The 2026 FIFA World Cup final will be played at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey on 19th July after FIFA revealed the official match schedule for the tournament on Sunday.
The next World Cup, being held in the United States, Mexico and Canada, will be the inaugural 48-team version of the competition and will feature 104 matches across 39 days. In contrast, the 2022 World Cup in Qatar took place across 29 days and included 64 matches.
The 16 venues across North America in place for the 2026 World Cup were selected by FIFA in June 2022.
The 82,500-seater MetLife Stadium is home to NFL franchises, New York Giants and New York Jets, and is located in the borough of East Rutherford. Previous sporting events held at the venue include the final of the Copa America Centenario in 2016 and Super Bowl XLVIII in 2014.
One of the semi-final matches at this summer's Copa America will be held at the stadium, in addition to two group-stage matches.
MetLife Stadium was previously reported to be among the strong contenders to host the final and was putting plans in place for the venue to be the best suited for big World Cup matches. In turn, the stadium would be viewed as a wise venue choice for the climax of the tournament.
New Jersey Governor, Phil Murphy, reacted to the announcement, saying: "As an advocate for this region, and a lifelong soccer fan, I am thrilled that FIFA chose to place their trust in New York, New Jersey to host the historic FIFA World Cup 26 Final."
Murphy went on to add: "This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for our entire region; hosting the final provides NYNJ an unparalleled platform to brilliantly showcase what we stand for – diversity, equality, access, and inclusion."
Along with the final, a further seven matches at the 2026 World Cup will be played at MetLife Stadium, including a Round of 32 and Round of 16 tie.
The opening match of the tournament will be played at the Azteca Stadium in Mexico City on 11th June, with Mexico featuring in the game. The venue is part of World Cup folklore, having hosted the final of the 1970 and 1986 World Cups.
Mexico will also play its third group stage game at the Azteca Stadium, whilst Estadio Akron in Zapopan will be the venue for the team's second group match.
The US will kick off its 2026 World Cup campaign on June 12th at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, with the team playing its third group match there as well. For the US's second match, the team will play at Lumen Field in Seattle.
US manager, Gregg Berhalter, reacted to the venue announcement for his side's matches, commenting: "You think of LA an iconic soccer city, already hosting two World Cup finals with the men's in 1994 and the women's in 1999 and 2003. There's a lot going on in LA and SoFi Stadium is an amazing venue."
Berhalter added: "Then Seattle with its rich fan culture, loud atmosphere in the stadium, it's going to be an incredible atmosphere in all those stadiums."
Canada will kick off its campaign in Toronto at BMO Field on June 12th in what will be the first-ever men's World Cup game played in the country. The team's next two group matches will then be played in Vancouver at BC Place.
Interim Canada manager, Mauro Biello, is happy that his nation gets to begin its campaign at BMO Field. He stated: "We've had a lot of success in that stadium, especially in World Cup qualifying."
Biello also touched on the significance of Canada playing in both Toronto and Vancouver, saying: "It's important to be coast-to-coast and allow fans to see their team and be able to see this type of competition."
AT&T Stadium in Texas is set to host the highest number of matches at the tournament with nine, including one of the semi-finals. The other semi-final will be played at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, whilst the third-place match will take place in Miami at Hard Rock Stadium.
