MIAMI: The 2026 World Cup final will be held in New York/New Jersey at the home of the National Football League’s New York Giants and New York Jets, organisers FIFA announced on Sunday, along with the entire schedule for the global football showcase.

The New York bid held off a strong challenge from Dallas to secure the July 19 game at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, the culmination of the expanded 48-team tournament being co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico.

The competition will kickoff with the opening game at Mexico City’s iconic Azteca Stadium on June 11.

“The most inclusive and impactful FIFA World Cup ever is no longer a dream but a reality that will take shape in the form of 104 matches in 16 state-of-the-art stadiums across Canada, Mexico and the USA,” said FIFA president Gianni Infantino.

“From the opening match at the iconic Estadio Azteca to the spectacular final in New York/New Jersey, players and fans have been at the core of our extensive planning for this game-changing tournament... that will not only set new records but also leave an indelible legacy.”

Canada will host 13 games in total, including 10 in the group stage split evenly between Toronto and Vancouver. Mexico will also get 13 games, including 10 during the group stage in Mexico City, Guadalajara and Monterrey. The rest of tournament will be held in 11 cities across the United States.

Atlanta and Dallas will host the semi-finals while the third-place game will be played in Miami. The quarter-final games will take place in Los Angeles, Kansas City, Miami and Boston.

Toronto, Mexico City, and Los Angeles will host the opening matches of their respective national teams.

The 1994 World Cup was also held in the United States and the final took place at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, near Los Angeles.

New York hosted games at that tournament at the old Giants Stadium, which was later demolished to make way for MetLife, which opened in 2010.

The decisions were announced on a live television broadcast in North America that featured Infantino alongside comedian and actor Kevin Hart, rapper Drake and celebrity Kim Kardashian.

The 82,500-seat MetLife Stadium, across the Hudson River from New York in East Rutherford, New Jersey, hosted the Copa America Centenario final in 2016 when Chile denied Lionel Messi’s Argentina for a second time in a penalty shootout.

The New York bid had lobbied hard on the city’s experience at hosting major international events and its position as a global city with easy transportation connections for fans.

Dallas had hoped that AT&T Stadium, in Arlington, Texas, home to the NFL’s Dallas Cowboys, would benefit from having a roof to protect the game from the elements.

There is some compensation for Dallas with the venue being given nine total games — the most of any venue.

Los Angeles had also thrown a hat into the ring but the attempt struggled amid disagreements with FIFA about tournament upgrades needed to NFL venue SoFi Stadium.

FIFA did not announce kickoff times for the games.

HISTORY FOR AZTECA

The Azteca will become the first stadium to host World Cup tournament games in three separate editions on June 11. The opening day will also feature a match in Guadalajara.

Mexico head coach Jaime Lozano, said in translated comments that his squad will have pressure playing in front of home fans but that they are also happy to feature in the opening game and called it a special day in his life and of the national team.

Mexico hosted the World Cup in 1970 and 1986, with the finals of both editions held at Estadio Azteca where Pele’s Brazil crushed Italy 4-1 and Diego Maradona’s Argentina beat West Germany 3-2.

Maradona also scored the famous “Hand of God” goal and the “Goal of the Century” at the same venue in a 2-1 victory over England in the 1986 quarter-finals.

The World Cup will take place during celebrations of the 250th anniversary of American independence.

A round-of-16 game will be held on July 4, Independence Day, in Philadelphia, where the US Declaration of Independence was signed.

The United States will kick off group stage competition at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles on June 12.

The first match in Canada, which has never hosted a World Cup game, will be June 12 in Toronto at the home of the city’s Major League Soccer team.

HOME SWEET HOME

Each of the tournament hosts will spend the group stage in their own countries, with the United States sticking to the West Coast and playing twice in Los Angeles and once in Seattle.

“We’re really counting on the public getting behind us,” said US men’s national team head coach Gregg Berhalter. “I’m excited for the public to get to know some of our players and really get a personal connection with them because it’s a great group of guys.”

Canada will play one group stage game in Toronto followed by two in Vancouver while Mexico will play twice at Estadio Azteca and once in Guadalajara.

Canada are winless in six matches across their two World Cup appearances and only scored their first goal in 2022 but interim head coach Mauro Biello admitted expectations will be much higher playing at home.

“I think about that game in Qatar when we scored our first goal, and I am sure when we get that first win it will be a great moment for this country,” said Biello. “And that’s the objective, win the first one and then move on to the next round.”

The 2026 World Cup will feature 104 matches instead of the traditional 64 games, including an additional knockout round due to the previously announced decision to expand to 48 teams from 32.

The tournament will take the format of 12 groups of four teams with the top two going through along with the eight best third-placed teams.

From there, the competition is a straight knock-out format with the finalists having to play eight games rather than the previous seven.

Given both the distance and different climates across the 16 host cities, FIFA opted to divide the venues being used into three regions — east, central and west — with teams operating out of a base camp in the same region as their games.

Published in Dawn, February 6th, 2024