Five cities that were previously considered as potential venues will not host any matches during the 2026 FIFA World Cup, to be held across the United States, Canada, and Mexico.

According to GoogleNewsEN, five cities that had been part of earlier candidacy considerations were ultimately not included in the final schedule of match venues for the tournament. These cities will therefore not stage any official FIFA World Cup fixtures.

The 2026 FIFA World Cup marks the first edition of the tournament to feature 48 participating national teams, an expansion from the previous format of 32 teams. This increase in participating nations results in a higher total number of matches, distributed across a greater number of official host cities in the three participating countries.

According to GoogleNewsEN, the final allocation of host venues was determined by FIFA following an evaluation process in which criteria such as stadium capacity, infrastructure, and logistical capabilities were assessed. The cities that did not receive match allocations are excluded from the official tournament programme despite their prior involvement in the candidacy process.

Full details regarding the identities of the excluded cities and FIFA’s official reasoning were not entirely verifiable based on the available source material.

The parties concerned could not be reached for comment.