FIFA 26 World Cup Preparations Started
In just over a year, North America will become the heartbeat of a global party like we’ve never seen before. The United States, Canada, and Mexico are co hosting the FIFA 26 World Cup. The highly anticipated soccer tournament features men’s national teams from around the globe.
The World Cup is held every four years, and while recent editions have featured 32 teams, next summer’s tournament is expanding to 48 teams. All three host nations are automatically qualified. After more than a month of competition across 16 cities, the tournament will culminate in one final match, the World Cup Final, played just outside the Big Apple, with the entire world watching.
With a year to go, preparations are already intense. “Things are getting kind of crazy,” says Alex Lasry, CEO of the New York-New Jersey FIFA World Cup Host Committee, who is helping to ensure that the final and seven other matches at MetLife Stadium run smoothly. Lasry is also focused on making the region an attractive destination for tourists between matches. “We’re expecting millions of people from all over the world to be coming to New York and New Jersey. We’re expecting around $2 to $3 billion of economic impact for the region,” he explains.
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There’s also the potential for massive television viewership, including through NBCUniversal’s Telemundo and Peacock. FIFA reported that the 2022 World Cup final alone had around 1.5 billion viewers—that’s more than seven times the viewership of this year’s Super Bowl. Around the world, the beautiful game is practically a religion, though the U.S. has long been playing catch-up. The last men’s World Cup hosted on U.S. soil in 1994 led to the founding of Major League Soccer, which now features global stars like Lionel Messi.
“I think this can take soccer to the next level here in the United States,” says Lasry, “and kind of reach that next generation of athlete who’s looking to be part of something special.” The goal: to thrill and inspire the world, right in our backyard.
