World Cup 2026 Opening Match, Semi-finals, Quarter-finals & Final Locations Announcement
At the weekend, the World Cup organising committee announced the location of the opening match, final, semi-finals, quarter-finals and third-place play-off for the 2026 World Cup finals.
The Azteca in Mexico City will host the opener, which strongly suggests that Mexico will play the first game. The USMNT will debut in one of the best stadiums in the USA. Inglewood’s SoFi stadium The spectacular home to the LA Rams and Chargers of the NFL will undergo some modifications of retractable seats to make more space for a soccer field.
The final will be at the MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. This stadium is home to both of New York City’s NFL teams – the Giants and the Jets. While not as beautiful or modern as the SoFi, the MetLife is still a solid choice
So we have the two biggest showcase games of the tournament being held on each coast of the US. As the senior partner in the 3-nation finals, this makes sense.
The semi-finals and quarter-finals will all be held in the US, with Dallas and Atlanta hosting each semi-final, and Kansas City, Inglewood, Boston and Miami taking care of the quarter-finals. The third-placed playoff will take place in Miami.
It’s a shame that no Canadian stadium will host games past Round 2, but the smaller capacity of the venues in Toronto and Vancouver counted against them.
While it’s a shame that we won’t see more of the iconic Azteca in Mexico, we are glad it will cater for the opener.
Stay tuned for more stadium news for the 2026 World Cup finals as and when we get it.
