49 stadiums in 44 cities are on the list of potential World Cup host cities released today by the 2026 United Bid Committee. The U.S. will host 60 of the 80 games, so it is no surprise that American cities and stadia dominate the list with 44 cities and 49 facilities appearing on this initial list.
Canada has submitted nine stadiums from seven municipalities while Mexico has proposed just three stadiums from three cities
Although FIFA rules stipulate that stadiums must hold at least 40,000 to host group stage matches and 80,000 to be considered for the World Cup opener or final, several stadiums fall short of the 40,000 threshold.
This will be the first World Cup to field 48 nations, up from 32, so there may well be some less attractive games, making the smaller capacity stadiums attractive, making a FIFA exception or rule change possible.
Below is the full list of potential World Cup host cities and stadia.
Proposed stadiums and metropolitan markets for further consideration
Metropolitan Market – Stadium – Capacity
United States (34 cities, 37 stadiums)
Atlanta, GA
Mercedes-Benz Stadium – 75,000
Baltimore, MD
M&T Bank Stadium – 71,008
Birmingham, AL
Legion Field – 71,594
Boston, MA (Foxborough, MA)
Gillette Stadium – 65,892
Charlotte, NC
Bank of America Stadium – 75,400
Chicago, IL
Soldier Field – 61,500
Cincinnati, OH
Paul Brown Stadium – 65,515
Cleveland, OH
FirstEnergy Stadium – 68,710
Dallas, TX
Cotton Bowl – 92,100
Dallas, TX (Arlington, TX)
AT&T Stadium – 105,000
Denver, CO
Sports Authority Field at Mile High – 76,125
Detroit, MI
Ford Field – 65,000
Green Bay, WI
Lambeau Field – 81,441
Houston, TX
NRG Stadium – 71,500
Indianapolis, IN
Lucas Oil Stadium – 65,700
Jacksonville, FL
EverBank Field – 64,000
Kansas City, MO
Arrowhead Stadium – 76,416
Las Vegas, NV
Raiders Stadium – 72,000
Los Angeles, CA
Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum – 78,500
Los Angeles, CA (Inglewood, CA)
LA Stadium at Hollywood Park – TBD
Los Angeles, CA (Pasadena, CA)
Rose Bowl – 87,527
Miami, FL
Hard Rock Stadium – 65,767
Minneapolis, MN
U.S. Bank Stadium – 63,000
Nashville, TN
Nissan Stadium – 69,143
New Orleans, LA
Mercedes-Benz Superdome – 72,000
New York/New Jersey (East Rutherford, NJ)
MetLife Stadium – 82,500
Orlando, FL
Camping World Stadium – 65,000
Philadelphia, PA
Lincoln Financial Field -69,328
Phoenix, AZ (Glendale, AZ)
University of Phoenix Stadium – 73,000
Pittsburgh, PA
Heinz Field – 68,400
Salt Lake City, UT
Rice-Eccles Stadium – 45,807
San Antonio, TX
Alamodome – 72,000
San Diego, CA
Qualcomm Stadium – 71,500
San Francisco/San Jose, CA (Santa Clara, CA)
Levi’s Stadium – 75,000
Seattle, WA
CenturyLink Field – 69,000
Tampa, FL
Raymond James Stadium – 73,309
Washington, DC (Landover, MD)
FedEx Field – 82,000
Canada (7 cities, 9 stadiums)
Calgary, Alberta
McMahon Stadium – 35,650
Edmonton, Alberta
Commonwealth Stadium – 56,335
Montréal, Québec
Stade Olympique – 61,004
Montréal, Québec
Stade Saputo – 20,801
Ottawa, Ontario
TD Place Stadium – 24,341
Regina, Saskatchewan
Mosaic Stadium – 30,048
Toronto, Ontario
Rogers Centre – 53,506
Toronto, Ontario
BMO Field – 28,026
Vancouver, British Columbia
BC Place – 55,165
Mexico (3 cities, 3 stadiums)
Guadalajara, Jalisco
Estadio Chivas – 45,364
Mexico City
Estadio Azteca – 87,000
Monterrey, Nuevo León
Estadio Rayados – 52,237
