Mexico Co-Hosting the 2026 Soccer World Cup

June is just around the corner and people are getting ready for the start of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which is being hosted by the USA, Mexico, and Canada.

In Mexico, plenty of billboards have gone up advertising goods and services by official sponsors, and products with World Cup motifs have cropped up in shops bearing the FIFA trademark. (I have a pen that reads Go Mexico! and bears the silhouette image of a player about to kick a ball; so no, not official. It doesn’t actually mention the World Cup but it writes rather well.)

Mexico isn’t exactly buzzing with excitement. Although judging the level of interest can be quite subjective, numerous surveys show that interest is lower this time than it was for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, the 2018 tournament in Russia, or even the 2022 event in Qatar. But social media posts are wrong, says one writer, and once the games get going the tournament will be dominating conversations across the globe.

And to be fair, in 2002 when Korea and Japan hosted the cup, people in Mexico were getting up at 1 a.m. or 3 a.m. to watch the games, and still making it into work. In 2022, when the tournament was held in November-December because of the summer heat in Qatar, we complained that it “wouldn’t be the same”—and ended up watching it to the bitter end anyway.

But right or wrong, different reasons are offered for the apparent lack of excitement just two weeks before the inaugural match: too many teams to keep track of (for the first time the tournament includes 48 teams in 12 groups); prohibitively high ticket prices; and the fact that the tournament is being shared by three countries.

Of the 104 matches, 78 will be played in the USA and 13 each in Mexico and Canada. In Mexico, five matches are to be played at the Azteca Stadium now renamed the Banorte Stadium, four at the Akron Stadium in Guadalajara, and four at the BBVA Stadium in Monterrey. Venues with the number of games are here.

The inauguration and opening match is set for June 11 in Mexico City, with Mexico playing host to South Africa. When South Africa hosted the tournament in 2010, the opening match was against Mexico and they played to a 1-1 tie.

This is the third time that Mexico is hosting (co-hosting in this case) a World Cup. In 1970, the Brazil of Pelé won the tournament for the third time. In 1986, Argentina’s Diego Maradona dazzled opponents in leading his country to its second title.

The 2026 World Cup final will be played on July 19  in New Jersey, closing out what will be the USA’s second World Cup. The US hosted the tournament in 1994, where Brazil won its fourth title. For Canada, this World Cup is a first.

Learn more about sports and leisure in Mexico

Connect to more articles for insights and sports and other leisure pastimes.

• Latest articles about sports in Mexico
• Discover leisure experiences in Mexico
• Dining out in Mexico
• Festivals & Events in Mexico