- Why Houston Comes Out on Top
- A city built for sports lovers
- A more affordable trip
- How the Rest of the Host Cities Compare
- 2nd: New York City (Score: 6/10)
- 3rd: Los Angeles (Score: 5.3/10)
- 4th: Mexico City (Score: 5.2/10)
- 5th: Toronto (Score: 5.1/10)
- Mid-Table Performers
- Cities Offering Solid But Mixed Experiences
- Notable highlights from the rankings:
- How We Ranked the Host Cities
- About Stasher
As excitement builds ahead of the FIFA World Cup draw, we’ve taken a deep dive into the 16 host cities across the U.S., Mexico and Canada to uncover where travelling football fans can enjoy the best all-round experience next summer.
With 104 matches running from 11 June through to the final on 19 July at New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium, millions of supporters are expected to fly in for what’s set to be the biggest tournament in the competition’s history. Early projections suggest as many as 6 million international sports-trippers could descend on the host cities alone.
So if you’re already planning your route — or simply dreaming of the summer ahead — here’s what our research found.
Why Houston Comes Out on Top
After comparing a range of factors that matter most to sports travellers — from sports bars and stadium access to affordability, local transport, tourist safety and wider sporting culture — Houston ranks as the number one 2026 World Cup host city, scoring 7.4 out of 10 overall.
A city built for sports lovers
Houston offers the largest number of sports bars (202) and a standout selection of sport-related attractions and experiences (44), each highly rated by visitors. It’s also home to major league teams across football, basketball and beyond, cementing its status as one of the U.S.’s great sporting cities.
The host stadium is under six miles from the city centre and already has serious football pedigree, having welcomed MLS All-Star matches, USA and Mexico national team fixtures, and Copa América Centenario games.
A more affordable trip
Houston also scores well for affordability.
- Public transport is inexpensive, with a typical one-way ticket averaging under £1.
- Domestic draft beer averages around £1.72 per pint — good news for anyone planning to soak up the atmosphere on matchdays.
How the Rest of the Host Cities Compare
2nd: New York City (Score: 6/10)
The location of the final understandably comes with higher food, drink and transport costs. However, New York shines for the quality of its sports-themed attractions (averaging 4.6 stars) and its strong sports-bar scene (4.4 stars). It also scores well for tourist safety.
3rd: Los Angeles (Score: 5.3/10)
A heavyweight sporting city with world-class venues, strong tourist infrastructure and endless off-pitch experiences – Los Angeles has a lot to offer.
4th: Mexico City (Score: 5.2/10)
Mexico City is a vibrant, football-mad metropolis offering atmospheric stadiums, brilliant street food and a lively World Cup culture.
5th: Toronto (Score: 5.1/10)
Consistently highly rated for visitor safety and quality of experiences, making Toronto a great base for football fans heading to Canada’s fixtures.
For those keen to explore the full rankings, data and methodology, you can dive deeper into the study below.
Mid-Table Performers
- Philadelphia, PA (USA) — 5/10
- Monterrey (Mexico) — 4.9/10
- Kansas City, MO (USA) — 4.8/10
- Vancouver (Canada) — 4.6/10
- Guadalajara (Mexico) — 4.5/10
Cities Offering Solid But Mixed Experiences
- Atlanta, GA (USA) — 4.4/10
- Seattle, WA (USA) — 4.3/10
- Miami, FL (USA) — 4.3/10
- Dallas, TX (USA) — 3.7/10
- Boston, MA (USA) — 3.7/10
- San Francisco, CA (USA) — 3.4/10
Notable highlights from the rankings:
- New York, the host of the final, scores highly for fan experience quality but loses points due to higher local costs.
- Vancouver leads all cities for tourist safety, with Toronto close behind.
- Los Angeles and Mexico City both land in the top five thanks to their wealth of sporting attractions and strong visitor appeal.
- San Francisco and Boston sit at the bottom of the list, primarily due to higher prices and fewer sport-specific tourist experiences.
How We Ranked the Host Cities
Our analysis covers all 16 FIFA World Cup 2026 host cities and assesses each on a range of travel-friendly criteria, including:
- Number of major international sporting competitions hosted in 2025–2026
- Number of professional sports teams across the world’s most popular sports
- Sports bars per capita and average review ratings
- Sport-related tourist attractions and their review scores
- Cost of an inexpensive meal
- Cost of domestic draft beer
- Price of a one-way local transport ticket
- Distance to the main World Cup stadium
- Tourist safety scores /100
These metrics were sourced from platforms including Google Maps, TripAdvisor, Numbeo, Travel Safe Abroad and additional desk research.
About Stasher
Stasher is the world’s first luggage storage network, connecting travellers with vetted hotels and shops where they can safely store their bags while exploring a city. With a 4.8/5 rating, award-winning customer support and £1,000 guarantee per item, Stasher helps you make the most of your trip — whether you’re following your team across continents or simply discovering somewhere new.
