The 2026 World Cup final will be held at MetLife Stadium in New York/New Jersey, organisers FIFA announced on Sunday.

The New York bid held off a strong challenge from Dallas to secure the July 19 game, the culmination of the expanded 48-team tournament being co-hosted by the USA, Canada and Mexico.

The competition will kickoff with the opening game at Mexico City’s iconic Azteca Stadium on June 11.

“The most inclusive and impactful FIFA World Cup ever is no longer a dream but a reality that will take shape in the form of 104 matches in 16 state-of-the-art stadiums across Canada, Mexico and the USA,” said FIFA president Gianni Infantino.

“From the opening match at the iconic Estadio Azteca to the spectacular final in New York New Jersey, players and fans have been at the core of our extensive planning for this game-changing tournament… that will not only set new records but also leave an indelible legacy.”

Atlanta and Dallas will host the semi-finals while the third-place game will be played in Miami.

The quarter-final games will take place in Los Angeles, Kansas City, Miami and Boston.

A total of 16 cities across the three countries will host games with the bulk of the matches being held in the USA.

The 1994 World Cup was also held in the United States and the final took place at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, near Los Angeles.

New York hosted games at that tournament at the old Giants Stadium, which was later demolished to make way for MetLife, which opened in 2010.

The decisions were announced on a live television broadcast in North America that featured Infantino alongside comedian and actor Kevin Hart, rapper Drake and celebrity Kim Kardashian.

The 82,500-seat MetLife Stadium, across the Hudson River from New York in East Rutherford, New Jersey, is the home of the NFL’s New York Giants and New York Jets but has held a number of international football games, including the final of the 2016 Copa America tournament.

The New York bid had lobbied hard on the city’s experience at hosting major international events and it’s position as a global city with easy transportation connections for fans.

Dallas had hoped that AT&T Stadium, in Arlington, Texas, home to the NFL’s Dallas Cowboys, would benefit from having a roof to protect the game from the elements.

There is some compensation for Dallas with the venue being given nine total games — the most of any venue.

Los Angeles had also thrown a hat into the ring but the attempt struggled amid disagreements with FIFA about tournament upgrades needed to NFL venue SoFi Stadium.

History for Azteca

The Azteca will become the first stadium to host World Cup tournament games in three separate editions after 1970 and 1986.

The venue hosted the finals of the 1970 and 1986 tournaments.

The World Cup will take place during celebrations of the 250th anniversary of American independence.

A round-of-16 game will be held on July 4, Independence Day, in Philadelphia, where the US Declaration of Independence was signed.

The United States will kick off group stage competition at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles on June 12 and will also play in Seattle.

Toronto was selected to host the first game for the Canadian team. Vancouver is the other Canadian venue which will host the squad.

The expansion of the tournament to 48 teams from 32 means there will be an additional 24 matches, making up a total of 104 games across the 16 venues.

The tournament will take the format of 12 groups of four teams with the top two going through along with the eight best third-placed teams.

From there, the competition is a straight knock-out format with the finalists having to play eight games rather than the previous seven.

FIFA says the match schedule, which will not be complete until the qualification process has ended, has been designed to limit travel for the teams.

The full draw for the tournament is expected to be held in late 2025.

Group fixtures have been designed to avoid cross-coast travel for the teams, who will also be able to choose from team bases in their group’s region.

The 16 host cities for the tournament are: Atlanta, Boston, Dallas, Guadalajara, Houston, Kansas City, Los Angeles, Mexico City, Miami, Monterrey, New York-New Jersey, Philadelphia, San Francisco Bay Area, Seattle, Toronto and Vancouver.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Sticking to his anti-India stand, Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu told the parliament today that the island nation will not allow “any country to interfere with or undermine our sovereignty”. He said New Delhi and Male have agreed that Indian troops will leave The Maldives by May 10, according to local media reports.

President Muizzu said Indian troops on one of the three aviation platforms in the island nation will leave by March 10, and those on the other two will pull out by May 10. “Maldives will not renew the agreement with India to chart the country’s inner and underwater charts. We will not allow any country to interfere with or undermine our sovereignty,” the President said.

India has 80-odd troops in the island nation to provide humanitarian aid and medical evacuation. President Muizzu’s campaign had focused on reducing Indian influence in affairs of The Maldives and the presence of Indian soldiers emerged as a major point of contention ever since he took over.

Reuters had earlier reported that the two sides had reached agreement on withdrawal of troops at a meeting in New Delhi.

The External Affairs Ministry has said the two countries “agreed on a set of mutually workable solutions to enable continued operation of Indian aviation platforms” that provide humanitarian services to the Maldives. The soldiers, Reuters reported, will be replaced by civilians.

President Muizzu’s anti-India stance has drawn criticism at home, especially in the light of the new government’s outreach to China. Soon after taking over, President Muizzu visited China and met its President Xi Jinping. This was a major shift from The Maldives’ traditionally close ties with India, and also a significant development in view of the geopolitical equations in the Indian Ocean region. 

Opposition parties MDP and The Democrats recently issued a joint statement, describing the shift in the island nation’s foreign policy as “extremely detrimental”.

The statement said that “alienating any development partner, and especially the country’s most long-standing ally, will be extremely detrimental to the long-term development of the country”. It also stressed that “stability and security in the Indian Ocean is vital to the stability and security of the Maldives”.

Another party has urged President Muizzu to apologise to India. Gasuim Ibrahim, leader of the Jumhoori Party, has said the Maldives President must formally apologise to India and Prime Minister Narendra Modi and seek “diplomatic reconciliation” to mend ties.

Mr Ibrahim’s remarks referred to President Muizzu’s statement soon after he returned from China. “We may be small, but this doesn’t give them the licence to bully us,” he had said, without naming any country. The remark was seen as a swipe at India.

Asked about the strained ties, External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar has said neighbours need each other. “History and geography are very powerful forces. There is no escape from that,” he has said.

BYJU’s has paid January salaries to its employees after reports suggested the ed-tech firm would delay payments for the month. In an email thanking his employees for not giving up, founder Byju Raveendran said he had to “move mountains” to make the payroll.

Founded in 2011, the company is facing lawsuits from lenders and allegations of Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA) violations, which has led to an acute financial crisis in the company that was once valued at $22 billion.

Mr Raveendran informed his employees that the January salaries have been paid despite being told they may have to wait till Monday.

“I know you were told that you will get your salaries by Monday. Many of you wrote to me that you wouldn’t mind waiting even more because you know what I am going through. But you did not have to wait even till Monday,” he said.

BYJU’s spends nearly Rs 70 crore per month towards payroll expenses, according to Moneycontrol.

“I have been moving mountains for months to make payroll, and this time, the struggle was even bigger to ensure that you receive what you rightfully deserve,” he added.

He also thanked his employees who did not give up and continued working for the company despite the hardships.

“Everybody has made sacrifices, everybody has grappled with decisions they never desired to make, and everybody is a little bit weary in this battle, but nobody has chosen to give up. This is because we are proud of what we have built. When we have self-respect, we have enough,” Mr Raveendran said.

BYJU’s failed payment deadlines has prompted lawsuits by overseas lenders. Its Alpha unit had even declared bankruptcy after the lenders filed an insolvency petition in an US court. It is also facing raids by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) over allegations of FEMA violation, which has led to several resignations from the company.

Its latest valuation has dropped to $250 million from its peak worth of $22 billion in 2022, with the company seeking $200 million in exchange of new stocks.

Earlier this month, BYJU’s pushed back against a resolution by its shareholders to oust its founders from board, saying the investors don’t have voting rights to bring changes in the top leadership.