For the first time in the competition’s history, the 2026 FIFA World Cup will be hosted by three nations : Canada, the United States, and Mexico. With 16 stadiums hosting the world’s most prestigious tournament in 16 different cities, below are the cities and stadiums that make up the Western region.
BC Place – Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
BC Place will host two of Canada’s group stage matches, hosting seven matches in the tournament in total, with the opening match for Jesse Marsch’s side taking place in Toronto.
BC Place is located in the heart of Vancouver, and is the third biggest stadium in the country. This is after the Commonwealth Stadium in Edmonton and the Olympic Stadium in Montreal.
Despite the size of the stadium, which boasts 54,500 seats, Vancouver was not initially planned to be a part of the bid to host the World Cup. Vancouver was only able to re-enter the process after Montreal withdrew, following the Government of Quebec’s decision in mid-2021 to pull financial support for Olympic Stadium, which requires significant renovations.
The stadium is home to the Canadian Football side BC Lions, and the Vancouver Whitecaps, who joined the MLS in 2011, becoming the second Canadian side to join. Despite the conditions of the stadium, there are ongoing issues regarding the Whitecaps and BC Place.
The current Canadian Cup Champions obtain a lease for the stadium, though this expires in December 2025. Despite current negotiations taking place, MLS commissioner Don Garber has argued that the city needs to invest in a new stadium for the club to remain viable in Vancouver, due to the club currently gaining very little commercial revenue from the stadium. Moreover, the Whitecaps had to play a home match in Portland this season, due to their stadium having a scheduling conflict.
Lumen Field – Seattle, Washington, United States
Seattle will host a total of six matches at the 2026 World Cup, with four of those taking place in the group stages. The matches will take place at Lumen Field, which is the home of the MLS’ Seattle Sounders and NFL’s Seattle Seahawks, albeit the stadium will be named after the city throughout the tournament due to FIFA’s licensing laws and agreements.
The stadium, which is the most northern American host city in the tournament, will be expanded to 72,000 seats for the tournament. Lumen Field played host to six matches in the revamped FIFA World Cup last summer, with all matches taking place in the group stages. This included Seattle Sounders playing three times during the tournament, in matches against Botafogo, Atlético Madrid, and Paris Saint‑Germain.
Lumen Field, when constructed, was known as Seahawks Stadium between 2002 and 2004, with the stadium changing names to Qwest Field until 2011 and then CenturyLink Field until 2020.
The stadium started construction in 2000, following the demolition of the Kingdome in March of the same year. The decision to build the stadium was due to the outdated conditions and urgent repair needed at the Kingdome, as well as to accommodate the new MLS franchise in the Sounders.
Levi’s Stadium – San Francisco Bay Area, California, United States
California will be home to two host cities during the World Cup, with the first being in Santa Clara, which is part of the San Francisco Bay Area Stadium. The stadium in question that will host six matches in the tournament (including one knockout match) is Levi’s Stadium, which will be known as San Francisco Bay Area Stadium throughout the tournament due to FIFA’s rules on sponsorship and licensing agreements.
Levi’s Stadium has a capacity of 68,500 seats, although this can be expanded to 75,000 for events such as the World Cup and Super Bowls, with the stadium hosting the NFL’s final in 2016 and soon to be in 2026.
The stadium broke ground in April of 2012, completing construction in July of 2014. This was to replace Candlestick Park, the former home of the San Francisco 49ers and MLB’s San Francisco Giants, with the stadium getting demolished in late 2014.
Despite the stadium being the fifth newest stadium in the NFL, there are a few notable issues that fans have stated. The primary example of such is the exposure from the sun, primarily on the east side of the stadium, where some seats reach over 38°C.
SoFi Stadium – Los Angeles, California, United States
Los Angeles is the third most populous city that hosts matches during the 2026 World Cup, placing behind Mexico City and New York City, with the latter hosting the World Cup Final.
The city will host eight matches during the tournament, including three knockout matches. These matches will take place at the state-of-the-art SoFi Stadium, which neighbors the Kia Forum, the former home of the LA Lakers and LA Kings, and Intuit Dome, the current home of the LA Clippers, which is the newest stadium in the NBA.
SoFi Stadium is home to two NFL teams, the Los Angeles Rams and Los Angeles Chargers. The stadium started construction in 2016 and was completed in 2020, privately financed by Stan Kroenke, the owner of Arsenal. It has a capacity of 70,240 but will be expanded to 100,240 for the World Cup.
The stadium cost $5.5 billion to build, making it the most expensive stadium in the world. Such amenities the stadium consists of a retractable roof, the world’s first dual-sided 4K Infinity Screen, produced by Samsung, as well as engineering that can withstand earthquakes.
Such a stadium serves as a pinnacle of American sporting infrastructure; therefore, the stadium has already had a plethora of stadiums, and was the favourite to host the World Cup Final. Such events included Super Bowl LVI, which was won by Kroenke’s Rams, the upcoming Super Bowl in 2027, Wrestlemania, as well as the upcoming Olympics and Paralympic Games in 2028.
This has resulted in the stadium earning several accolades, such as “Stadium of the Year” and the 2024 Architecture Award.
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