MIAMI — FIFA president Gianni Infantino tried to promote next year’s World Cup in a way Americans not familiar with soccer will understand.
‘From a global audience’s perspective, it’s the equivalent of 104 Super Bowls,” Infantino said in a video Wednesday, which marked one year until the biggest event in sports begins in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
Infantino’s claim is a boisterous one but could come to fruition since the 2026 World Cup will be the biggest edition yet.
A total of 48 teams will play 104 matches across three countries during the tournament. The last seven World Cups featured just 32 national teams, while the last World Cup had 64 total matches.
The 1994 World Cup hosted in the United States featured just 24 teams, with Brazil beating Italy in the final at the Rose Bowl Stadium in Los Angeles. That World Cup helped put soccer on the map in the United States, and the 2026 event is poised to take the ever-growing U.S. fandom for the sport to another level.
World Cup 2026 begins at Estadio Azteca in Mexico City on June 11, 2026, and will end with the final at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey on July 19, 2026.
American cities hosting World Cup games include Atlanta, Dallas, Houston, Kansas City, Miami, Philadelphia, Seattle and near the Boston, Los Angeles and San Francisco areas. World Cup games will also be played in Guadalajara and Monterrey in Mexico, and Toronto and Vancouver in Canada.
The U.S., Canada and Mexico are in the tournament field as hosts, while 10 others have already qualified.
Argentina, the defending champion who beat France to win the 2022 Qatar World Cup, has already qualified. However, star Lionel Messi — who turns 38 on June 24 and would turn 39 during the World Cup next year — has yet to declare he will play again in 2026.
Brazil, Ecuador, Australia, Iran, Japan, New Zealand and South Korea have also already qualified. Jordan and Uzbekistan will make their first World Cup appearances in 2026.
While the hype has already begun for the World Cup, FIFA will host the Club World Cup this summer in the United States featuring 32 of the best clubs in the world.
Messi and Inter Miami play in the Club World Cup opener on Saturday against Egyptian club Al Ahly at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami. The Club World Cup final will also be at MetLife Stadium on July 13.
Real Madrid, Paris Saint-Germain, Inter Milan, Chelsea, Manchester City, Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund and MLS clubs Los Angeles FC and the Seattle Sounders are among the participants. Games will also be played in Atlanta, Charlotte, Cincinnati, Los Angeles, Orlando, Nashville, Philadelphia, Seattle and Washington D.C.
Cities hosting matches for both tournaments will get a bit of a trial run this summer during the Club World Cup. However, FIFA has experienced slow ticket sales for the new event.
“For fans in the United States and around the world, the Club World Cup will be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see some of the world’s greatest clubs and players, the legends we know and some we don’t yet know, but will never forget,” Infantino said in a video message during the Olé Soccer Summit event Tuesday in Coral Gables. “It is also, of course, a magnificent opportunity to grow soccer in North America, especially when combined with the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which will be the largest and most inclusive in history, with 48 teams in 16 cities across three countries. It will be like having 104 Super Bowls in just over a month.
“There is still something missing for soccer — or perhaps I should say football — to achieve the popularity it enjoys in the rest of the world. These next two summers could be just what is needed to make soccer the number one sport in the United States and Canada.”
