2026 Football World Cup: opening match at Azteca stadium in Mexico, final at MetLife Stadium in New York, it's a dream

magictr | February 4, 2024 | Sport | No Comments

Le MetLife Stadium, hôte des équipes de football américain des New York Jets et Giants. MAXPPP – William Volcov

The announcement was made during a televised ceremony in the presence of comedian Kevin Hart, rapper Drake and star Kim Kardashian. Azteca is the first stadium in history to have the honors of opening the competition for the third time after 1970 and 1986.

The final of the 2026 Men's Football World Cup, contested by 48 teams and co-hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada, will take place in New York on July 19, announced FIFA on Sunday. The opening ceremony and match will take place at Mexico City's historic Azteca Stadium on June 11.

MetLife Stadium, host of the New York Jets and Giants American football teams, located precisely in East Rutherford in New Jersey (west of Manhattan), was preferred over Dallas and Los Angeles, other cities considered. to host the finale.

In good memory of Pelé and Maradona

The Azteca stadium is the first stadium in history to have the honors of opening the competition for the third time, after 1970 and 1986, editions which ended respectively, in the same enclosure, at the coronations of Pelé's Brazil and Maradona's Argentina.

Canada will play its first match in Toronto on June 12 and the United States in Los Angeles at SoFi Stadium the same day, before playing in Seattle, Fifa announced through the voice of Gianni Infantino during of a televised ceremony in the presence of comedian Kevin Hart, rapper Drake and star Kim Kardashian.

3rd place match in Miami

The match for 3rd place will take place in Miami, where superstar Lionel Messi has been playing at Inter Miami since last year. The Argentinian, aged 36, winner of the previous edition in Qatar in December 2022, has not closed the door to a presence in 2026.

He is already expected during the Copa America, played this year in the United States from June 20 to July 16, a sort of "pre-world championship".