2026 World Cup: FIFA officials meeting with Philadelphia city planners at Lincoln Financial Field
PHILADELPHIA - Philadelphia is preparing to host the FIFA World Cup in 2026.
FIFA officials are headed to Philly Thursday to meet with city planners at the Lincoln Financial Field, where the sporting event will be held.
The officials will meet to discuss logistics including how to maximize the stadium's infrastructure, SEPTA and PHL Airport travel options, referees, safety and security and more necessary measures.
FOX 29’s Hank spoke to Meg Kane from the city’s bid committee to understand the benefits of making Philly the host city for the iconic soccer event.
"The more matches we host for us, that’s an exciting proposition." said Kane.
Philadelphia selected as 2026 World Cup host city
Philadelphia joined a small group of American cities that will host soccer matches in the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
She explained, though we won’t know which teams will be playing until 2025 or 2026, the match schedule should be released by the end of this year.
The Lincoln Financial Field has the ability to host through the quarter-final round with upwards of 79 matches, she detailed.
As for the final, because the LINC has a stadium capacity of 62,000, FIFA is looking to host the opening match, semifinal, and final, in cities with larger stadium capacities including: New York City, Dallas, Atlanta and Los Angeles.
FIFA unveils logo for 2026 World Cup
A logo reveal ceremony was held in LA as U.S., Canada and Mexico will all co-host the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
The U.S. will host 60 of the 80 games under FIFA’s plan, including all from the quarterfinals on. The 2026 World Cup will be co-hosted with Mexico and Canada, marking the first time three countries have shared the event.
The host cities were divided into three sections: east, central and west.
- EAST: Toronto, Boston, Philadelphia, Miami, New York/New Jersey
- CENTRAL: Kansas City, Dallas, Houston, Atlanta, Monterrey and Mexico City
- WEST: Vancouver, Seattle, San Francisco, Los Angeles and Guadalajara
Soccer fans in Philadelphia flooded LOVE Park to watch the announcement and erupted in excitement when Philadelphia was chosen.
"Twenty years ago, when Lincoln Financial Field first opened, we envisioned a world-class venue in a world-class city hosting world-class events," the Philadelphia Eagles CEO Jeffrey Lurie said in a statement. "Now we are proud to host the game's highest level of competition in front of a global audience."
While 2026 seems like a long way off, Philadelphia sports fans in particular have a lot to look forward to. Not to be forgotten, Citizen's Bank Park was selected to host the 2026 MLB All-Star Game.