The FIFA World Cup is heading to North America in 2026, with Canada, Mexico and the United States granted the honour of hosting soccer’s most prestigious tournament.
The United 2026 organizing committee subsequently unveiled 23 finalists to be amongst the 16 host cities, with Canada expected to have three venues.
Most top sports betting sites are predicting that Montreal, Toronto and Edmonton are certain to make the final cut, with seven US cities likely to miss out when the final list is confirmed. Read on as we look at the three probable Canadian stadiums.
Montreal – Olympic Stadium
Canada’s biggest stadium in terms of seating space, Montreal’s Olympic Stadium is widely recognised as one of the most impressively designed in the world.
French architect Roger Taillibert conceived of the design to feature organic elements reminiscent of vertebrae, tentacles and sinews, while adhering to the simplified forms of architectural modernism.
Originally used as the main site for the 1976 Summer Olympics, the project was hit by delays and strikes, meaning that construction wasn’t completed until 1987.
“The Big O” is expected to get a makeover for the World Cup, with a retractable roof amongst the renovations planned for the event.
Edmonton – Commonwealth Stadium
Opened ahead of the 1978 Commonwealth Games, Edmonton’s main outdoor stadium has a long history of hosting top class events.
Canadian football, athletics, rugby union and music concerts have all been staged there, in addition to a plethora of top-class soccer action.
Designed by Ragan, Bell, McManus Consultants, the venue is based on the design of the Jack Trice Stadium in the US city of Ames, Iowa.
The stadium’s artificial turf will be replaced by real grass for the 2026 World Cup, while upgrades to the jumbo-tron, sound system and lighting are also in the pipeline.
Toronto – BMO Field
First opened in 2007, BMO Field was originally constructed as a soccer-specific stadium to serve as the home ground of Toronto FC.