PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — The results are finally in for which cities Philadelphia will host at Lincoln Financial Field in the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
FIFA officials drew teams for the group stage matches on Friday afternoon in Washington, DC. There was keen interest in Philadelphia, where five group stage games will be played this coming summer. Anticipation was high, as assignments were not announced until Saturday afternoon.
Here’s the lineup:
- Sunday, June 14: Ivory Coast will play Ecuador at 7 p.m.
- Friday, June 19: Brazil will play Haiti at 9 p.m.
- Monday, June 22: France will take on the winner of the Inter-Confederation Play-off Path 2 at 5 p.m.
- Thursday, June 25: Curaçao will play Ivory Coast at 4 p.m.
- Saturday, June 27: Croatia will play Ghana at 5 p.m.
- A Round of 16 match is scheduled for July 4. Teams won’t be announced until that round.
Throughout the tournament, there will be a fan experience at Lemon Hill that Philadelphia Soccer 2026 social impact director Jonathan Todd promises will be a 39-day party.
“Big screens to watch the games, world-class entertainment, amazing food, delicious drinks, installations, activations, some surprises still to be announced that will really rock everybody's world, so we really want Philadelphians to take advantage of it, Pennsylvanians, the tri-state area and beyond,” Todd said.
The U.S. Men's National Soccer Team will play Paraguay in its first 2026 World Cup match, in Inglewood, California, in June. Philadelphia is one of 16 North American cities hosting next year's games: 11 in the U.S., three in Mexico, and two in Canada. The final will be played on July 19 at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
Last summer, the FIFA Club World Cup matches drew 346,000 fans from all 50 states and 120 countries. The World Cup matches are expected to bring in lots of traffic as well, as it's taking place during the city's Semiquincentennial celebrations.
“We're going to get so many amazing tourists. We're going to be putting Philadelphia on a national stage next year, and we want to make sure we show them the best time, we show them Philadelphia knows how to party,” said Phambassador co-ordinator Riley Flanagan.