The 16 venues: from Azteca to MetLife

The 2026 World Cup is split for the first time across three countries and sixteen host cities, from the iconic Estadio Azteca in Mexico City to the imposing MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, in the New York area. It is the most ambitious map in the tournament's history, with venues spanning thousands of kilometres, several time zones and very different climates. This guide tours all 16 venues country by country.

Mexico brings three stadiums steeped in tradition. The Estadio Azteca in Mexico City, with a capacity close to 80,800, is the historic heart of Mexican football and hosted the opening match. The Estadio Akron in Zapopan, home of Guadalajara, holds around 45,700 and blends modern design with a spectacular setting. The Estadio BBVA in Guadalupe, in the Monterrey metropolitan area, seats about 51,200 and is one of the country's most cutting-edge arenas. All three share a time zone (UTC-6, with no daylight saving) but sit at very different altitudes, a factor to watch in Mexico City.

The United States hosts the bulk of the venues, eleven in all, spread across the country. In the east stand the MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford (around 80,700), which will stage the final, and Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia (about 68,300), alongside Gillette Stadium in Foxborough (near 64,100) in the Boston area, Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta (about 68,200) and Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens (about 64,500).

In the centre of the country, AT&T Stadium in Arlington (around 70,600), with its trademark retractable roof, NRG Stadium in Houston (about 68,800) and Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City (around 69,000) provide three imposing venues in the Central zone. The West Coast adds SoFi Stadium in Inglewood (around 70,500), Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara (about 68,800) and Lumen Field in Seattle (around 66,900), all on Pacific time.

Canada completes the map with two venues. BC Place in Vancouver, holding around 52,500 with its retractable roof, is the Canadian Pacific stage, while BMO Field in Toronto, the smallest at the tournament with about 43,000 seats, brings the football atmosphere of the country's east. Both will be key to the Canadian national team's matches.

Beyond the numbers, the differences matter: roofed stadiums versus open-air grounds, sea-level cities versus the altitude of Mexico City, and trips that can cross several time zones from one match to the next. Logistics will be another competitive variable in a tournament of continental scale.

Knowing each venue helps you follow the World Cup with context: where games are played, in what climate and before what crowd. From the heritage of the Azteca to the sheer scale of MetLife, the 16 cities sketch a tournament experienced from coast to coast across North America.