Mexico City – The city of Monterrey will have one more match at the 2026 World Cup, having been chosen as the host of one of the playoff games.
The World Cup celebrations will arrive in the Sultana del Norte earlier than planned, on March 23, the tentative date for this match, according to the governor of Nuevo León, Samuel García.
The state leader confirmed that the Monterrey venue will host four matches in next year’s tournament, the three already scheduled for the Group Stage and one more for the Round of 32.
“The early bird catches the worm. We wake up with good news: Nuevo León will host another World Cup playoff game, meaning five official matches, and I hope there will also be friendlies.”
“We’re going to play a playoff here on March 23,” García confirmed about the new match for the “Steel Giant,” which will be known as Estadio Monterrey during the tournament.
The official announcement of the Royal City venue to host the playoffs has not yet been made, and Guadalajara is believed to be the chosen venue for this stage.
Monterrey’s matches at the 2026 World Cup
1- Playoffs March 23
2-Group Stage June 14
3-Group Stage June 20
4-Group Stage June 24
5- Round of 32 June 29
What will the 2026 World Cup playoffs be like?
Just as happened at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, the playoffs for the 2026 World Cup in Mexico, the United States, and Canada will be held on World Cup soil.
There will be three playoff matches, as six teams will compete in this round: one from Africa , one from Asia , two from Concacaf , one from Conmebol , and one from Oceania ; Europe alone has 16 direct qualifying matches.
FIFA has yet to officially announce the playoff format, although it is expected to feature two semifinals and two finals, as well as two teams that will qualify directly for the final matches through ranking. Only one team has qualified for the World Cup playoffs: New Caledonia.
The World Cup qualifiers:
- Mexico (Concacaf)
- United States (Concacaf)
- Canada (Concacaf)
- Japan (Asia)
- New Zealand (Oceania)
- Iran (Asia)
- Argentina (Conmebol)
- Uzbekistan (Asia)
- South Korea (Asia)
- Jordan (Asia)
- Australia (Asia)
- Ecuador (CONMEBOL)
- Brazil (Conmebol)
Harry Matthews graduated with a degree in English Literature from the University of London and has written for various media outlets. Passionate about film, sports, high school sports, travel, and stand-up comedy, he primarily spends his free time listening to podcasts.
