FIFA World Cup 2026
The 2026 FIFA World Cup is the 23rd men’s football championship, running from June 11 to July 19, 2026. It makes history as the first tournament hosted by three nations (Canada, Mexico, and the United States) and the first to feature an expanded 48-team format.
Host Cities: 16 cities across North America are hosting matches.
USA: Atlanta, Boston, Dallas, Houston, Kansas City, Los Angeles, Miami, New York/New Jersey, Philadelphia, San Francisco, and Seattle.
Mexico: Guadalajara, Mexico City, and Monterrey.
Canada: Toronto and Vancouver.
Featuring Forty-eight Nations in the World Cup:
Algeria, Argentina, Australia, Bahrain, Belgium, Brazil, Cameroon, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Croatia, Denmark, Ecuador, Egypt, England, France, Germany, Ghana, Iran, Iraq, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Mali, Mexico, Morocco, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nigeria, Panama, Peru, Portugal, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Tunisia, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United States, Uruguay, Uzbekistan
The Men’s Game & Historic Milestones
In the 96-year history of the men’s FIFA World Cup, a publicly out player has never once taken the pitch while actively competing. Despite the lack of representation on the rosters, the 2026 tournament does feature historic milestones and active discussions around inclusion:
- First Out Match Official: Assistant referee Brooke Mayo is making history at this tournament as the first-ever openly gay match official to work a men’s FIFA World Cup.
- Activism and Fan Visibility: Activists have successfully kept a “Pride Match” designation for the June 26 match between Egypt and Iran in Seattle. This has sparked global conversations, as human rights organizations like the Peter Tatchell Foundation have called on FIFA to address the 11 competing nations that still criminalize homosexuality.
- Allyship from Stars: While there are no out players on the field, sports outlets like Outsports have highlighted multiple high-profile World Cup stars from various tournament squads who are on the record as active LGBTQ+ allies and advocates.
