CONCACA president and FIFA vice president Victor Montagliani said Thursday that coaches from the United States, Mexico and Canada's men's national teams have consulted on where each team will start in the 2026 World Cup.
“That discussion wasn't just about the tournament. It also included talking to the federation and its coaches,” Montagliani said. The Athletic In an interview. “You have to respect the team and where they want to start playing.”
Mr. Montagliani said The Athletic He is in Toronto to speak with local business leaders and take part in speaking engagements, but days before that, he is visiting Toronto to talk to local business leaders and take part in speaking engagements, just days before arriving at the 2026 World Cup, which includes match venues for the three co-host countries and the site of the World Cup finals. schedule will be announced.
The vastness of North America means many teams may have travel concerns, and Montagliani said Greg Berhalter, Jaime Lozano and Mauro Biello (each of the U.S. , Mexico, and Canada) provided some insight into their opinions when consulted about the scheduling process.
“They all wanted to have a practice base so they wouldn't have to fly five hours to their practice base after every game,” Montagliani said. “They want to be able to move around and have as much home as possible, right? So we talked about that (with the coaches from the co-host countries).
“They want as much continuity and regularity as possible in the tournament.”
Coach Montagliani emphasized that the opinions of the coaches are not the only factor in determining the opening match between the three co-hosting countries.
“Kickoff time is always important, right? So, that's a different story,” Montagliani said. “It's clear that the stadiums in that country also have to be at a level suitable for the opening game.”
even deeper
2026 Dallas World Cup Bid Committee Chairman has hopes for the final host city: “We haven't checked the box''
“Pods” play a role in scheduling
Montagliani said team location-based pods will be utilized when creating the World Cup schedule, and the increase from 32 to 48 teams will need to be taken into account as well as the size of the host nation. He also emphasized.
It is unlikely that teams will have to play group stage matches outside of their regional clusters.
There are 16 host cities in three countries: the Western region has four cities in Canada and the United States, the Central region has eight cities in the United States and Mexico, and the Eastern region has four cities in Canada and the United States.
Montagliani said Sunday's announcement will allow fans to understand how these regional pods will be affected. The schedule will likely be designed to keep teams in one region of the continent for as long as possible.
Montagliani hinted that the team would be motivated to perform well in the group stage, saying, “Especially if you win the group, you're going to stay on a certain coast, whatever that coast is.”
even deeper
Bigger groups, more matches – what FIFA's latest changes mean for the 2026 World Cup
Canada will play games in Toronto and Vancouver.
At least from the outside looking in, Canada's men's national team faced a difficult schedule. The distance between Canada's only host city, Vancouver, and Toronto spans three time zones. Flight times may be longer. His two cities are part of separate regions designated by FIFA for the 2026 World Cup.
However, when asked if there was a chance Canada would not play group stage games in Toronto or Vancouver, Montagliani said “no.”
“The reality of this World Cup is that although it is held in three countries, from an operational point of view there are 16 cities. There are no real borders,” Montagliani said.
(Photo: Harold Cunningham – FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images)
