Vancouver, Toronto to host games

VANCOUVER — World Cup games will be played in Vancouver and Toronto when Canada, the U.S. and Mexico co-host the men’s soccer tournament in 2026.

Edmonton was also considered, but was not among the host cities announced by FIFA on Thursday.

Instead, the American cities of Seattle, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Kansas City, Dallas, Atlanta, Houston, Boston, Philadelphia, Miami, New York, and Mexico City, Monterrey and Guadalajara in Mexico will get games in the expanded 48-game tournament.

Montreal dropped out of Canada’s bid last August after the Quebec provincial government withdrew its support, citing cost overruns that would have been difficult to justify to taxpayers.

Vancouver’s B.C. Place hosted nine games during the 2015 Women’s World Cup, including the final which drew more than 50,000 fans, and Toronto hosted the Pan American Games in 2019.

Both B.C. Place and Toronto’s BMO Field will require upgrades ahead of the 2026 World Cup, with Vancouver set to install a grass playing surface and Toronto expected to expand the stadium’s capacity to the FIFA minimum of 40,000.

The bid plan envisioned 60 games in the U.S., including all from the quarterfinals on, and 10 each in Mexico and Canada.

Specific sites for each round will be announced later.

Mexico City’s Estadio Azteca, which hosted the 1970 and ‘86 finals, will become the first stadium in three World Cups.

In contrast to the 1992 site announcement during a news conference, the 2026 announcement was made during a televised show from Fox’s studio in Manhattan.