2026 World Cup to make history with 3 host nations

The 2026 FIFA World Cup is set to break new ground as the tournament will be hosted by three countries for the first time in its history.

The expanded competition, featuring 48 national teams, will be jointly organized by the United States, Canada, and Mexico, creating the largest and most geographically spread-out World Cup ever staged.
First launched in Uruguay in 1930, the FIFA World Cup has previously been held 22 times.

While most editions were hosted by a single nation, the only previous co-hosted tournament came in 2002, when Japan and South Korea shared hosting duties.

The 2026 edition will officially kick off on June 11 with an opening match between Mexico national football team and South Africa national football team at Mexico City Stadium. The tournament will conclude on July 19 with the final at New Jersey Stadium in the New York metropolitan area after more than a month of competition.

A total of 104 matches will be played across 16 stadiums located in four different time zones. The United States will host the majority of the games, staging 78 matches throughout the tournament.

Among the venues, Dallas Stadium will be the largest with a capacity of around 94,000 spectators, while Toronto’s stadium will be the smallest, accommodating approximately 45,000 fans.

The tournament’s scale reflects FIFA’s push to turn the World Cup into an even larger global event, with expanded participation and broader commercial reach across North America.

The only previous World Cup shared by two countries came in 2002, when Japan and South Korea co-hosted the event. That tournament also marked the first time the World Cup was held in Asia.