The 2026 FIFA World Cup, the first edition of the tournament to feature 48 teams, will be hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico.
New York/New Jersey will stage the final on July 19, 2026, with matches taking place in 16 other cities across the three host countries.
FIFA has confirmed the schedule and potential routes to the final for the host nations.
The Athletic has examined how the USMNT, Canada, and Mexico could reach the tournament’s final and their possible journeys along the way.
USMNT potential routes to final
The USMNT will be in Group D for the World Cup in 2026.
Here are their fixtures and potential routes to the final:
If they finish top of Group D
Game one: Friday, June 12 — SoFi Stadium (Inglewood, California)
Game two: Friday, June 19 — Lumen Field (Seattle, Washington)
Game three: Thursday, June 25 — SoFi Stadium (Inglewood, California)
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Round of 32: Wednesday, July 1 — Levi’s Stadium (Santa Clara, California)
Round of 16: Monday, July 6 — Lumen Field (Seattle, Washington)
Quarter-final: Friday, July 10 — SoFi Stadium (Inglewood, California)
Semi-final: Tuesday, July 14 — AT&T Stadium (Arlington, Texas)
Final: Sunday, July 19 — MetLife Stadium (New Jersey, New York)
If they finish second in Group D
Game one: Friday, June 12 — SoFi Stadium (Inglewood, California)
Game two: Friday, June 19 — Lumen Field (Seattle, Washington)
Game three: Thursday, June 25 — SoFi Stadium (Inglewood, California)
Round of 32: Friday, July 3 — AT&T Stadium (Arlington, Texas)
Round of 16: Tuesday, July 7 — Mercedes-Benz Stadium (Atlanta, Georgia)
Quarter-final: Saturday, July 11 — Arrowhead Stadium (Kansas City, Missouri)
Semi-final: Wednesday, July 15 — Mercedes-Benz Stadium (Atlanta, Georgia)
Final: Sunday, July 19 — MetLife Stadium (New Jersey, New York)
Canada potential routes to final
Canada will be in Group B for the 2026 tournament.
Here are their fixtures and potential routes to the final…
If they finish top of Group B
Game one: Friday, June 12 — BMO Field (Toronto, Canada)
Game two: Thursday, June 18 — BC Place (Vancouver, Canada)
Game three: Wednesday, June 24 — BC Place (Vancouver, Canada)
Round of 32: Thursday, July 2 — BC Place (Vancouver, Canada)
Round of 16: Tuesday, July 7 — BC Place (Vancouver, Canada)
Quarter-final: Saturday, July 11 — Arrowhead Stadium (Kansas City, Missouri)
Semi-final: Wednesday, July 15 — Mercedes-Benz Stadium (Atlanta, Georgia)
Final: Sunday, July 19 — MetLife Stadium (New Jersey, New York)
If they finish second in Group B
Game one: Friday, June 12 — BMO Field (Toronto, Canada)
Game two: Thursday, June 18 — BC Place (Vancouver, Canada)
Game three: Wednesday, June 24 — BC Place (Vancouver, Canada)
Round of 32: Sunday, June 28 — SoFi Stadium (Inglewood, California)
Round of 16: Saturday, July 4 — NRG Stadium (Houston, Texas)
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Quarter-final: Thursday, July 9 — Gillette Stadium (Boston, Massachusetts)
Semi-final: Tuesday, July 14 — AT&T Stadium (Arlington, Texas)
Final: Sunday, July 19 — MetLife Stadium (New Jersey, New York)
Mexico potential routes to final
Mexico will be in Group A for the 2026 World Cup.
Here are their fixtures and potential routes to the final…
If they finish top of Group A
Game one: Thursday, June 11 — Estadio Azteca (Mexico City)
Game two: Thursday, June 18 — Estadio Akron (Guadalajara, Mexico)
Game three: Wednesday, June 24 — Estadio Azteca (Mexico City)
Round of 32: Tuesday, June 30 — Estadio Azteca (Mexico City)
Round of 16: Sunday, July 5 — Estadio Azteca (Mexico City)
Quarter-final: Saturday, July 11 — Hard Rock Stadium (Miami, Florida)
Semi-final: Wednesday, July 15 — Mercedes-Benz Stadium (Atlanta, Georgia)
Final: Sunday, July 19 — MetLife Stadium (New Jersey, New York)
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Everything you need to know about the 2026 World Cup
If they finish second in Group A
Game one: Thursday, June 11 — Estadio Azteca (Mexico City)
Game two: Thursday, June 18 — Estadio Akron (Guadalajara, Mexico)
Game three: Wednesday, June 24 — Estadio Azteca (Mexico City)
Round of 32: Sunday, June 28 — SoFi Stadium (Inglewood, California)
Round of 16: Saturday, July 4 — NRG Stadium (Houston, Texas)
Quarter-final: Thursday, July 9 — Gillette Stadium (Boston, Massachusetts)
Semi-final: Tuesday, July 14 — AT&T Stadium (Arlington, Texas)
Final: Sunday, July 19 — MetLife Stadium (New Jersey, New York)
Could the host nations play any more fixtures?
Should any of the host nations progress to the semi-final, but then fail to win that match, they could play in the third–fourth place match, also known as the ‘Bronze Final’, on Saturday, July 18.
That particular match will be played at the Hard Rock Stadium, Miami.
How does the tournament work?
The 2026 World Cup will be the first to feature 48 teams, a significant increase from the 32-team format used since 1998. This expansion introduces a more complex format to accommodate the additional teams.
Previous format (1998-2022)
In the past, the World Cup had eight groups of four teams each. Every team played the others in their group once. The top two teams from each group advanced to the knockout stages, which included the round of 16, quarter-finals, semi-finals, and the final.
New format for 2026
Group Stage: There will be 12 groups of four teams each.
Qualification: The USMNT, Canada, and Mexico automatically qualify as host nations. The remaining 45 spots will be determined through continental qualifying competitions.
Progression: The top two teams from each group will advance to the knockout stage. Additionally, the eight best third-placed teams will also progress, similar to the format used in the UEFA European Championship.
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Knockout stage
Structure: A total of 32 teams will move on to the knockout stage, which now includes an extra round due to the expanded format.
Continuation: The tournament will proceed with the round of 32, followed by the round of 16, quarter-finals, semi-finals, and the final, maintaining the traditional knockout format from past tournaments.
Are tickets on sale?
No.
With more than two years to go until the tournament kicks off, there is little public information about tickets.
A page on the FIFA website allows people to register their details to receive information about tickets when it becomes available.
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(Stuart Franklin/Getty Images)