Are you ready for the ultimate World Cup road trip next summer?
The World Cup 2026 is fastly approaching. Qualification is under way and by the time we reach December, 48 nations have qualified for the biggest football event in the World. USA, Canada & Mexico have teamed up and will host an epic tournament, but where should you go if you want to experience the fuss?
16 host cities - where to start?
48 national teams, 16 host cities and 72 group stage matches. It can sound complicated if you want to plan your trip around the continent to follow [insert your national team]. That's why we are here.
The World Cup has been divided into 3 zones, Western, Central and Eastern. Should [insert your national team] go through to the World Cup (fingers crossed), our group stage matches are guaranteed to be within only 1 zone which is reducing the complexity a bit. In this blog post we will introduce each city shortly, as well as give you the best tips and tricks for your road trip.
Isn't it going to be insanely expensive?
Yes and no. It really depends on how you approach your World Cup adventure. Right now we see that most of the travel sector in the host countries are increasing the prices heavily for the World Cup. Especially hotel prices seem to be on the rise, that's why we have allied with our motorhome partners who right now have reduced the price for motorhome rental. If you book your motorhome before 30NOV, you can actually rent the vehicle at a lower rate than normally during the summer which is high season for motorhome adventures in North America.
But wait, isn't the draw for the World Cup group phase taking place in December, you might ask? Yes, it is. That also makes it tricky to guess where you want to pick up the motorhome as you don't know where [insert your national team] will play the games. Don't worry though, we have worked out some very attractive change and cancellation rules with our partners allowing you to change pick up location free of charge as long as there is availability. You can read more about this here [insert link to blog post about campervan deal]
World Cup 2026 - Where to go?
As mentioned above, the World Cup has been divided into 3 different zones. Below we will go through each zone and their host cities. One thing is for sure, you will have an epic adventure should you choose to go!
Western Zone
The Western zone host cities are Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle and Vancouver (Can). The distance between LA and Vancouver is roughly around 2,000 km, and what would be better than jumping in the campervan and do an epic West Coast road trip in between the matches?
Stadium: SoFi Stadium - capacity 70,000
Matches: 5 group matches and 3 knockout matches.
Possible to pick up motorhome? Yes.
Stadium: Levi's Stadium - capacity 71,000
Matches: 5 group matches and 1 knockout match.
Possible to pick up motorhome? Yes.
Stadium: Lumen Field - capacity 69,000
Matches: 4 group matches and 2 knockout matches.
Possible to pick up motorhome? Yes.
Vancouver (Canada):
Stadium: BC Place - capacity 54,500
Matches: 5 group matches and 2 knockout matches.
Possible to pick up motorhome? Yes.
In General:
No matter where you pick up the motorhome, you are in for a treat. The West Coast is absolutely astonishing, and if you want a detour from the football festivitas there are loads of national parks to explore. It is possible to cross the border no matter if you pick up the motorhome in USA or Canada, so that gives you great freedom to explore both countries in one trip.
Central Zone
So now it gets a bit more tricky. The Central zone consist of both Mexican cities and American cities, making logistics a bit more complicated. Unfortunately, you are not allowed to pick up the motorhome in the US and drive it to Mexico, so if [insert national team] play the group matches in this zone, it's either renting a car in Mexico (we can also help with that) or do a road trip in the central part of the USA. The only American city you are not able to pick up a motorhome is Kansas, as there is no depot here.
Kansas:
Stadium: Arrowhead Stadium - capacity 76,640
Matches: 4 group matches and 2 knockout matches.
Possible to pick up motorhome? No - but alternative locations to pick up a campervan are: Denver, Chicago & Minneapolis
Dallas:
Stadium: AT&T Stadium - capacity 93,000
Matches: 5 group matches and 4 knockout matches.
Possible to pick up motorhome? Yes.
Houston:
Stadium: NRG Stadium - capacity 72,200
Matches: 5 group matches and 2 knockout matches.
Possible to pick up motorhome? Yes.
Monterey (Mexico):
Stadium: Estadio BBVA - capacity 53,400
Matches: 3 group matches and 1 knockout matches.
Possible to pick up motorhome? No - but you can rent a car if you want a Mexican adventure.
Guadalajara (Mexico):
Stadium: Estadio Akron - capacity 48,000
Matches: 4 group matches.
Possible to pick up motorhome? No - but you can rent a car if you want a Mexican adventure.
Mexico City (Mexico):
Stadium: Estadio Azteca - capacity 87,500
Matches: 3 group matches (including the opening match) and 2 knockout matches.
Possible to pick up motorhome? No - but you can rent a car if you want a Mexican adventure.
Eastern Zone
Like the Western Zone, the Eastern Zone also covers both USA and Canada. From Miami in Florida all the way up to Toronto, a 2,300 km stretch and quite a road trip to be fair. You can pick up the motorhome in all host cities of the Eastern Zone and it is possible to drive it from USA and into Canada and vice versa.
Stadium: Hard Rock Stadium - capacity 67,500
Matches: 4 group matches and 3 knockout matches.
Possible to pick up motorhome? Yes.
Stadium: Mercedes-Benz Stadium - capacity 75,000
Matches: 5 group matches and 3 knockout matches.
Possible to pick up motorhome? Yes.
Philadelphia:
Stadium: Lincoln Financial Field - capacity 69,300
Matches: 5 group matches and 1 knockout match.
Possible to pick up motorhome? Yes.
Stadium: MetLife Stadium - capacity 87,100
Matches: 5 group matches and 3 knockout matches (including the final).
Possible to pick up motorhome? Yes.
Stadium: Gillette Stadium - capacity 70,000
Matches: 5 group matches and 2 knockout matches.
Possible to pick up motorhome? Yes.
Toronto (Canada):
Stadium: BMO Field - capacity 45,700
Matches: 5 group matches and 1 knockout match.
Possible to pick up motorhome? Yes.
Good to know about the World Cup 2026
World Cup 2026:
The World Cup kicks off with the opening match in Mexico City on 11JUN. The group stage lasts until 27JUN, and from then on it's time for the knockout matches. The Final is played in New York on 19JUL concluding the biggest World Cup to date. The tournament has seen an increase from 32 nations to 48 this year, all divided into 12 groups.
Qualification rounds:
For the European teams the remaining qualification rounds will be played between 9-14OCT and 13-18NOV and then we will know whether or not [insert national team] has qualified.
Group stage draw:
The draw for the group stage is expected to take place on 05DEC. This draw for the group stage will also determine where each team will be playing their matches, making it the perfect time to plan your road trip accordingly. Remember, if you have booked a motorhome with the discounted price before 30NOV, and your team is playing in a different zone, we're happy to help you re-schedule.
Flight booking:
Since it's still unknown if and where [national team] will be playing the group stage matches, it can be smart to wait with your flight tickets, unless you're planning to go before the World Cup starts and are intrigued by a road trip nevertheless. Just remember, Miami to Seattle is a 5,300 km trip, so if you don't want to burn out before the fun starts, perhaps you should be looking for flights after the conclusion of the draw.
The early bird catches the worm...
Besides our discounted motorhome prices, it's our duty to let you know that fans from all over the globe will be traveling to the World Cup. This of course means that cars and motorhomes will get sold out, and it will get sold out fast. Our advice is that you don't wait too long if you want to secure your motorhome or car. Either you will not be able to get one, or you will pay a completely different price if you wait too long.
Need help planning?
Send us a mail through the button below, and we're happy to help you plan your trip to North America.
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