Mexico City will host the opening game of the 2026 World Cup beating the United States and Canada to land the curtain raiser at Estadio Azteca on June 11

FIFA has announced the opening game of the 2026 World Cup will take place at Estadio Azteca in Mexico City on June 11.

More details about the tournament, due to be held across the United States, Canada and Mexico, were revealed on Sunday.

Mexico were given the privilege of hosting the tournament’s curtain raiser with their iconic national stadium to be the backdrop.

Soccer legends Pele and Diego Maradona both won the World Cup at the Azteca. 

Mexico previously staged the World Cup in 1970 and 1986, with Maradona scoring his infamous ‘hand of God’ goal against England at the latter tournament.

Pele and Diego Maradona (pictured in 1986) both won the World Cup at the Estadio Azteca

In a major twist, New Jersey‘s MetLife Stadium has received the honor of hosting the all-important World Cup final.

Reports had suggested that Dallas’ AT&T Stadium was set to be awarded the soccer showpiece, only for MetLife to be named as the host venue for the final on Sunday. 

New York/New Jersey will also hold a Round of 32 match, as well as one in the Round of 16. 

MetLife Stadium – home of New York’s two NFL teams, the Jets and Giants – is actually based in Jersey but boasts the Manhattan skyline as its backdrop.

The MetLife’s regular capacity is narrowly larger than the AT&T at 82,500 but has no room to expand further.

Meanwhile, the USMNT will play its opener at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, on June 12, before travelling to Seattle’s Lumen Field and finishing the group stage at SoFi.

The third-place game will be at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida.

FIFA also announced that Canada’s opening game at the tournament will be played in Toronto. 

MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey – just outside New York City – has been chosen as the venue for the 2026 World Cup final

Philadelphia and Mexico City will also each respectively host a Round of 16 match, while Boston, Toronto, Miami, Kansas City, Monterrey and San Francisco will all have Round of 32 games being played in their respective stadiums. 

Dallas and L.A. are the only two cities to have two Round of 32 matches. 

Kim Kardashian and her son, Saint, announced the location of the USMNT’s first 2026 World Cup game, while admitting she will be ‘the most embarrassing soccer mom on the planet’ during the tournament. 

The 43-year-old American socialite and her eight-year-old boy made a surprise guest appearance on Fox Sports’ broadcast of the 2026 FIFA World Cup Match Schedule announcement on Sunday to reveal where the Star and Stripes will play its three group games in two years time.