This summer, The FIFA World Cup will return to the United States for the first time since 1994, bringing the world’s biggest soccer tournament back to American soil.
The 2026 FIFA World Cup will run from June 11th to July 19th across the U.S., Canada and Mexico. It will mark the first time three countries have co-hosted the men’s tournament, and it will also introduce the largest format in World Cup history, with 48 teams playing 104 matches across 16 host cities.
For the U.S., the tournament represents the country’s biggest soccer moment in more than three decades. The last time the U.S. hosted the men’s World Cup was in 1994, when the tournament helped push soccer further into mainstream American sports.
U.S. Soccer described the 1994 tournament as the most attended event in FIFA history at the time with more than 3.5 million fans attending matches.
This time, the event will be even larger. Eleven U.S. cities will host matches, along with three cities in Mexico and two in Canada. The U.S. host cities include New York/New Jersey, Los Angeles, Dallas, Miami, Philadelphia, Seattle, Atlanta, Boston, Houston, Kansas City, and the San Francisco Bay Area.
For students in New York City, the tournament will feel especially close. MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, listed by FIFA as New York/New Jersey Stadium for the tournament, will host eight matches, including the World Cup Final on July 19th. The stadium’s schedule includes group-stage matches, a round of 32 match, a round of 16 match, and the final.
The New York New Jersey Host Committee (NYNJ) projected that the tournament will generate $3.3 billion in total economic impact for the region, support more than 26,000 jobs and bring more than 1.2 million visitors to New York and New Jersey. The committee called the event a major opportunity for local businesses, tourism and the region’s global reputation.
The tournament will also affect transportation across the region. NJ Transit and the NYNJ Host Committee announced a regional stadium mobility plan in April, naming NJ Transit and the Host Committee as the primary transportation providers for World Cup matches at the stadium. Matchday shuttle tickets will require a ticket and must be purchased in advance.
For fans who cannot attend in person, New York City will also host free public World Cup events across all five boroughs. The events will include watch parties and soccer-related programming, giving local residents a way to experience the tournament without paying for tickets.
The tournament arrives when soccer continues to grow in the U.S.. Major League Soccer has expanded, international clubs regularly tour the country and younger fans increasingly follow international soccer. Hosting the World Cup gives the U.S. another chance to show whether soccer can move even closer to the center of American sports culture.
The 1994 World Cup helped establish a foundation for the sport’s growth in the U.S.. The 2026 tournament could push that growth further, especially with the final taking place just outside New York City.
For Queens College students and other New Yorkers, the World Cup will not be a distant international event; its events will unfold only a short trip away – bringing global soccer, international visitors and major regional attention to the area.
