MIAMI — One of the world's most-watched sporting events is coming to South Florida.
FIFA, the governing body of international soccer, announced Thursday that Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens will be among the venues to host the 2026 World Cup in North America.
There are 16 venues that will host soccer matches at the event, which will take place in the United States, Mexico and Canada.
Hard Rock Stadium was selected among 23 venues that submitted bids to host World Cup matches. Orlando also submitted a bid but was not chosen as a site.
Each city is expected to host up to six matches, with the exact schedule yet to be determined.
Hard Rock Stadium was built to FIFA specifications and has hosted several high-profile matches, including the highest-grossing soccer match in North American history, El Clásico between Real Madrid and FC Barcelona, in 2017.
"Miami-Dade is the ideal community to host the 2026 World Cup. Our residents hail from every corner of the world, creating a vibrant metropolitan area unlike any other in the United States," Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava said Thursday. "Soccer runs through the veins of our county. After years of collaboration with partners across the region, we couldn't be more proud to welcome FIFA to Miami-Dade."
Your #FIFAWorldCup 2026 Host Cities:
— FIFA World Cup (@FIFAWorldCup) June 16, 2022
🇺🇸Atlanta
🇺🇸Boston
🇺🇸Dallas
🇲🇽Guadalajara
🇺🇸Houston
🇺🇸Kansas City
🇺🇸Los Angeles
🇲🇽Mexico City
🇺🇸Miami
🇲🇽Monterrey
🇺🇸New York / New Jersey
🇺🇸Philadelphia
🇺🇸San Francisco Bay Area
🇺🇸Seattle
🇨🇦Toronto
🇨🇦Vancouver
Below is a full list of sites that will host the upcoming World Cup:
United States
- Miami
- Atlanta
- Boston
- Dallas
- Houston
- Kansas City
- Los Angeles
- New York/New Jersey
- Philadelphia
- San Francisco
- Seattle
Mexico
- Guadalajara
- Mexico City
- Monterrey
Canada
- Toronto
- Vancouver
Two of the stadiums have hosted World Cup finals in the past.
The Estadio Azteca in Mexico City hosted the 1970 and 1986 World Cup finals. Pelé was on the winning team in 1970 with Brazil and Diego Maradona became champion with Argentina in 1986.
Brazil won its fourth World Cup title at the Rose Bowl in California in 1994, which was the last time that the men's World Cup was held in the U.S.
The World Cup takes place every four years.
Portions of this article courtesy of the Associated Press
