Fifa is giving serious consideration to holding the 2026 World Cup final under a roof for the first time.
Although New York’s MetLife Stadium remains the slight favourite to be given the final, the AT&T Stadium in Dallas — which has a retractable roof — is making a strong push. Fifa will announce its decision on February 4.
The SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles has also made a last-ditch effort to be considered after Fifa agreed to relax some of the regulations around space requirements at the side of the pitch. It too has a roof.
The 2026 World Cup is being co-hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada, but the US is very much the main host nation and is set to have the final, both semi-finals and at least half of the quarter-finals.
The opening match of the tournament and the opening ceremony are both lined up to be at the revamped Azteca Stadium in Mexico City.
New York’s strongest asset is that it would be more attractive to Fifa as its main base for the tournament, with a backdrop of historic features such as the Statue of Liberty. A final at the 80,250-capacity MetLife Stadium, the home to the New York Jets and Giants, which is actually in New Jersey, would also be better for international time zones. It has much better public transport links than its Dallas rival and there is likely to be a bigger buzz around the climax of the tournament there.
The roof over the stadium counts in Dallas’s favour however, and there is climate control inside. That could be an important factor given the summer temperatures in the US, as the MetLife Stadium is an open bowl and the city experienced some extreme heat during last year’s tennis US Open, which began at the end of August. When the Dallas Cowboys play at AT&T Stadium they play on artificial turf but the stadium can stage games on natural grass and the World Cup final will certainly be played on natural grass.
It is likely to be even hotter at the 80,000-seat Texas home of the Dallas Cowboys, but the roof can protect those inside the stadium. Public transport is very limited as the ground is based in Arlington, 20 miles out of the Dallas city centre, but local organisers say a plan for that is in place and the state of Texas has a fund that is used to attract major sports events, which may tempt Fifa. It is also only one hour behind New York time.
The Arsenal owner, Stan Kroenke, had high hopes of hosting the World Cup final at his state-of-the-art Los Angeles venue, but the 70,000-seat SoFi Stadium, which houses the NFL teams Los Angeles Rams and Los Angeles Chargers, and cost about £4 billion to build, was initially hit by the stadium’s pitch being too narrow to comply with Fifa’s requirements.
It would mean removing some of the seats close to the pitch and raising the playing surface, creating a problem given that Fifa normally expects a stadium of 80,000 seats. It is also the least favourable venue in terms of time zones.
The LA venue has, however, made a late bid and come to Fifa with proposals for some changes that would increase its capacity, with Fifa taking what sources say is a “pragmatic solution” to change some of its initial requirements around space. The venue, which opened in 2020, has already hosted the Super Bowl so should at least be in contention for a semi-final.
Organisers will however ensure there is no repeat of the 1994 World Cup held in the US, where the winners Brazil played their semi-final at the Rose Bowl in California, which was also the venue for the final. The other finalists, Italy, had to play Bulgaria in New Jersey and then fly across the country for the final, which was considered a significant disadvantage.
The Fifa announcement should also reveal the full schedule of where all the matches are being played.
Organisers have been wrestling with how to fit in 24 extra matches after Fifa’s decision to increase the number from 80 to 104. The tournament will also be a week longer than previously at 39 days, compared with 32 days in Russia 2018, while the Qatar World Cup was crammed into 30 days.
Fifa had originally planned for 16 three-team groups with the top two going through to a round of 32, but now it will have 12 groups of four. The top two will qualify along with the eight best third-placed sides. It means the teams getting to the final will have to play eight matches instead of seven.
The bulk of the matches are expected to be in the US, where match-day and commercial revenues far outstrip those in Mexico and Canada, even for stadiums of a similar size. The hospitality facilities in American stadiums which usually play host to American football games are also much more expansive.
The opening match of 2026 at the Azteca will revive memories for England fans of a certain age — it will be 40 years since Diego Maradona scored his “Hand of God” goal for Argentina there against Bobby Robson’s side in 1986.
