FIFA World Cup 2026: 2-year countdown begins as Philly builds up for its 6 games – Billy Penn

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Tuesday marks two years before the opening game of the 2026 FIFA Men’s World Cup when billions will gather around the world to watch the biggest showcase in international men’s soccer, and Philly’s organizers are continuing to prepare for the city’s part in it.
“In two years from now, the world will stand still and watch what is happening in North America,” FIFA President Gianni Infantino said in a video released by the game’s governing body.
Exactly two years from today, @FIFAWorldCup will kick off in Mexico City.@FIFA President Gianni Infantino has a special message for Philadelphia as we gear up for the action. #FIFAWorldCup #WeAre26 #WeArePhiladelphia pic.twitter.com/GXU3CqYJsf
The global soccer spectacle —  jointly hosted by 16 cities across the U.S., Canada and Mexico — will include six games at Philly’s Lincoln Financial Field, including a July Fourth match falling on the country’s semiquincentennial celebrations.  
Meg Kane, the host city executive for Philadelphia Soccer 2026, said that as preparations continue to prepare the city for one of the largest sporting events there will be more opportunities to engage in the Beautiful Game.
June 11, 2026, will also be the opening day of Philly’s fan fest location, where fans who couldn’t get game tickets can watch a live broadcast of the action, along with music, food and other entertainment. Kane said the location is being finalized and will be announced soon.
“It’s an unexpected place, a newer place, someplace that we have not used prior,” she said.
The World Cup begins with Mexico playing in the capital’s Estadio Azteca. The U.S. and Canadian national teams kick off a day later in Los Angeles and Toronto, respectively. 
Philly’s group stage games will be on June 14, 19, 22, 25 and 27. The tournament itself runs from June 11 to July 19. Forty-eight international teams will compete in 104 matches, a massive expansion from the previous tournament in Qatar in 2022, which had 32 teams competing over 64 games.
The full draw and schedule will be filled after the qualification process wraps up and the group draw will happen in December 2025.
The Linc will have a game between Premier League giants Liverpool and Arsenal on July 31, following the trend of last year’s three Premier League matches and an international friendly between Mexico and Germany. A friendly between Argentina and El Salvador in March drew a much more muted smaller attendance of around 10,000, but that can be attributed to several factors, mainly the short notice of the game and the fact that the superstar captain of the defending World Champions, Lionel Messi, was a late scratch due to injury. Kane said that the upcoming Premier League friendly looks set to bounce back from the opposite trend, even if many stars will be absent. 
“We are already sold out for Arsenal-Liverpool, on a Wednesday night in July,” Kane said. “We recognize that some of the best talent might be [away with their national teams], might be getting rest, maybe not here. But I do think it demonstrates the enthusiasm for just these teams and what the Premier League has been built into.”
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This summer also features a packed schedule of international soccer in the U.S. and abroad. New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium and 13 other U.S. cities will hold the Copa América, with the USMNT and five other North-and Central-American teams competing with 10 South American sides. The top European national teams will compete in Euro 2024 in Germany, and the Olympics in Paris will feature men’s and women’s soccer.  
Kane said that the organizing team will be watching the summer’s events with a planner’s eye, to see what was done exceptionally and what could have been improved on. She also said she was learning from the Phillies’ recent trip to London, where she saw the fan’s strength as a traveling group.
“What we do in terms of the takeovers of other cities is something that we will likely experience in 2026 related to the teams that will be here,” she said. “What are those types of moments and opportunities to create for fans, where they feel that Philadelphia is leaning into their match specifically?”
Kane also couldn’t help but notice when Bryce Harper celebrated his London Stadium home run against the Mets with a knee slide, a much more common practice in the soccer world.
“I certainly would like to thank Bryce Harper for introducing the world to the soccer celebration,” Kane said. “I would assume we will see many more of those slides in June of 2026 here in Philadelphia.”
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Nick Kariuki is Billy Penn’s trending news reporter. A graduate of the University of Virginia and Medill’s MSJ program at Northwestern University, Nick was previously a sportswriter for outlets such… More by Nick Kariuki
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