USMNT x-factors: Pulisic, McKennie and Pepi must deliver at World Cup
USA TODAY Sports’ Jon Arnold and Seth Vertelney are joined by former USWNT player Lori Lindsey to break down pivotal players on the U.S. men’s team.
Sports Seriously
Fans might have noticed that stadiums across the United States, Mexico and Canada are getting revamped for the 2026 World Cup.
The Mercedes-Benz logo on the side of Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium has been covered with a FIFA-branded banner and Gillette Stadium has been covered with white banners to hide the razor company’s logos.
Kansas City went with a bit more of an extreme makeover and fully removed the “GEHA” lettering from its stadium so that GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium is ready for the big competition.
This is because FIFA is not allowing sponsors that are not officially affiliated with the governing body or the World Cup to be shown during the tournament, which kicks off June 11. This is standard protocol for FIFA and its international competitions.
So what will the stadiums be called without their naming rights deals? They will mostly be called by their city name, so games will be played at “Atlanta Stadium,” “Boston Stadium,” “Kansas City Stadium” and so forth.
There will be two exceptions to removing the branding and changing the stadium names for the 2026 World Cup.
Atlanta Stadium was granted an exemption and will be allowed to keep the Mercedes-Benz logo on its roof. The Athletic reports that this is because, after 18 months of discussions, executives couldn’t find a way to safely remove or cover the logo without damaging the roof.
According to Yahoo Sports, BC Place in Vancouver will be referred to as a variation of its already established name “BC Place Vancouver.” The stadium is publicly owned by the province of British Columbia and doesn’t have a naming rights deal with a sponsor.
The World Cup will be played this summer in 16 cities across the United States, Canada and Mexico. There will be a record 104 matches because the field has expanded to 48 teams. The opening match will be played at Estadio Banorte, aka Mexico City Stadium, between Mexico and South Africa on June 11.
The final will take place on July 19 at MetLife Stadium, which will be dubbed New York New Jersey Stadium.
Full list of World Cup 2026 stadiums
| World Cup name | Normal name | Location |
|---|---|---|
| Toronto Stadium | BMO Field | Toronto, Ontario |
| BC Place Vancouver | BC Place | Vancouver, British Colombia |
| Mexico City Stadium | Estadio Banorte | Mexico City, Mexico |
| Estadio Guadalajara | Estadio Akron | Zapopan, Jalisco, Mexico |
| Estadio Monterrey | Estadio BBVA | Guadalupe, Nuevo Leon, Mexico |
| Atlanta Stadium | Mercedes-Benz Stadium | Atlanta, Georgia |
| Boston Stadium | Gillette Stadium | Foxborough, Massachusetts |
| Dallas Stadium | AT&T Stadium | Arlington, Texas |
| Houston Stadium | NRG Stadium | Houston, Texas |
| Kansas City Stadium | GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium | Kansas City, Missouri |
| Los Angeles Stadium | SoFi Stadium | Inglewood, California |
| Miami Stadium | Hard Rock Stadium | Miami Gardens, Florida |
| New York New Jersey Stadium | MetLife Stadium | East Rutherford, New Jersey |
| Philadelphia Stadium | Lincoln Financial Field | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
| San Francisco Bay Area Stadium | Levi’s Field | Santa Clara, California |
| Seattle Stadium | Lumen Field | Seattle, Washington |
