The 2026 World Cup is the largest tournament ever. A total of 16 venues will play host to this summer’s big games, and each has a story to tell about the past, present and future of sports in its city. Stadium names may look unfamiliar, as we are using the Fifa-approved names instead of the sponsored names that run afoul of the governing body’s clean venue rules.
What to know: BC Place has one of the most distinctive architectural features you’ll see at this World Cup: a cable-supported retractable roof, the largest of its kind in the world. The feature was a late addition to the stadium, part of a major renovation that took place immediately after the 2010 Winter Olympics that got rid of the previous permanent roof.
When open in the sun, the cables cast a shadow across the field, which is either pleasantly distinctive or terribly distracting, depending on your point of view. Recent reports indicate the roof will remain closed for the World Cup, due to potential issues with uneven sunlight affecting the growth of the natural grass surface that is being imported for the occasion. Should Fifa decide to open it, though, it won’t be a huge operation – that process takes about 20 minutes.
Memorable event (non-soccer): The opening and closing ceremonies of the 2010 Winter Olympics were held at BC Place. It was the first Olympic opening ceremony to be held indoors. Hockey legend Wayne Gretzky was among the torch bearers to light the Olympic cauldron at the opening ceremony, and Canadian singer-songwriter Neil Young sang as it was extinguished at the closing ceremony.
Memorable game (soccer): The 2015 Women’s World Cup final, where Carli Lloyd’s hat-trick led the US to a 5-2 win over Japan and their first World Cup title in 16 years. The official crowd was 53,341 and the game tied a record set 1958 for the most goals in a men’s or women’s World Cup final.
What to know: Seattle Stadium sits on the site formerly occupied US located within its city’s urban core. Aside from its location, the stadium’s distinctive architecture makes it stand out. In particular, it features three rarities for outdoor NFL stadiums.
One is its roof, covering most of the seats along the sidelines. Another is the pyramid-shaped bleacher section (known as the Hawk’s Nest) at the base of a tower in an otherwise-open north end – purposely left empty so as to maintain views of the city skyline. And lastly, the grounds feature a variety of public art on display.
The most visible to viewers on TV will be the four circles that adorn the other side of the tower – that’s Earth Dialogue, a work “intended as a constant reminder of our deep connection to the earth”, according to the Washington state stadium authority.
Memorable event (non-soccer): The Pacific Northwest Seismic Network began placing sensors at the stadium in 2011 and has since recorded numerous instances of crowd shaking powerful enough to register on a seismometer. Among them: the 2011 Beast Quake run (with peaks similar to a 2. and two of Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour dates in July 2023 (a 2. 3-magnitude event).
Memorable game (soccer): The Concacaf Champions League final in May 2022. Seattle became the first MLS club to win the tournament in its current format, beating Pumas before a crowd of 68,741 that also produced seismic activity after the Sounders’ three goals. The title was monumental for the Sounders, who have played at the stadium since their days in the US minor leagues, and at the Kingdome before that as members of the NASL.
What to know: The Bay Area venue was built to replace the 49ers’ old home Candlestick Park, one of the most iconic and soulful old stadiums of its era. Given that and its location 40 miles south, the new venue was always going to suffer ’s a perfectly fine modern stadium, praised for its environment-friendly design and clean sightlines throughout, with a large block of luxury suites resulting in an upper deck that is closer to the field than most.
However, that upper deck also happens to face fans directly into the sun for afternoon and evening games. The resulting temperatures have resulted in multiple heat stress-related issues among fans. Memorable event (non-soccer): The stadium has twice hosted the Super Bowl, first in 2016 and most recently this year.
Back then, Beyoncé soft-launched her Lemonade era to overshadow the Denver Broncos’ win over the Carolina Panthers. In February, a crowd of 70,823 watched the Seattle Seahawks defeat the New England Patriots 29-13. Bad Bunny headlined the half-time show, with sets that mirrored the Puerto Rican countryside and guest appearances (soccer): The Copa América Centenario in 2016 kicked off at this stadium with Colombia’s 2-0 win over the USMNT.
Cristián Zapata and James Rodríguez scored for Los Cafeteros, who went on to finish third in a tournament won: Constructed at a total cost of around $5bn, this stadium has quickly become a fixture for major events, sporting and otherwise, on the west coast of the United States. Its distinctive feature is the semi-clear canopy, spanning around 1m sq ft and covering the entire stadium structure while letting a good amount of light through.
That roof extends in a teardrop shape to create a plaza in the south-east corner while also covering an event venue. Despite California’s warm, inviting climate, the stadium usually uses an artificial turf surface because it serves as the home for two NFL teams, who can wreak havoc on natural grass over time. That’s not the only major modification: as did a few other venues, this stadium has had to demolish a few rows of permanent seats in order to accommodate a pitch that meets Fifa’s sizing standards.
Memorable game (non-soccer): The stadium will host the opening ceremony and the swimming events at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. The swimming venue will seat 38,000 spectators – the largest for a swimming event in the history of the Olympics – and take its design inspiration from the structures built at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis for the 2024 US Olympic trials.
Memorable game (soccer): The 2023 Concacaf Gold Cup final between Mexico and Panama had a crowd of 72,963, still the largest for a soccer game in the venue’s six-year history. Santiago Giménez’s goal off the bench gave El Tri their record ninth Gold Cup title. What to know: From the inside, there does not appear to be anything especially noteworthy about the everyday home of Chivas, the Mexican league team who play here.
From the outside, though, Estadio Guadalajara has perhaps the most striking facade of any venue at this World Cup. Designed volcano, the vast majority of the stadium sits within a grass-covered, man-made hill. Only the 360-degree roof rises above, with fans entering through overhangs in the hill below.
It’s quite a statement, even if the interior does not immediately distinguish itself among the other 2026 venues. Memorable event (non-soccer): The stadium’s attendance record was set at a 2023 boxing bout between Mexico’s Canelo Álvarez and British fighter John Ryder. The Guadalajara native, fighting in his home country for the first time in 12 years, dominated in front of a reported 51,000 fans.
Memorable game (soccer): Manchester United and Chivas played one of the first friendlies after the stadium opened in 2010. Javier “Chicharito” Hernández, a former youth player at Chivas, played the first half for his boyhood club and scored the first goal at the stadium before switching kits and playing for United in the second half. What to know: For all the large capacities, flashy amenities and significant history offered ’s no denying that this is easily the most iconic of this year’s World Cup venues.
Built for the 1968 Olympics, this stadium has undergone several rounds of renovations over the course of its life. That includes a wide-ranging recent round that wrapped this spring, bringing the official capacity to 87,500, making it the eighth-largest stadium in the world used for soccer. (Fifa lists the capacity for this tournament as 83,000.) It was also the first stadium to host two World Cup finals, with Mexico staging in 1970 and 1986. The environment when Mexico plays here is legendarily tough – partially due to El Tri’s passionate fans but also due to the elevation (7,200ft above sea level).
Memorable event (non-soccer): A parade of big-name acts have made this stadium a stop on their world tours. Some of note include Michael Jackson, who brought in more than half a million people across five nights for his Dangerous World Tour in 1993. In 2011, U2 brought their 360° Tour to the Azteca, attracting 282,978.
Memorable game (soccer): There’s certainly no shortage of these. In the 1970 World Cup final, Brazil beat Italy 4-1 to secure a third star above their crest. In 1986, Diego Maradona was paraded around the stadium on the shoulders of his teammates after Argentina defeated West Germany 3-2 to win their second World Cup.
Days before that, though, was perhaps the most infamous match of the stadium’s lifetime: Argentina’s win over England in the quarter-finals, where Maradona introduced the world to the Hand of God and the Goal of the Century. What to know: No stadium at this World Cup has a more magnificent view from the stands than this one, so expect no shortage of photos from fans in the upper decks in Monterrey of the mountain lying just beyond the south end.
That would be the Cerro de la Silla, whose peak is just below 6,000ft. The stadium and the grounds it oversees are among the newest and most advanced in Mexico, with a number of nods to preserving the surrounding ecological environment with sustainable design. Nicknamed the “steel giant”, the stadium also features a cantilever roof designed to block sunlight and allow airflow to cool the hot temperatures in north-east Mexico.
Memorable event (non-soccer): The stadium has held numerous big-name concerts in the 11 years it has been open, with Bad Bunny visiting for two sold-out nights on his World’s Hottest Tour in 2022. Memorable game (soccer): Inter Miami got their first taste of continental disappointment here on 10 April 2024, as Lionel Messi and co fell 3-1 to home side Monterrey in the second leg of their Concacaf Champions Cup quarter-final. What to know: Opened at the turn of the century, this stadium was the first with a retractable roof to be used in the NFL.
Designed (then known as HOK Sport), the roof meets in the middle of the field in two sections and is covered in fabric, giving the interior a boxy feel that nonetheless makes use of abundant natural light. The roof opening procedure takes about seven minutes, but it’s anticipated it will be closed for every World Cup match.
The stadium was initially known as Reliant Stadium, but later changed to NRG Stadium after the parent company of Reliant. After the World Cup, it will return to the original Reliant moniker – not that it changes much about the product being promoted. In true Houston fashion, both are energy companies – Reliant is a subsidiary of NRG.
Memorable event (non-soccer): The only thing more Texan than American football: the rodeo.