Long distances, expensive tickets and more spectator seats than ever before: the 2026 World Cup in North America is one of superlatives. A record 104 matches will be played at 16 venues.
03.06.2026, 18:45
04.06.2026, 14:17
SDA
Due to the many venues and large arenas, the total capacity of the stadiums is higher than ever before, while the travel costs for fans and teams are enormous due to the large distances involved. Together, the stadiums are expected to offer space for around one million fans. The distance between the venues in Vancouver and Miami is around 4500 kilometers as the crow flies. A selection of the most important World Cup venues.
The historic stadium
The opening match between Mexico and South Africa will take place in the historic Aztec Stadium in Mexico City, which will be known as the Mexico City Stadium during the World Cup. With the "match of the century" in the 1970 World Cup semi-final between Italy and West Germany (4:3 n.V.), the 1986 World Cup final between West Germany and Argentina (2:3) or Diego Maradona's "Hand of God" in Argentina's 1986 World Cup quarter-final against England (2:1), the stadium can look back on an important history.
Under its old name, the Azteca Stadium could hold well over 100,000 spectators; as the Estadio Banorte (named after a sponsor), the football temple still offers space for around 83,000 spectators. In addition to the opening match, two further group matches and two knockout matches will be played here. After renovation work for the World Cup, the stadium was reopened in March 2026. The construction work in the heart of Mexico City led to criticism. According to media reports, local residents are concerned about gentrification and rising rents in the residential area around the Azteca Stadium, among other things.
The final stadium
After more than five weeks of play, the new world champion will be crowned here on July 19. The MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey (known as the New York-New Jersey Stadium during the World Cup) has a capacity of 82,500 for the World Cup. In the ranking of the largest football stadiums in Europe, this would be fourth place behind the Camp Nou in Barcelona (99,354), Wembley Stadium in London (90,000) and the Atatürk Stadium in Istanbul (83,000). In normal operation, the stadium is home to the New York Giants and New York Jets football teams.
The stadium was opened in 2010 after two years of construction - according to media reports, the construction costs amounted to almost 1.6 billion dollars. Many fans reach the stadium, which is located around eight kilometers outside of New York, by car: the parking lot in front of the MetLife Stadium is designed for around 30,000 cars. The final of the first edition of the Club World Cup between Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain also took place in East Rutherford in the summer of 2025.
The biggest and the smallest
The largest stadium at the World Cup is the 94,000-capacity Dallas Stadium in Arlington, Texas. The home of the Dallas Cowboys American football team will host nine World Cup matches - more than at any other venue. One of the semi-finals will take place there. With its lockable roof, the arena can be adapted to the local weather conditions.
Less than half as many spectators can be accommodated in the stadium in Toronto. With a capacity of around 45,000 seats, the Toronto Stadium (BMO Field) is the smallest venue at the World Cup. The capacity of the stadium on Lake Ontario was increased by more than 17,000 seats for the World Cup. A total of six World Cup matches will take place in Toronto.
The Volcano Stadium
The stadium in the Mexican venue in Zapopan is an architectural eye-catcher. It is surrounded by around 20,000 square meters of grass and goes by the nickname "El volcán" - "The Volcano". As one of three stadiums in the host country Mexico, the Volcano Stadium is the only World Cup venue that will not host a knockout match. In addition to its architecture, the stadium northwest of the city of Guadalajara is known for its sustainability. Rainwater is collected via the pitch and the roof in a large water tank, which is then used to irrigate the pitch, among other things.
The Swiss venues in the preliminary round
The Swiss national team will play its group matches on the west coast of North America. The first match will be against Qatar on June 13 in the San Francisco Bay Area in Santa Clara, a good 65 kilometers south of downtown San Francisco. The home of the San Francisco 49ers in American football is one of the newer stadiums and will hold 71,000 spectators at the World Cup.
Game 2 against Bosnia-Herzegovina will also take place five days later in the state of California - in Inglewood, a district of Los Angeles around 650 kilometers further south of San Francisco. The capacity here is 70,000 spectators. For the third game on June 24 against co-hosts Canada, the national team will travel more than 2000 kilometers north to Vancouver. The BC Arena, an architectural masterpiece built more than 40 years ago on the banks of False Creek, offers space for 54,000 spectators
The 16 stadiums for the 2026 World Cup in the USA, Canada and Mexico in figures
Toronto, Ontario, Canada:
Name of the stadium: Toronto Stadium (known as BMO Field). - Capacity: 45,000 - Opened: 2007 - Home of: Toronto FC. - Matches at the 2026 World Cup: Five group games, one round of 16 final.
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada:
Name: Vancouver Stadium (BC Place). - Capacity: 54,000 - Opened: 1983 - Home of: Vancouver Whitecaps. - Matches at the 2026 World Cup: Five group games (including Switzerland - Canada on June 24, 9 p.m. Swiss time), one round of 16 final, one round of 16 final.
Mexico City, Mexico:
Name: Mexico City Stadium (Azteca Stadium). - Capacity: 83,000 - Opened: 1966 - Home of: Club América. - Matches at the 2026 World Cup: Three group games, one round of 16 final, one round of 16 final.
Zapopan, Jalisco, Mexico:
Name: Guadalajara Stadium (Estadio Akron). - Capacity: 48,000 - Opened: 2010 - Home ground of: C.D. Guadalajara. - Matches at the 2026 World Cup: Four group games.
Guadalupe, Nuevo León, Mexico:
Name: Monterrey Stadium (Estadio BBVA). - Capacity: 53,500 - Opened: 2015 - Home ground of: CF Monterrey. - Matches at the 2026 World Cup: Three group games, one round of 16 final.
Atlanta, Georgia, USA:
Name: Atlanta Stadium (Mercedes-Benz Stadium). - Capacity: 75,000 - Opened: 2017 - Home of: Atlanta United (MLS), Atlanta Falcons (NFL) - Matches at the 2026 World Cup: Five group games, one round of 16 final, one round of 16 final, one semi-final.
Foxborough, Massachusetts, USA:
Name: Boston Stadium (Gillette Stadium). - Capacity: 65,000 - Opened: 2002 - Home of: New England Revolution (MLS), New England Patriots (NFL) - Matches at the 2026 World Cup: Five group games, one round of 16, one quarterfinal.
Arlington, Texas, USA:
Name: Dallas Stadium (AT&T Stadium). - Capacity: 94,000 - Opened: 2009 - Home of: Dallas Cowboys (NFL) - Games at the 2026 World Cup: Five group games, two round of 16 finals, one round of 16 final, one semi-final.
Houston, Texas, USA:
Name: Houston Stadium (NRG Stadium). - Capacity: 72,000 - Opened: 2002 - Home of: MLS All-Star Game, Houston Texans (NFL) - Matches at the 2026 World Cup: Five group games, one round of 16 final, one round of 16 final.
Kansas City, Missouri, USA:
Name: Kansas City Stadium (Arrowhead Stadium). - Capacity: 73,000 - Opened: 1972 - Home of: Sporting KC (MLS), Kansas City Chiefs (NFL) - Matches at the 2026 World Cup: Four group games, one round of 16 final, one quarterfinal.
Inglewood, California, USA:
Name: Los Angeles Stadium (SoFi Stadium). - Capacity: 70,000 - Opened: 2020 - Home of: Los Angeles Rams and Los Angeles Chargers (both NFL) - Matches at the 2026 World Cup: Five group matches (including Switzerland - Bosnia-Herzegovina on June 18, 9 p.m. Swiss time), two round of 16 finals, one quarterfinal.
Miami Gardens, Florida, USA:
Name: Miami Stadium (Hard Rock Stadium). - Capacity: 65,000 - Opened: 1987 - Home of: Miami Dolphins (NFL), Miami Formula 1 GP, Miami Open (tennis). - Matches at the 2026 World Cup: Four group games, one round of 16 final, one quarterfinal, 3rd place game.
East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA:
Name: New York-New Jersey Stadium (MetLife Stadium). - Capacity: 82,500 - Opened: 2010 - Home of: New York Giants, New York Jets (both NFL) - Games at the 2026 World Cup: Five group games, one round of 16, one round of 16, FINAL on July 19 (9 p.m. Swiss time).
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA:
Name: Philadelphia Stadium (Lincoln Financial Field). - Capacity: 69,000 - Opened: 2003 - Home of: Philadelphia Eagles (NFL) - Matches at the 2026 World Cup: Five group games, one round of 16.
Santa Clara, California, USA:
Name: San Francisco Bay Area (Levi's Stadium). - Capacity: 71,000 - Opened: 2014 - Home of: San Francisco 49ers (NFL) - Games at the 2026 World Cup: Five group games (including Qatar - Switzerland on June 13, 9 p.m. Swiss time), one round of 16 final.
Seattle, Washington, USA:
Name: Seattle Stadium (Lumen Field). - Capacity: 69,000 - Opened: 2002 - Home of: Seattle Sounders (MLS), Seattle Seahawks (NFL) - Matches at the 2026 World Cup: Four group games, one round of 16 final, one round of 16 final.
