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# FIFA World Cup 2026

##

Last modified: 2026-08-29 by zachary harden
Keywords: world cup | fifa | football |
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- Introduction
- Branding
- Flags in use
  Philadelphia Seattle

See also:

- Fédération International de Football Association (FIFA)
- International Sporting Organizations
- International Organizations

## Introduction

"The 2026 FIFA World Cup, marketed as FIFA World Cup 26, will be the 23rd FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international men's soccer championship contested by the national teams of the member associations of FIFA. The FIFA Council went back and forth between 2013 and 2017 on limitations within hosting rotation based on the continental confederations. Originally, it was set that bids to be host would not be allowed from countries belonging to confederations that hosted the two preceding tournaments. It was temporarily changed to only prohibit countries belonging to the confederation that hosted the previous World Cup from bidding to host the following tournament, before the rule was changed back to its prior state of two World Cups. However, the FIFA Council did make an exception to potentially grant eligibility to member associations of the confederation of the second-to-last host of the FIFA World Cup in the event that none of the received bids fulfill the strict technical and financial requirements. In March 2017, it was confirmed that "Europe (UEFA) and Asia (AFC) are excluded from the bidding following the selection of Russia and Qatar in 2018 and 2022 respectively." Therefore, the 2026 World Cup could be hosted by one of the remaining four confederations: CONCACAF (North America; last hosted in 1994), CAF (Africa; last hosted in 2010), CONMEBOL (South America; last hosted in 2014), or OFC (Oceania, never hosted before), or potentially by UEFA in case no bid from those four met the requirements. Co-hosting the FIFA World Cup—which had been banned by FIFA after the 2002 World Cup—was approved for the 2026 World Cup, though not limited to a specific number but instead evaluated on a case-by-case basis. Canada, Mexico, and the United States had all publicly considered bidding for the tournament separately, but the United joint bid was announced on April 10, 2017, comprising Canada Soccer, Federación Mexicana de Fútbol Asociación and the U.S. Soccer Federation. The bidding process was due to start in 2015, with the appointment of hosts scheduled for the FIFA Congress on May 10, 2017 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, but was postponed due to the 2015 FIFA corruption case and resumed following the FIFA Council meeting on May 10, 2016, with a final decision in May 2020, amid corruption allegations around the previous tournaments, due to be held in 2018 (Russia), as well as in 2022 (Qatar). The voting took place on June 13, 2018, during the 68th FIFA Congress in Moscow, and it was opened to all 203 eligible members. The United bid won with 134 valid ballots, while the Morocco bid received 65 valid ballots. Iran voted for the option "None of the bids", while Cuba, Slovenia and Spain abstained from voting. In a rather similar way to the organization of the Olympic Games , there are LOC (Local Organizing Committees) on each host city. The tournament will take place from a yet to be determined date in June to July 19, 2026. It will be jointly hosted by 16 cities in three North American countries: Canada, Mexico, and the United States, as follows: Canada: Toronto and Vancouver Mexico: Guadalajara, Mexico City and Monterrey United States: Atlanta, Boston, Dallas, Houston, Kansas City , Los Angeles, Miami, New York/New Jersey, Philadelphia, San Francisco Bay Area, Seattle. The tournament will be the first hosted by three nations." Sources: https://www.fifa.com/fifaplus/en/tournaments/mens/worldcup/canadamexicousa2026 , https://www.fifa.com/fifaplus/en/tournaments/mens/worldcup/canadamexicousa2026/host-cities , https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_FIFA_World_Cup_bids , https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_FIFA_World_Cup and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_2026_FIFA_World_Cup_bid
Esteban Rivera, 06 November 2023

## Branding

"The FIFA World Cup 26™ Official Brand was announced ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZTdOX1U2K0Q ) on May 17, 2023. For the first time in history, an image of the actual trophy and the tournament hosting year is being depicted, forming an innovative design language that anchors the FIFA World Cup™ emblem for 2026 and beyond. The image of the trophy and the year allow for customisation to reflect the uniqueness of each host, while building an identifiable brand structure for years to come. The following day, May 18, the 16 individual Host City Brands were launched as well. all at FIFAWorldCup.com. and using activations on social media with the following hashtags #FIFAWorldCup and #WeAre26" Source: https://www.fifa.com/fifaplus/en/articles/world-cup-2026-official-brand-unveiled-canada-mexico-usa-celebration-football-diversity So far, I've only encountered flags for U.S. host cities (venues) and not a unified tournament flag yet. Also, there are several variants for each city flag as well. "There are variations of the logo where the "26" is divided into 16 grids, representing the 16 host cities, and further iterations where the numbers contain 48 panels, representing the teams in the tournament (an expansion from the previous 32 teams). FIFA has also created unique color palettes and design inserts for each host city. The base logo, though, will remain the same. Representatives for FIFA said the design process for the logo was led by their own in-house brand team, with input from a number of consulting agencies, though they declined to name those." Sources: https://theathletic.com/4530029/2023/05/17/world-cup-2026-logo-branding/ and https://canadasoccer.com/news/fifa-unveils-official-brand-for-2026-fifa-world-cup/ "The main version of the logo features a largely monochromatic colour palette of black, white and gold, which also allows each host city to then express its culture and location through its own version. Other supporting assets include a typographic wordmark which incorporates the 26 symbol on a smaller scale, the official FWC2026 event typeface paired with a secondary font called Noto Sans and various graphic patterns designed to amplify the 26 icon." Source: https://www.designweek.co.uk/issues/22-may-26-may-2023/2026-fifa-world-cup-identity/
Esteban Rivera, 06 November 2023

## Flags in use

### Philadelphia

image located by Esteban Rivera, 06 November 2023

image located by Esteban Rivera, 06 November 2023

### Seattle

source; image by Zachary Harden, 01 February 2024

### Dallas

image located by Esteban Rivera, 06 November 2023