World Cup 2026 schedule confirmed as FIFA select host city and stadium for final

World Cup 2026 schedule confirmed as FIFA select host city and stadium for final
The schedule for the 2026 World Cup has been announced, with New York/New Jersey's MetLife Stadium hosting the final and Mexico City's Estadio Azteca holding the opening fixture.

Mexico, Canada and the United States will all host a varying amount of matches during the tournamement. It will be the first 48-team World Cup, after Argentina won the final 32-team edition in 2022.

Some 16 host cities have been chosen for the tournament, which will be the first held in North America since 1994. In total, there will be 104 matches played as national teams from across the world vie for victory.

FIFA chief Gianni Infantino was on hand to make the announcement of the schedule, joining actor and host Kevin Hart in the studio. Qualifying has already begun for some countries, with the South American qualifiers kicking off in 2023.

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Mexico will take part in the opener, at the same venue which played host to the 1986 final. On that occasion, Argentina claimed a dramatic victory over West Germany, with Jorge Luis Burruchaga scoring the winner.

It isn't the only venue in Mexico to be handed games. Monterrey and Guadalajara will also host games, as they did back in the 1986 edition.

Canada has two host cities to Mexico's three, and Toronto will hold the country's first ever men's World Cup game. Vancouver has also been selected as a venue for the tournament, but Toronto is due to hold five games in the groups, including Canada's first on June 12, 2026.

Who will win the 2026 World Cup? Have your say in the comments section

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00:00:00 Tri-hosting Announcement
00:00:18 Unprecedented Format
00:00:38 Grand Finale at MetLife Stadium
00:00:59 Hosting Responsibilities
00:01:17 Tournament Schedule
00:01:50 Historic Event