Thirty-two years ago, the United States hosted a World Cup. Now the country is gearing up to co-host the largest edition of the tournament ever staged, with 48 teams, 104 matches, and a crypto exchange as an official supporter.
The 2026 FIFA World Cup kicks off on June 11 and runs through July 19, spread across 16 cities in three countries. The US holds 11 of those host cities, with the final match set for New York/New Jersey. Canada and Mexico round out the first-ever three-nation co-hosting arrangement.
From 1994 to now: the long arc of US soccer
The US hosted the World Cup in 1994, and two years later Major League Soccer launched in 1996, giving the sport a permanent domestic footprint. Over the following three decades, MLS expanded from a scrappy startup league into a legitimate professional operation. Youth soccer participation ballooned. TV rights deals got bigger.
The 48-team format, up from 32 in previous tournaments, makes this the most expansive World Cup in FIFA history. The US is shouldering most of the load with 11 of the 16 venues.
