LOS ANGELES: Las Vegas will play host to the 2026 World Cup draw on December 5, according to multiple reports on Tuesday.

ESPN and TUDN’Mexico said Vegas had been picked for the draw of the expanded 48-team event, which will be hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico.

Sources told ESPN that Las Vegas was selected over cities in Canada and Mexico. FIFA officials have not confirmed the date or site.

For the first time, the competition will take place in three countries and will feature 48 nations, as opposed to the traditional 32.

When the United States played host to the 1994 World Cup, the draw ceremony was also conducted in Las Vegas.

ESPN’s original report said that The Sphere, a 17,500-seat venue which opened in 2023, was seen as the front-runner for the draw site.

It later reported Sphere sources told the sports network it would not be held there.

In 1994, the draw was staged in Las Vegas even though it was not a host city for any matches, a situation that is also the case for next year’s event.

Las Vegas’ Allegiant Stadium was rejected as a host venue. Eleven United States cities/venues were selected, along with three in Mexico (Guadalajara, Mexico City, and Monterrey) and two in Canada (Toronto and Vancouver).

The US sites are divided into three regions. New York/New Jersey, Phila­delphia, Boston, Miami and Atlanta are a part of the Eastern region, Kansas City, Dallas and Houston comprise a part of the Central Region, while Los Angeles, Seattle and the San Francisco Bay area make up three of the four cities in the Western Region.

The draw will reveal the dozen groups with four nations per group. Mexico (Group A), Canada (Group B) and the United States (Group D) have already been selected for their groups.

MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, will host the final match on July 19, 2026.

Published in Dawn, July 31st, 2025