19, 2026, the opening match will generate similar fanfare when the curtain rises on this hugely hyped FIFA tournament.
The Jugo Mobile brings you the latest on where the opening match of the next World Cup will take place, scheduled for mid-June 2026.
Azteca Stadium will host the opening match of the 2026 World Cup
It was widely expected that the famous Azteca Stadium in Mexico City will host the opening match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Times report He stated that the iconic arena will have the honor of opening the competition, and this was confirmed by FIFA when revealing the tournament schedule on February 4, 2024.
The game will take place on June 11, 2026starting a tournament that will last just over a month.
Since Azteca will host the first match of the 2026 World Cup, it means that Mexico will play the first match of the 2026 World Cup, as joint host with the United States and Mexico. According to FIFA tradition, the hosts are seeded in Group A so that they can play the opening match.
Since this is the first time several countries will host, there is no precedent to follow, but it seems logical that Mexico would be given a predetermined spot in Group A so that it can raise the curtain on its home fortress.
As the venue for the 1970 and 1986 World Cup finals, the venue is steeped in world football tradition. In the first, Pelé won his last world title with Brazil, while in the second Diego Maradona was anointed as an Argentine legend after the “Hand of God” match against England.
The Azteca Stadium will make history at the 2026 FIFA World Cup
With Estadio Azteca officially earning the honor of hosting the opening match of the 2026 World Cup, the venue becomes the only stadium in the entire world to host matches in three different World Cup tournaments.
The Azteca hosted the 1970 World Cup final when Pelé’s 18th-minute goal paved the way for Brazil’s 4-1 victory over Italy. Sixteen years later, in the same stadium, Diego Maradona and Argentina emerged victorious 3-2 over West Germany thanks to an 84th-minute goal from Jorge Burruchaga.
Since 1986, it has already been the only venue globally to host two World Cup finals, but the 2026 final will be played at AT&T Stadium in Dallas, Texas, so a third final was not on the cards. .
The Mexico City venue has a capacity of 80,000, but its attendance record is much higher, as 119,853 fans packed in when Brazil beat Mexico 2-0 in a friendly, with two goals from Jairzinho. The huge crowd came after El Tri defeated Brazil 2-1 just three days earlier, so fans were clamoring to see if the hosts could spring another upset.
Other venues for the 2026 World Cup for the USA, Canada and Mexico
FIFA announced the full schedule of the 2026 World Cup on February 4, 2024. They revealed the locations of all 104 matches throughout the competition.
USA
Most of the 2026 World Cup will be held in the United States. AT&T Stadium in Dallas, Texas, will host the most games, with nine games at the home of the Dallas Cowboys. Despite numerous reports that one of those games would be the 2026 World Cup final, the big match will be played at MetLife Stadium in the New York City metropolitan area.
The US team will again play its three group stage games in Los Angeles, Seattle and Los Angeles, in that order. Two of those games are at the new SoFi Stadium.
| Market | State | Country | Event | Ability | No. of matches |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NY | New York/New Jersey | USA | MetLife Stadium | 82,500 | 5 group stage matches, Round of 32 match, Round of 16 match, Final |
| dallas | Texas | USA | AT&T Stadium | 80,000 | 5 group stage matches, 2 round of 32 matches, Round of 16 match, semi-final match |
| Kansas City | Kansas | USA | Arrowhead Stadium | 76,416 | 4 group stage matches |
| houston | Texas | USA | NRG Stadium | 71,795 | 5 group stage matches, Round of 32 match, Round of 16 match |
| atlanta | Georgia | USA | Mercedes-Benz Stadium | 71,000 | 5 group stage matches, Round of 32 match, Round of 16 match, semi-final match |
| the Angels | California | USA | Sofia Stadium | 70,240 | 5 group stage matches, 2 round of 32 matches, Quarterfinal match |
| Philadelphia | Pennsylvania | USA | Lincoln Financial Field | 69,176 | 5 group stage matches, Round of 16 match |
| seattle | Washington | USA | light field | 69,000 | 4 group stage matches, Round of 32 match, Round of 16 match |
| San Francisco | California | USA | Levi’s Stadium | 68,500 | 5 group stage matches, Round of 32 match |
| Boston | MOTHER | USA | Gillette Stadium | 65,878 | 5 group stage matches, Round of 32 match, Quarterfinal match |
| Miami | Florida | USA | Hard Rock Stadium | 64,767 | 4 group stage, Round of 32 match, Quarterfinal match match for 3rd place |
Mexico
Mexico will host 10 group stage matches. The Mexican team will play its opening match in Mexico City at the Azteca Stadium, in the first match of the entire 2026 World Cup. They will then play their next matches in Guadalajara, followed by a return to the Azteca in the country’s capital.
| Market | State | Country | Event | Ability | Matches |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mexico City | Mexico | Aztec stadium | 87,523 | 3 group stage matches (including the opening match), Round of 32 match, Round of 16 match |
|
| Monterey | Netherlands | Mexico | BBVA Stadium | 53,500 | 3 group stage matches, Round of 32 match |
| Guadalajara | JAL | Mexico | Akron Stadium | 46,232 | 4 group stage matches |
Canada
Canada will host 10 group stage matches, as will Mexico. The Canadian team will play its first game in Toronto, followed by a pair of games on the opposite coast in Vancouver.
| Market | State | Country | Event | Ability | No. of matches |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| vancouver | BC | Canada | place before Christ | 54,000 | 5 group stage matches, Round of 16 match |
| toronto | IN | Canada | BMO field | 45,500* | 5 group stage matches, Round of 32 match |
