The United States prepares to co-host the 2026 World Cup with Canada and Mexico amid high ticket demand and traffic concerns.
More than three decades have passed since the United States last played host to the World Cup, and this summer it will share the stage with Canada and Mexico as joint organizers. Brazil’s national team has made itself at home at the Red Bull training facility in Morristown, New Jersey, where players like Manchester United striker Matheus Cunha run through drills.
Excited supporters gather to catch glimpses of their heroes up close, often snapping photos or collecting autographs.
Cunha describes the welcome as fantastic and praises the venue, the playing surface, and even the climate, which he says reminds him of Brazil.
‘The only thing… it’s called football, not soccer,’ he jokes with a grin.
Local supporters share the thrill of the upcoming tournament but worry that roads already clogged with traffic will spiral into chaos come matchday.
Brazilian-American fan Vivi de Castro recalls a March friendly between Brazil and France in Boston where her group missed pitchside access because of gridlock.
‘We had pitchside access and we missed it, which sucks, because of how much traffic there was,’ she says.
‘People walking were getting there quicker than our bus that we had.’
Signs along New York and New Jersey highways already warn drivers to expect heavier congestion and to watch for advisories.
Transit hubs post notices that streets and trains will be far busier than usual and urge travelers to ‘know before you go.’
Each World Cup matchday in the city has been branded a ‘gridlock alert day’ to discourage unnecessary car trips, and designated travel corridors will guide fans to venues.
New York is deploying more than 100 staff across midtown to steer traffic flows, while public transit schedules have been tweaked to absorb the surge in ridership.
In Brooklyn’s Prospect Park, young players from SC Gjøa Soccer Club share stories of securing tickets—goalkeeper Baxter Rowland will attend two matches, one with family and another with friends who chartered a bus.
Yet even ticket in hand does not guarantee smooth sailing; his mother, Alice Baxter, plans to drive to the first game and admits she has spent hours studying routes, parking options, and exit strategies.
‘I think it’s going to be a little bit stressful, and I think it might be difficult for the first few games, at least,’ she says.
‘Hopefully it’ll get better and they’ll work out the kinks, especially with the final here in New Jersey and New York.’
Dennis Wyrwoll is looking forward to taking his 10-year-old son Nicholas to four matches, though he acknowledges that travel will be harder than during the 1994 World Cup, the last time the U.S. hosted.
‘I was here in 1994, when we had the last World Cup, and at that point, nobody knew anything about football,’ he reflects.
‘It was easy to get tickets. I think this time around, there’s lot of excitement in New York but I’m curious to see how it builds outside of the big cities where there aren’t as many soccer fans.’
Coach Kaha Tavadze says registration at his club has tripled over the past year, a surge he credits directly to the World Cup being hosted in the U.S.
Children now track players closely, wear replica jerseys, and dream of playing professionally.
‘Watching live games, especially at that level, will change their mindset,’ he notes.
The arrival of the tournament has transformed how kids view the game, turning casual interest into serious passion.
Shantay Armstrong’s seven-year-old son has played club football for five years and dreams of attending a match.