June 1, 2020
Due to travel restrictions, plans are only available with travel dates on or after
Due to travel restrictions, plans are only available with effective start dates on or after
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The 2026 World Cup (June 11 — July 19) will be the biggest world cup in history to date.
This year will be the first time since 2002 that the men’s World Cup will be hosted by multiple nations — the U.S., Mexico, and Canada. The tournament includes the most teams in its history, expanded from 32 to 48, with 104 matches played across 16 cities.
If you’re heading to the 2026 World Cup, keep in mind that a tournament of this magnitude requires lots of solid planning on your part!
We know you aren’t jetsetting to literally every venue, and you probably have your favorite match-ups in mind for your travel plans. But you still need to plan for larger than life crowds, bustling airports and cities, and more.
Read on for tips on traveling to the 2026 World Cup:
The tournament will be hosted in Miami, Seattle, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Houston, Dallas, Kansas City, Atlanta, Boston, Philadelphia and East Rutherford, New Jersey. The host cities in Mexico and Canada include Monterrey, Guadalajara, Mexico City, Vancouver, and Toronto.
A major advantage of travelling to a U.S. city for the 2026 World Cup is that you won’t have to worry about visa and passport requirements and travel advisories. However, there are still plenty of factors to consider.
Here’s some tips to make travel easy, most of which are great for both international and domestic trips:
If you’re flying into Dallas, base yourself in Arlington, instead. Though billed as being in Dallas, the AT&T Stadium is actually located in nearby Arlington. Booking a hotel in the smaller city saves you from losing time in transit, that could be spent getting settled in at the stadium, or sightseeing between matches.
AFAR has a list of alternative cities for booking your hotel as close to the matches as possible.
If you are headed north, the small-city-booking-rule still applies. Matches advertised as occurring in New York or New Jersey will be held at the MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. Book your hotel in Hoboken if you want to easily get to MetLife and Manhattan.
There’s also plenty to do in these smaller cities. For example, if you book in Hollywood, instead of Miami, you’ll have quieter boardwalk access in between matches.
In early April, FIFA will move into its Last-Minute Sales Phase, which may be your last opportunity to purchase tickets through FIFA.
“During this period, tickets will be allocated on a first come, first served basis, and purchases will be processed as real-time transactions, subject to availability,” FIFA writes. FIFA also has an official resale platform open through April 2.
Your best bet to avoid disappointment is to purchase directly from FIFA. Popular third-party sites sell tickets, but are often unreliable. Here’s more details from The Athletic on how to snag those last minute tickets.
Before you make any sightseeing plans, you need to consider how much of a die hard fan you are. There are a few ways you can play this. You can schedule lots of down time for sightseeing, or you can stick close to the stadium to catch as many matches as possible. It’s really a choose your adventure sort of event!
You can catch a few matches at the stadium, then go sightseeing, instead of catching every game. Pick a small city as a homebase and book your hotel there. Explore that city, or travel into the larger metro area.
If you’re going to see the matches at MetLife, you can try out the following advice from AFAR:
“Hit up local sports bars for non–New York games, and you’re bound to meet fans from all over the world,” writes AFAR. “You might be able to attend only a handful of matches this way, but you’re sure to come away with plenty of sports and travel memories.”
Now, this idea strikes a balance between taking in local culture and getting plenty of opportunities to see your favorite teams.
You can always choose to not follow a specific team, but base yourself near a city that will see a lot of action. The city should also have a lot of opportunity for a handful of carefully planned excursions.
For example, if you base yourself near Dallas, you can catch nine matches, including the semi-final. You can then explore Dallas and Houston. If you plan carefully, you can take a side trip to Monterrey, Mexico.
If you really want to go all-out, you can buy tickets for your favorite team’s matches, no matter the cities. For the group stage, your team will play in three pre-picked cities. You can follow them to all three.
Now, if you’re really a diehard, you can try to book tickets and flights at a whim if your team advances. This logistical feat costs time and money! But it will be the memory of a lifetime for those who pull it off! In that case, you may want to consult a travel agent to help you handle all the details.
You most certainly do! And you especially need travel insurance if you are headed to Canada or Mexico. You should know that your domestic travel insurance plan may not fully protect you if you experience a medical emergency abroad.
An Allianz Travel Insurance plan with emergency medical benefits may help you fill protection gaps. You may not be sweating it out on the field with world class football players, but anything can happen.
Our trip cancellation benefits reimburse certain non-refundable expenses if your trip is cancelled before you get going, or interrupted midway, for a covered reason. Check your policy to view covered reasons for cancellation.
Tickets for flights and world cup matches, and hotel bookings, are expensive. It would be a shame to lose out on money if you had to cancel your trip due to a diagnosed illness, or other emergency.
Get a quote today to find out how Allianz Travel Insurance can help you roam with peace of mind.
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Terms, conditions, and exclusions apply. Please see your plan for full details. Benefits/Coverage may vary by state, and sublimits may apply.
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