The FIFA World Cup 2026™ moved a step closer today as a FIFA delegation led by FIFA Vice-President and Concacaf President Victor Montagliani visited Toronto and concluded its inspection of the candidate host cities for what will be the first-ever edition of football’s flagship event to feature 48 teams and be held across three countries: Canada, Mexico and the United States.

Within the scope of three tours, the FIFA experts witnessed the excitement, along with the commitment of the bidding teams, in Boston, Atlanta, Nashville, Orlando, Washington DC, Baltimore, New York/New Jersey, Philadelphia, Miami, Kansas City, Cincinnati, Dallas, Denver, Houston, Monterrey, San Francisco, Seattle, Edmonton, Mexico City, Guadalajara, Los Angeles and Toronto.

“With Host Cities being essential stakeholders of the FIFA World Cup, these visits have laid the foundations for the tournament to be delivered successfully across all three countries,” said Victor Montagliani.

“What we have seen are truly outstanding bids, in light of which we are more certain than ever that 2026 will be a significant milestone in football history. We would like to reiterate our appreciation to all the candidate host cities and the three host associations for their tremendous efforts and dedication to this process,” he added.

“We are absolutely delighted by the commitment and enthusiasm shown by all the candidate host cities,” commented FIFA’s Chief Tournaments & Events Officer, Colin Smith.

“All of them have a vision of how to make the most of the FIFA World Cup experience and see the competition as a unique opportunity to welcome the world and leave a lasting legacy, very much in line with FIFA’s objective of setting the benchmark in the delivery of global sporting events,” he added.

During each stop, the FIFA delegation visited key infrastructure, including stadiums, training sites and Fan Festival venues, and held discussions with a variety of city-related stakeholders on an array of key matters, such as infrastructure, transport, sustainability and legacy.

Following a thorough assessment, FIFA expects to finalise the selection process by Q1/Q2 2022.