2026 World Cup Final Set for New Jersey, Opener in Mexico

FIFA, the international governing body of soccer, has declared that the final of the 2026 World Cup will take place in New Jersey at MetLife Stadium, which is home to the NFL’s New York Giants and New York Jets. The announcement was made on Sunday, alongside the full schedule for the prestigious international soccer tournament.

The tournament, which has been expanded to include 48 teams, will wrap up on July 19 at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford. This stadium, known for its open-air design and seating capacity of 82,500, previously hosted the Copa America Centenario final in 2016, a memorable event where Chile triumphed over Argentina in a penalty shootout, denying Lionel Messi a win.

The honor of hosting the opening match on June 11 goes to Mexico City’s Estadio Azteca, marking Mexico as the first country to host the World Cup three times. The Estadio Azteca is historically significant, having hosted the World Cup finals in both 1970 and 1986, where it witnessed Pele’s Brazil defeating Italy and Diego Maradona’s Argentina overcoming West Germany.

Canada, a first-time host for World Cup matches, will have its inaugural game in Toronto at the stadium of the city’s Major League Soccer team on June 12. The first match in the United States will be held in Los Angeles at the NFL’s Rams stadium.

This 2026 World Cup is set to be unique, with a total of 104 matches being played, a significant increase from the traditional 64 games. This expansion is due to the recent decision to increase the number of participating teams from 32 to 48, which necessitates an additional knockout round.