As the 2022 Qatar World Cup has reached its end, FIFA is wasting no time in making preparations for 2026 with some highly ambitious – and potentially controversial ─ concepts on the horizon.
The 2026 World Cup will be the first event of its kind to occur in a collaboration between three nations – the United States, Canada, and Mexico. But even more momentous is the fact that it marks an expansion from 32 to 48 participating teams. To accommodate this growth in interest, hosting duties have been divided amongst adjacent countries for convenience. As several joint bids have already emerged for 2030, there’s every indication that international partnerships may become increasingly common hosts of future tournaments!
In 2026, the 23rd FIFA World Cup tournament is anticipated to take place with an extended format of 48 teams between June and July. Initially, European soccer nations expressed their discontentment towards FIFA’s decision to increase the number of qualifying teams; however they have since accepted it as a result of all aspects surrounding the North American event.
According to FIFA’s official regulations, any nation or Football Association is eligible for submitting a bid for the 2030 World Cup so long as they have not hosted it twice before. Leading contenders are Europe and Latin America, making them prime candidates to vie for this coveted event.
What are the venues for the World Cup?
On June 16, 2022, FIFA released a list of the precise locations and cities that would host matches during a live event that was televised around the world from New York City. Among the 23 cities selected by the “United Bid,” which sought to host the 2026 World Cup, there are a total of 16 locations were chosen by FIFA.
Amidst the 2026 World Cup, the United States of America, Canada, and Mexico will be granted a unique chance to share in hosting responsibilities. To limit travel times between games there will be sections of group-stage matches held exclusively within one country.
The Commonwealth Stadium in Edmonton and BMO Field in Toronto have been chosen as the Canadian host venues, while Estadio Azteca, Estadio BBVA Monterrey, and Estadio Akron Guadalajara will serve as Mexico’s official stadiums. For US games locations were narrowed down to Atlanta, Los Angeles Bay Area, Seattle, Dallas/Houston area Kansas City New York/New Jersey region Boston Philadelphia Miami from a list of 17 possible options by tournament organizers.
The tournament’s 80 games will be played over the course of 60 American games, 10 Canadian games, and 10 Mexican games. Both the United States and Mexico have already hosted men’s World Cups, and with Mexico scheduled to host three men’s championships, it will become the first nation to do so (1970, 1986, and 2026).
The list of all cities:
| Country | City | Stadium |
| Canada | Toronto, Ontario | BMO Field |
| Canada | Vancouver, B.C. | BC Place |
| Mexico | Guadalajara, Jalisco | Estadio Akron |
| Mexico | Mexico City | Estadio Azteca |
| Mexico | Monterrey, Nuevo Leon | Estadio BBVA |
| USA | Atlanta, Ga. | Mercedes-Benz Stadium |
| USA | Boston, Mass. | Gillette Stadium |
| USA | Dallas, Tex. | AT&T Stadium |
| USA | Houston, Tex. | NRG Stadium |
| USA | Kansas City, Mo. | Arrowhead Stadium |
| USA | Los Angeles, Calif. | SoFi Stadium |
| USA | Miami, Fla. | Hard Rock Stadium |
| USA | New York / New Jersey | MetLife Stadium |
| USA | Philadelphia, Pa. | Lincoln Financial Field |
| USA | San Francisco, Calif. | Levi’s Stadium |
| USA | Seattle, Wash. | Lumen Field |
With the odds for 2026 already released, what are the chances of the host nations?
One of the greatest games ever played in the history of this amazing competition, the 2022 FIFA World Cup final between Argentina and France had spectators on the edge of their seats. At the end of a thrilling World Cup final, Argentina emerged victorious. Lionel Messi finally succeeded in winning the World Cup after five tries, and Kylian Mbappé gave it his all to help France win back-to-back championships.
Now that everything has been resolved and Argentina has returned home to acclaim, it is time to take a sneak peek at the odds already displayed by some of the sport betting Canada sites for the 2026 World Cup, which will be held in North America.
USA
Despite being a long shot, the USMNT of +1800 odds, has many things working in its favor. For the first time since 1994, the Americans will enjoy a home-field advantage in the 2026 tournament after Wales and England’s games ended in draws in the 2022 edition. With record-breaking World Cup viewership in 2022, 2026 may be the year when this tenacious USA team finally breaks through.
The team definitely needs a prolific forward, but many nations can make that statement. The expectations for the United States will be higher than they were for the 2022 World Cup since they played with a young squad that will be more experienced in 2026. What remains to be seen is if the USMNT can do well at home. The possibility of a long run exists, which is good.
Canada
Source: canadasoccer.com
For the first time since 1986, Canada returned to the World Cup in 2022, and they did it in style by winning CONCACAF qualifying and staying undefeated through to the last match. The World Cup draw that placed the Canadians in a group that was competitive from top to bottom – Group F – was their reward for such a strong qualifying campaign.
Belgium, Croatia, and Morocco completed the group. It all begins with Alphonso Davies, who just being 22 years old, is already one of the greatest footballers in Canadian history. The Bayern Munich left-back has the versatility to play anywhere in the front four or further back in 2026 when he will be more experienced and playing on the left side of the attack. Canada’s odds for the 2026 tournament stand at +10,000.
Mexico
Mexico will undoubtedly be significantly different when the nation serves as one of the hosts in 2026. Tata Martino, the manager, has already left the position after the country’s first group stage exit in 2022 since 1986.
The team appeared to be in need of significant adjustments during the 0-0 draw to Poland to in the group stage and they were also beaten 2-0 by Argentina. However, Mexico finished group play in Qatar on a high note with a victory over Saudi Arabia by a score of 2-1. Their odds for the 2026 World Cup are lodged at +5,000.
