Philly’s 2026 World Cup games are the city’s ‘moment on the global stage,’ local official says

A day after Philadelphia learned how many games it will host at the 2026 World Cup, brilliant sunshine lit up a news conference with local officials.

Independence Hall and a cloudless sky stood behind them, a backdrop that might cause a visitor from elsewhere — a soccer fan, say — to think Philadelphia is a cool place, while locals passing by complain.

This was in fact a moment to celebrate the city landing six games of the world’s biggest sports event, capped off with a round-of-16 game on July 4 for the nation’s 250th birthday.

But it was also a moment for host city representative Meg Kane and her many colleagues to roll up their sleeves and get to work.

“This is our moment on the global stage,” Kane said at a news conference that included Convention and Visitors Bureau president and CEO Gregg Caren, Mayor Cherelle L. Parker’s new city representative Jazelle Jones (in her first day on the job), and Eagles chief operating officer Frank Gumienny.

“I have been asked how we feel about receiving the schedule, and I think one word is relieved,” Kane said. “I think we are happy to have dates, and to begin to be able to plan in earnest. And really much of that is going to be focused on our logistical planning, safety, security, transportation, mobility, all of those will be critical and key.”

» READ MORE: Philadelphia will host 6 games in the 2026 World Cup, including on July 4

She estimated that about 500,000 people will come to Philadelphia’s World Cup games, and multiple more throughout the tournament. While the six games span June 14-July 4, a public fan fest will run for the tournament’s entire duration, June 11-July 19.

For the record: No, Kane doesn’t know when tickets will go on sale. No one knows yet. It likely won’t happen until next year, in part because the draw for games won’t happen until next year.

Fans can get on an email list for updates from FIFA, world soccer’s governing body, at FIFA.com.

Local officials also expect visiting fans to use Philadelphia as a base for traveling to games at north Jersey’s Meadowlands and perhaps even New England. MetLife Stadium will host eight games, including the final, and Gillette Stadium will host seven, including a quarterfinal.

Travelers from abroad might not know what Philly lifers think of their town, or what New Yorkers and Bostonians think of it; they’ll just see that hotels here are cheaper, and that a train from 30th Street gets them to Manhattan in less than 90 minutes.

(And they might notice along the way that this city has a subway that can be used to travel to games, while the ones up north do not.)

“You think about what that immediate impact is going to have on our collar counties and our partners in South Jersey and out to the western suburbs — the impact is huge,” Caren said. “It’s estimated that half the people that come to Philadelphia won’t even have a ticket to Lincoln Financial Field, they will be here to just enjoy the pageantry of it, support their countries, to be at the fan fest, and watching on big screens and in pubs and bars.”

» READ MORE: Local World Cup organizers didn't know what games they'd get until Sunday's announcement

Caren added that he expects each game here will lead to 26,000 nights’ worth of hotel room bookings, which means fans will stay not just in the city but anywhere reachable in the suburbs.

“I think that this confluence of the World Cup, the 250th anniversary [of the U.S.], the Major League Baseball All-Star Game, and then the fact that New York-New Jersey is going to host the final, with our fan fest overarching this entire period of time, [it] is something that Philadelphia won’t soon forget,” Kane said.

“And we are all committed to making this an extraordinary experience,” she added, “not just for the visitors who will come here, and the fans and the spectator experience — but really as well for our residents, for those who live here in Philadelphia. Because this is a once-in-a-generation opportunity and a once-in-a-generation event.”

Kane hit that last point more than once. The La Salle alum and Philadelphia native wanted to emphasize how local officials don’t just want the World Cup to be for tourists.

“This is about how you can come to the city as either a resident, someone who lives in the region, or an international tourist, and experience all of it,” she said. “There shouldn’t have to be a choice, and we don’t want there to be a choice. We want this to be a moment where Philadelphia shines in every way. And so we will make sure that happens.”

» READ MORE: The Linc might look different during the 2026 World Cup. Here are some examples of how.

The fan fest will be a big component of what happens here, and local officials have a lot of work to do on it. Kane announced Monday that the Ben Franklin Parkway and Independence Mall have been ruled out as potential sites so they can be kept open for regular uses and July 4 celebrations.

With the forthcoming park over I-95 at Penn’s Landing also off the board, there aren’t many places left that can hold thousands of fans to watch games on big screens and buy food, drinks, and merchandise.

Kane had hoped Philadelphia would get seven or eight games, capped off with a quarterfinal. She ended up one short. But while the city’s finale will be in the round of 16 instead, the fact that it will be on July 4 is pretty special.

“Would seven matches have been exciting? Absolutely,” she said. “But I think the July 4, 2026, match just really amplifies this, and takes it to a different level for us. ... The fact that we would host this premier match, on this day for our nation, especially in such an incredible anniversary year, is beyond our expectations.”

She called it an “extraordinary synergy of the history and heritage of our city, its role in democracy, and being able to have this moment and host the world’s biggest sporting event.”