Sixteen cities, three countries, one summer. The 2026 World Cup was the first tournament spread across a whole continent, which meant something no previous World Cup has offered: you could plan a trip where the football was the excuse and the cities were the point.
Here is how I would approach them as a culture traveller rather than a football one – what each place is actually for, and what I would go back for now that the stadiums have emptied.
The United States (11 cities)
New York / New Jersey. Host of the final, at MetLife in East Rutherford. The most concentrated collection of national communities anywhere on earth – whichever country was playing, there was a neighbourhood in New York that belonged to them that week. Go for the food, in every direction.
Los Angeles. Matches at Inglewood. A city that only makes sense if you accept it is twenty cities, and go to three of them properly. Best Mexican food outside Mexico, and it is not close.
Dallas. Arlington, between Dallas and Fort Worth, and one of the busiest venues of the tournament. Fort Worth’s Stockyards are the genuinely interesting cultural half of the pair.
Atlanta. My favourite host city, for what it is worth. Mercedes-Benz Stadium has that retracting roof, and the city absorbed enormous crowds without ever feeling strained. A deeply international South, and the civil rights history is essential rather than optional.
Miami. Latin America’s northern capital, and during a tournament with a strong South American presence, unmatched. Go to Little Havana and eat there.
Houston. Statistically one of the most diverse cities in the US, and it eats like it. If your team was an unfamiliar one, Houston probably had the restaurant.
Philadelphia. Compact, walkable and historic in a way most American host cities are not. The one where you can see the actual founding-documents version of the country between matches.
Boston. Matches at Foxborough, some distance out. The city itself is the smallest-feeling of the American hosts, and the most European in shape.
Kansas City. The surprise of the tournament for a lot of people: a serious football city, serious barbecue, and a jazz history that deserves more than a plaque.
San Francisco Bay Area. Matches at Santa Clara, an hour from the city. Go for the city, not the stadium’s neighbourhood.
Seattle. The best-supported football culture in the country and a genuinely beautiful setting. Pike Place is a tourist trap that happens to also be excellent.
Mexico (3 cities)
Mexico City. The Estadio Azteca became the first stadium to host matches at three World Cups. But the reason to go is the city: one of the great food capitals on earth, extraordinary museums, Coyoacán, and an atmosphere on a match day that the American cities could not touch.
Guadalajara. Mariachi, tequila (the town of Tequila is genuinely nearby), and the heart of a lot of what the world thinks of as Mexican culture. Smaller, warmer and easier than the capital.
Monterrey. Mountains at the end of the street, the best grilled meat in the country, and a fierce local football rivalry that predates any World Cup by a century.
Canada (2 cities)
Toronto. Canada’s first World Cup matches on home soil. One of the most multicultural cities anywhere, which during a 48-team tournament meant that every single country had a street corner. Kensington Market and the neighbourhood restaurants are the whole point.
Vancouver. Mountains, ocean and city in one frame. The most physically beautiful of the sixteen, and the best base for going somewhere else afterwards.
How I would actually plan it
If a tournament like this happens near you again – and 2030 is already sketched across Morocco, Spain, Portugal, Uruguay, Argentina and Paraguay – here is what I learned.
- Pick three cities, not eight. The distances are continental. Two nights per city is the minimum for the place to register as anything but a stadium.
- Choose the city, not the fixture. A group match in a city you want to see beats a quarter-final in one you do not.
- Arrive two days early. The build-up is half the event.
- Book accommodation absurdly early and accept you will stay outside the centre.
- Plan the day after. Every host city is a gateway – Vancouver to the mountains, Guadalajara to Tequila, Seattle to the islands, Marrakech to the Atlas next time round.
- Budget for transit home at midnight. Not money. Patience.
Questions I get asked most
Which host city was best?
Mexico City for atmosphere, Atlanta for how it handled the crowds, Toronto for the sheer number of countries represented in one neighbourhood.
Can you do multiple countries in one trip?
Yes, with flights and a lot of planning. Do not underestimate border crossings on match days, and check entry requirements for all three countries before you book anything.
Is it worth visiting these cities now the tournament is over?
That is rather the point of this list. The stadium was temporary. The restaurants, the neighbourhoods and the mountains are still there, and they are cheaper in September.
Keep exploring: the full World Cup 2026 guide, the tournament in full, and what to eat in every one of these cities.
— Lina
