(Reuters) – Here is what you need to know about the 2026 FIFA World Cup:
WHERE WILL THE 2026 WORLD CUP TAKE PLACE?
* The 2026 edition of the World Cup will be held in the United States, Canada and Mexico, marking the first time the tournament will be shared by three different countries.
* The United States will host games in Seattle, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Kansas City, Dallas, Atlanta, Houston, Boston, Philadelphia, Miami and New York/New Jersey.
* Mexico will stage matches in Mexico City, Guadalajara and Monterrey.
* Canada will host games in Vancouver and Toronto.
WHEN WILL THE 2026 WORLD CUP TAKE PLACE?
* FIFA is yet to announce the exact dates for the tournament.
* The World Cup will return to its regular slot of June and July in 2026, after organisers opted to host the 2022 edition in November and December due to summer weather conditions in Qatar – where temperatures exceed 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit).
HOW MANY TEAMS WILL FEATURE IN THE 2026 WORLD CUP?
* It will be the first time 48 teams will feature in the tournament, an increase from the 32 that are contesting this year’s event in Qatar.
HAVE THE HOST COUNTRIES PREVIOUSLY STAGED A WORLD CUP?
* Mexico has staged the World Cup twice before, in 1970 and 1986, and will become the first country to have hosted the tournament on three occasions.
* The United States has hosted the tournament once, in 1994.
* Canada has never staged a men’s World Cup, but hosted the women’s edition in 2015.
WHICH OTHER COUNTRIES WERE IN THE RUNNING TO HOST THE 2026 WORLD CUP?
* The other candidate to host the 2026 World Cup was Morocco.
* The tri-nation bid was chosen following a vote by FIFA’s congress in 2018, after it collected 134 votes to 65 for Morocco.
* Morocco’s failed bid was their fifth unsuccessful attempt at securing hosting rights for a World Cup.
(Compiled by Aadi Nair in Bengaluru; Editing by Peter Rutherford)
