Rating All 16 World Cup Host Cities
The World Cup is only two days away, and we have 16 different cities across North America ready to put their best foot forward for the biggest sports tournament in existence.
As a sports writer and producer lucky enough over the past decade to have been able to work in each of the 16 cities selected for the World Cup, I thought it would be my duty to rate each of the locations before the tournament begins.
Firstly, these are my own personal opinions, and understand (rightfully so) if you don’t agree. When rating each city, I am going by some simple metrics: food, accessibility, sports atmosphere, venue, and overall vibe.
Luckily, none of the cities for this year’s World Cup are outright bad, but some are better than others.
Without further ado, the ratings.
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Atlanta: 8.5/10
I love Atlanta as a city, and they know how to bring a strong sports culture, especially when it comes to soccer. Underrated food city and has one of the best venues of the entire World Cup.
Boston: 7
Boston itself is wonderful, so why is it only a 7? Because for how great Boston is, it’s a bit of false advertising. Boston Stadium, or most commonly known as Gillette Stadium, is about 30 miles from the heart of the city.
Dallas: 6.5
It’s a similar situation for Dallas, when the actual venue is in Arlington, about 20 miles out. While A&T Stadium is a marvel, the area around the building isn’t the greatest when it comes to activity or food.
Guadalajara: 7
A fun city that has some incredible food and atmosphere, but public transportation punches it down the list. Still, a good city to watch a World Cup game in.
Houston: 7.5
NRG Stadium doesn’t get the credit it deserves as a stadium, and above that, Houston is a fun area with more to do than its Texas counterpart in Arlington.
Kansas City: 9
Kansas City might be the crown jewel of American cities when it comes to the World Cup and sport of soccer. Arrowhead might not be the fanciest, but it can get as loud as any venue on the planet when full. Food is amazing, there is a deep soccer culture across the city, and transportation isn’t as hectic compared to other cities.
Los Angeles: 8
L.A. is similar to Kansas City in a lot of ways. Great stadium, great food, and the love for soccer is apparent across the city, supporting both the United States and Mexico. Why does it get docked a point, though? The traffic and transportation both are tragic, and that’s with the city trying to improve before the Olympics in two years.
Mexico City: 9
Mexico City doesn’t need to prove itself as a World Cup city, as it’s already hosted two World Cup Finals. While I wasn’t around back then, I can give a huge thumbs up when it comes to food, things to do in the area, and overall sports fandom.
Miami: 7.5
Very similar to L.A. in a lot of its positives and negatives. I need to see how well they do after the mess that was the 2024 Copa América final between Colombia and Argentina, which had fans sneaking through the vents to get into the venue.
Monterrey: 8.5
In terms of transportation, Monterrey was one of my favorites when I visited. Soccer culture is at an abundance, and though it doesn’t have the shiniest venue, the crowd is never in doubt for Monterrey.
New York/New Jersey: 6.5
MetLife Stadium is in New Jersey. While it does take a shorter time to get to MetLife than some other stadiums like “Boston” and “Dallas,” those are better overall sporting venues than MetLife, which somehow got the honor of hosting the World Cup Final. New York City as an actual location would be much higher, but the scene around MetLife is nowhere near what you’d want from a climactic setting.
Philadelphia: 8
Although it’s impossible to actually get to Lincoln Financial Field when it’s busy, as it will for the World Cup, the stadium and surrounding area is great. XFINITY Live! Philadelphia is a great place to pop into before or after a game for drinks and food, and you could see a World Cup game before catching a Phillies game later that night.
San Francisco: 5
San Francisco as a city would be much higher than this, but Levi’s Stadium isn’t in San Francisco. It isn’t even like the other cities where the venue is 20 or 30 miles away. The venue for the World Cup is in Santa Clara, which is about 50 miles away from the heart of San Francisco, which could be upwards of over an hour to get to if you’re staying in the city. There are a lot of fans that are traveling to San Francisco for the World Cup that are going to get a rude awakening when they find out where Levi’s Stadium is.
Seattle: 8.5
Lumen Field isn’t a newer stadium but is still one of the best places to catch an NFL or MLS game in 2026. The surrounding area is solid, the food is incredible, and though not normally cited, is an incredible city for the U.S.’s Men National Team.
Toronto: 7.5
Toronto is a great sports town with lots to do in it, but I knock some points off for BMO Field, which I rank as one of the worst venues for the World Cup.
Vancouver: 8.5
One of my favorite cities on the planet Earth, Vancouver is remarkable. While I wish they had a better stadium than BC Place, there is history there, and it shouldn’t take away from one of the most underrated sports cities in North America.
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This story was originally published June 9, 2026 at 1:29 PM.