World Cup 2026 stadiums to use new names per FIFA rules
FIFA previously announced all 16 host cities and their stadiums for the 2026 World Cup over two years ago. The governing body of the sport then revealed exactly how many matches each area will get back in February.
MetLife Stadium in New Jersey will host the tournament final. The arena is currently the home of the NFL duo the New York Giants and New York Jets.
There will be some unique changes to the arenas across North America. First of all, FIFA is forcing all of the stadiums to have real grass pitches. This means that arenas with artificial turf must lay down sod for official games.
However, the governing body is also making host stadiums temporarily change their official names for the tournament. Instead of their typical names, each arena will be known as whichever major city they are in/near. For example, MetLife Stadium will be the New York New Jersey Stadium.
World Cup will see official stadium branding hidden
The move by FIFA ultimately comes down to sponsorship issues. The governing body has strict rules over branding. They will only allow official FIFA sponsors at the tournament.
As a result, corporate stadium naming rights must not be in use. Not only will each stadium have a generic name, but all typical stadium branding will be hidden.
Lisa Lutoff-Perlo, president of the Miami Host Committee, recently addressed the issue. Miami is one of the 2026 World Cup host cities, winning a 2022 vote. The city, by way of Hard Rock Stadium, will present four group-stage matches, as well as three knockout round fixtures. One of these late matches will be the third-place game.
“All branding and all signage has to be covered, those are the FIFA rules,” claimed Lutoff-Perlo earlier this week. “There are restricted categories for sponsorships, but those only apply to our highest level of packages. We have lots of levels of donor sponsors and that field is wide open for everyone.”
FIFA was not creative in coming up with new arena names
Americans will find it unusual to see official stadium branding hidden. Along with causing potential confusion at the 2026 World Cup, FIFA also opted to tie certain stadiums to cities outside of where the actual arenas are.
For instance, Hard Rock Stadium will be “Miami Stadium” for the competition. Nevertheless, the arena is not technically in the city of Miami. A similar issue also includes SoFi Stadium, AT&T Stadium, and the aforementioned MetLife Stadium. Gillette Stadium, which will be “Boston Stadium,” is actually located 30 miles outside of Boston in Foxborough, Massachusetts as well.
List of American host stadium names for the 2026 World Cup:
Mercedes-Benz Stadium – Atlanta Stadium
Gillette Stadium – Boston Stadium
AT&T Stadium – Dallas Stadium
NRG Stadium – Houston Stadium
GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium – Kansas City Stadium
SoFi Stadium – Los Angeles Stadium
Hard Rock Stadium – Miami Stadium
MetLife Stadium – New York New Jersey Stadium
Lincoln Financial Field – Philadelphia Stadium
Levi’s Stadium – San Francisco Bay Area Stadium
Lumen Field – Seattle Stadium
Photo credit: IMAGO / Pond5 Images