Vancouver, B.C. and Toronto, Ont. have been selected to host a combined 10 matches at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, hosted by Canada, the United States and Mexico. The announcement was made in New York City on Thursday.
The 2026 World Cup will see an increase in participants from 32 to 48 countries, making this event the largest of its kind. More competing countries means the number of matches will increase from the traditional 64 to 80.
Canada and Mexico will host 10 matches each while the United States will host 60. Edmonton Alta. was a candidate to be a host city but was left out as FIFA decided to go with 11 American cities and 3 Mexican cities.
The bids from Canadian cities to host the World Cup has been controversial due to the massive taxpayer costs associated with the event. A report from the City of Toronto showed that it could cost the city up to $290 million to host just a small number of matches.
According to a 2018 study by US Soccer, hosting the 2026 World Cup could create $5 billion in economic activity in North America. This will be created by tourism and employment associated with the event.
Matches in Toronto will be played at BMO Field—the home of MLS team Toronto FC and CFL team the Toronto Argonauts. BMO Field’s capacity is 30,000 people, but it can accommodate up to 40,000 with extra seating for special events. It’s also where Canada clinched a spot for the 2022 World Cup during the qualification round earlier this year.
Toronto Mayor John Tory welcomes the #WorldCup2026! pic.twitter.com/ej3FJvAIYF
— TSN (@TSN_Sports) June 16, 2022
Toronto Mayor John Tory said in a video presented during the announcement broadcast that “this global city is ready to welcome the global game and we’re going to do it right.”
Matches in Vancouver will be played at BC Place. BC Place hosted the 2015 Women’s World Cup final between the United States and Japan and has 54,500 seats. It’s also the home of MLS team Vancouver Whitecaps and the BC Lions CFL team.
Vancouver Mayor Kennedy Stewart tweeted “I can’t wait to welcome fans and players to our city! And I know we’re especially looking forward to cheering on the Canadian Men’s National Team for the first time ever on home soil!”
https://twitter.com/kennedystewart/status/1537548463902076929
Seattle, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Kansas City, Dallas, Atlanta, Houston, Boston, Philadelphia, Miami and New York/NewJersey are selected as the American host cities.
The Mexican cities selected are Guadalajara, Monterrey and Mexico City.
Canada has never hosted the World Cup but did host the 2015 Women’s World Cup where Edmonton and Vancouver were both host cities. Mexico has hosted the World Cup twice before in 1970 and 1984. The U.S. hosted the World Cup in 1994.
The selected cities will now make preparations to host the event for the summer of 2026. These preparations will include bringing their venues up to World Cup standards and increasing the capacity for some stadiums. Host cities will also prepare for the large increase in tourists visiting their cities.
Featured Image By Spencer Colby.
