Lionel Messi of Argentina gives the thumbs up Photo: PHOTOSPORT
The 2026 men's football World Cup final will be held in New Jersey at the home of American football's New York Giants and New York Jets.
FIFA has announced the schedule fort the 48-team World Cup, which will conclude on 19th July at the MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford in New Jersey, is being co-hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada.
The open-air stadium for the final, which has a capacity of 82,500, hosted the Copa America Centenario final in 2016 when Chile denied Lionel Messi's Argentina for a second time in a penalty shootout.
Mexico City's Estadio Azteca will host the opening match of tournament on June 11 when Mexico will become the first nation to stage the World Cup for a third time.
Mexico hosted the World Cup in 1970 and 1986, with the finals of both editions held at Estadio Azteca where Pele's Brazil crushed Italy 4-1 and Diego Maradona's Argentina beat West Germany 3-2.
The first match in Canada, which has never hosted a World Cup game, will be on June 12 in Toronto at the home of the city's Major League Soccer team while the opening game in the United States will be in Los Angeles at the home of the NFL's Rams.
The 2026 World Cup will feature 104 matches instead of the traditional 64 games, including an additional knockout round due to the previously announced decision to expand to 48 teams from 32.
- Reuters
