PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — International soccer fans will pour into Lincoln Financial Field to see six 2026 FIFA World Cup matches in person. FIFA, soccer's international governing association, made the announcement during a televised match draw on Sunday featuring comedian Kevin Hart, who shouted out his home city.
“Yes, I am beyond excited about that. Philadelphia, PA, a.k.a. the City of Brotherly Love. This is a big deal. A very, very big deal for us.”
The Linc will play host to five group stage matches, scheduled for June 14, 19, 22, 25 and 27, and one round-of-16 match on July 4 — the 250th birthday of the United States.
The historic 2026 FIFA World Cup final will be at Met Life Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, which will also host five group stage matches in June, one round-of-32 match and one round-of-16 match.
Philadelphia is among 16 North American cities to play host to the 2026 World Cup — 11 in the U.S., three in Mexico and two in Canada.
United States
—AT&T Stadium, Arlington, Texas
—Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta
—Met Life Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey
—Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, Massachusetts
—NRG Stadium, Houston
—SoFi Stadium, Inglewood, California
—Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri
—Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens, Florida
—Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia
—Levi’s Stadium, Santa Clara, California
—Lumen Field, Seattle
Mexico
—Estadio Akron, Guadalajara
—Estadio Azteca, Mexico City
—Estadio BBVA, Monterrey
Canada
—BMO Field, Toronto
—B.C. Place, Vancouver
This will be the first 48-nation World Cup, up from the 32-team format used since 1998. There will be 16 groups of three nations. Each team will play two first-round games instead of three as part of an awkward arrangement in which one nation in each group opens against an opponent who will have already played. The top two in each group advance to a 32-nation knockout bracket.
FIFA estimates 6 million soccer fans will attend World Cup matches. The U.S. will host 60 of the 80 games under FIFA’s plan, including all from the quarterfinals on.
Pitching Philadelphia was a major effort, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, which delayed the process unpredictably. When the city made its bid back in July 2020, FIFA was expected to delay its decision until 2021, but the announcement came in June of 2022.
Half a million people are expected to visit Philadelphia for the FIFA World Cup. The summer of 2026 will be busy for sports fans, with the MLB All-Star game coming as well.