On Wednesday, May 17th, the Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) unveiled the logo for the 2026 games. Though the logo has been met with mixed reviews with many calling it boring and “uninspired”, the 2026 games will be anything but boring as they will be the largest edition of the tournament.
The 2026 World Cup will take place in the United States, Mexico, and Canada and will be the first tournament to involve 48 teams, the most teams to ever participate with the previous system allowing 32 teams. The games will begin on June 11th, 2026 and the final will be on July 19th, 2026.
At the logo unveiling event that occurred at the Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles, FIFA President Gianni Infantino said, “We are 26 is a rallying cry. It’s a moment when three countries and an entire continent collectively say, ‘We are united as one to welcome the world and deliver the biggest, best, and most inclusive FIFA World Cup ever.’” He continued, “The tournament will enable each host country and participating team to write their own page in the history books of FIFA World Cups, and this unique brand is a major step on that road to 2026.”
Victor Montagliani, FIFA Vice President, said, “The FIFA World Cup 2026 will be a festival of football that will take the sport to new heights in the Concacaf region and beyond. With 104 matches to be played across 16 cities in Canada, Mexico, and the USA, it provides a tremendous opportunity to engage people and bring new fans to the beautiful game.”
In the U.S., the games will be hosted in Atlanta, Boston, Dallas, Houston, Kansas City, Los Angeles, Miami, New York/New Jersey, Philadelphia, San Francisco/Bay Area, and Seattle. In Canada, the games will be hosted in Toronto and Vancouver. In Mexico, the games will be hosted in Guadalajara, Mexico City, and Monterrey. Players from across the world will play in stadiums in different climates, altitudes, and sea levels.
Montagliani continued, “This innovative brand, and the inclusive ‘WE ARE 26’ campaign, are major milestones that bring opportunity a step closer, and they send a clear signal that this incredible competition is now truly on the horizon.”
At a FIFA World Cup 2026 Kickoff event in Times Square, New York City Mayor Eric Adams, and New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy discussed how monumental an opportunity hosting the tournament in the two states would be. Governor Murphy said, “We think we’re going to get at least eight games – that’s eight Super Bowls. Every single ticket will be sold out, I guarantee you.”
Over the past 15 years, countries that have hosted the FIFA World Cup have seen over 3 million people in attendance, with the record being held by the 1994 U.S. World Cup games, which saw 3.5 million fans in attendance at the tournament. The 2026 World Cup games will be the first game in which the tournament is hosted in multiple countries since the 2002 FIFA tournament, which saw games hosted in South Korea and Japan.
