World Cup 2026 stadiums: Ranking each venue from 'below average' to 'elite'

The host cities for the 2026 World Cup of North America have recently been announced.

It's led to a welcome aura of excitement and anticipation amongst national fan bases after the highly controversial appointment of Qatar for the 2022 edition of football's most special tournament.

FIFA have announced 16 host cities which will be staged across the United States, Mexico and Canada.

Although, most are situated in America (11), with Mexico hosting three and Canada two.

The stadiums

Naturally, along with the confirmation of the location came an announcement on the venues.

And let us tell you now, some of the stadiums are simply magnificent.

From the Azteca Stadium - which will interestingly become the first venue to host three different World Cups - to the Sofi Stadium which hosted this year's SuperBowl, fans attending the spectacle are in for one hell of a treat.

So, in the spirit of the World Cup, and also to allow you take a sneaky speak at these picturesque venues, we've decided to categorise them from 'below average' to 'elite'.

Check out what we came up with below.

Ranking the 16 World Cup venues

'Below average'

BMO Field (Toronto) - 27,456
Estadio Akron (Guadalajara) - 48,071

It's a testament to the quality of these World Cup venues that only two of the 16 fall into the 'below average' category, although these two are certainly justified.

A capacity under 30,000 quite simply isn't suitable for hosting matches of such magnitude and despite claims that it can be extended to 40,000, the BMO Field Stadium in Toronto is hardly blessed with beauty either.

Image: BMO Field Stadium

'Decent'

BC Place Stadium / Vancouver â€“ 54.500
Levi's Stadium / San Francisco - 68,5000
Lincoln Financial Field / Philadelphia - 67,594
Gillette Stadium / Boston - 65,878

This might be the 'decent' category but some of the stadiums here look pretty darn good.

None more so than the Levi's Stadium, the home of the San Francisco 49ers. Aside from it's enormous capacity, it's also open roof which would make for incredible viewing with the sun beating down on a lovely summers day.

You wouldn't want to be right up in the rafters, though...

Image: Levi's Stadium

SANTA CLARA, CA - AUGUST 17: A general view of the San Francisco 49ers taking on the Denver Broncos during a preseason game at Levi's Stadium on August 17, 2014 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Noah Graham/Getty Images)

'Very impressive'

NRG Stadium / Houston, Texas - 72,220
MetLife Stadium / New York - 82,500
Azteca Stadium / Mexico City â€“ 87,523

The Azteca Stadium is a historic venue with an absolutely humongous capacity in Mexico City, many might be surprised that it can't earn a higher placing on this list.

Meanwhile, MetLife Stadium serves as the home of both the New York Giants and New York Jets.

The final arena in the 'very impressive' category is the NRG stadium. This magnificent structure hosted the Super Bowl in 2017 and is home to the Houston Texans.

Image: NRG Stadium

HOUSTON, TX - OCTOBER 30: A general view of the stadium during the National Anthem before the game between the Houston Texans and the Detroit Lions at NRG Stadium on October 30, 2016 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Thomas B. Shea/Getty Images)

'Incredible'

Lumen Field / Seattle - 72,000
AT&T Stadium / Arlington Texas - 80,000
Hard Rock Stadium / Miami - 65,326
Estadio BBVA / Monterrey - 51,000

Yet more unbelievable locations to host a World Cup fill this category.

The Estadio BBVA in Monterrey is famous for its magnificent backdrop of rolling Mexican foothills that supporters can even see from inside the stadium.

Just check this out:

That might take the cake in all honesty, however its 51,000 capacity counts against the BBVA.

In this category we also have the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami. This venue recently hosted the Formula 1 and spectators were treated to an outrageously cool few days.

It's not so much the stadium itself but the facilities around it that make this place so good.

It's even got a pool... I mean, come on.

Image: Hard Rock Stadium

MIAMI, FL - DECEMBER 29: A general view of game action during the College Football Playoff Semifinal at the Capital One Orange Bowl at Hard Rock Stadium on December 29, 2018 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)

'Elite'

Sofi Stadium / Los Angeles â€“ 70,000
Arrowhead Stadium / Kansas - 76,416
Mercedes-Benz Stadium / Atlanta - 71,000

And finally for the top three. This trio just have everything. They look immense from the outside and the inside, they've got the perfect range of capacity and are just outstanding locations to host a sporting event.

The Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas really is a thing of beauty, similar to the Levi's Stadium of the 49ers but on an entirely different level.

Whereas the Mercedes-Benz Stadium is shaped like a circular cauldron and ought to be perfect for generating a mighty atmosphere at games.

Image: Mercedes-Benz Stadium

ATLANTA, GA - JULY 15: General view of Mercedes-Benz Stadium prior the matchup between the Atlanta United and the Seattle Sounders FC 2 on July 15, 2018 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Michael Chang/Getty Images)