2026 World Cup schedule announcement live updates: Latest information on FIFA deciding host city for finals

AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, and MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey offer very different experiences as the marquee events of world men's soccer, with the location of the finals having a significant impact on where the group games and finals are held. give. Too.

World Cup venues, like the Olympics, are not allowed to use brand names as it is considered a form of ambush marketing, but they are the names best known to fans so here they are. I'll use MetLife and AT&T.

With so much excitement surrounding the coveted fixtures, let's take a closer look at the pros and cons of each venue…

Today, starting at 3pm ET (8pm GMT, 1pm PT), the world will finally learn where the 2026 World Cup Finals will be held.

Will it be held in Texas or New Jersey? Or will Los Angeles' SoFi Stadium be the dark horse to lead both championships?

This decision has been closely guarded. Officials in Texas and New Jersey declined to comment on reports last month that Dallas had secured a grand finale on Sunday, July 19, 2026. On Thursday, sources in the host city said world soccer governing body FIFA had not yet communicated information about the match. Venue selection. They seem to notice the rest of the world.

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, coach Victor Montagliani said “no.”

“The reality of this World Cup is that it's three countries, but from an operational point of view it's 16 cities. There are no real borders,” Montagliani said.

Victor Montagliani said team location-based pods will be utilized when creating the World Cup schedule, and will need to take into account not only the size of the host country, but also the increase from 32 to 48 teams. I have emphasized this many times.

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.”

Coach Victor Montagliani also emphasized that the opinion of the coaching staff is not the only factor determining the opening games of the three co-hosts.

“Kickoff time is always important, right? So that's another story,” Montagliani said. “It's clear that the stadiums in that country also have to be at a level suitable for the opening game.”

The vastness of North America means that many teams may have travel concerns, and Victor Montagliani has moved players like Greg Berhalter, Jaime Lozano, and Mauro Biello (U.S. and Mexico, respectively). , Canadian coach) provided insight into what he said when consulted about the scheduling process. .

“They all wanted to have a practice base so they wouldn't have to travel five hours to a practice base after every game,” Montagliani said. “They want to be mobile and have as much home ownership as possible, right? So we talked about that (with the co-host coaches).

“They want as much continuity and regularity as possible in the tournament.”

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 can read below. “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.

That's a good question. In the words of FIFA: “The allocation of host cities for the 104 games of the game-changing tournament in 2026 will be announced during a special program.

“The broadcast will also reveal the locations of the tournament's opening games in Canada, Mexico and the United States, the group stage locations for each host country's national team, and the venue for the much-anticipated FIFA World Cup Final, scheduled for Sunday the 19th. It will be July 2026.”

Live programming will be broadcast on TSN, CTV and RDS platforms in Canada, Televisa in Mexico, and FOX and Telemundo in the United States.

FIFA+ provides live coverage of events to fans around the world.

And our team of reporters across the United States and around the world is standing by to bring you live reaction to today's announcement on this live blog.

FIFA's 2026 World Cup schedule announcement will take place today.

is set to start at 3:00 PM ET,In other words 12:00 PM Pacific Time and 8pm To everyone who follows us in the UK.