2026 World Cup Final destination announced, coveted showcase to take place at MetLife Stadium, NJ

FIFA has unveiled that the 2026 World Cup has picked the location to host the coveted tournament's final match-up. The 104-game tournament, which has been spread across three countries for the first time, will have 48 nations competing for the prestigious title. The sport's premier match will take place at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey in 2026, beating out the AT&T Stadium in Texas and the SoFi Stadium in California as the hosts. FIFA made the announcement Sunday at a Miami television studio,

3 things you need to know

• Lionel Messi-led Argentina won the World Cup in 2022
• FIFA is expanding in 2026 and will have more teams in the race for the coveted title
• The locations for the opening game and the final game has been revealed

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Located about 10 miles from Manhattan, MetLife was promoted by both New York and New Jersey, where the stadium was built in the Meadowlands marshes. The land of Bruce Springsteen, Jon Bon Jovi and Frank Sinatra will be the focal point of the globe on that Sunday, when either Lionel Messi’s Argentina will try to win its second straight title or a successor will emerge.

The 39-day tournament's opening game histing rights has been allocated to Mexico City’s Estadio Azteca on June 11 and the grand finale to the home of the NFL’s New York Jets and Giants. All games from the quarterfinals on are being played in the United States. Semifinals are on July 14 at AT&T Stadium and the following day at Mercedes Benz Stadium in Atlanta.

Quarterfinals are at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, on July 9, at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, the following day, and at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri, and Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida, on July 11. The third-place game will be at Hard Rock on July 18.

AT&T will host a tournament-high nine matches. There will be eight each at MetLife, SoFi and Mercedes Benz; seven apiece at Hard Rock, Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, and NRG Stadium in Houston; and six apiece at Lumen, Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri, and Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California.

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Santa Clara is the only U.S. site that will not host a game after the new round of 32. AT&T will host two round-of-32 matches.

All 11 of the U.S. stadiums are home to NFL teams. Hard Rock will host this year’s Copa América final on July 14, while MetLife was the site of the 2016 Copa América final.

The stadiums in Arlington, Atlanta and Houston have retractable roofs that are expected to be closed because of summer heat, and Inglewood and Vancouver have fixed roofs.

Artificial turf will be replaced by grass in Arlington, Atlanta, East Rutherford, Foxborough, Houston, Inglewood and Vancouver.

(With AP Inputs)