Tips From The Pros
Bill Squires served 12 years as a naval aviator in the United States Navy. In 1987, he entered the sports facilities and events management business and has held top-level positions with Yankee Stadium, Giants Stadium, Huntington Bank Stadium, and ESPN Wide World of Sports. Bill has a consulting business that focuses on sports venues and events. He is a member of the Sports League Sports Council, which works with the Department of Homeland Security on security issues involving the safety and security of sports and entertainment venues. Bill is an adjunct professor at Columbia University and has taught the Sports Facilities and Events Management course in the School of Professional Studies (graduate program) since 2007. He began teaching a new course, Sustainability in Sports: Theory and Practice, in 2024.100 DAYS TO WORLD CUP
I authored this article on March 3, 2026, which was 100 days until the first 2026 Men’s World Cup match will be played at Estadio Azteca (Banorte Stadium) in Mexico City, where Mexico will host South Africa on Thursday, June 11. The venue is the largest stadium in Latin America, with a capacity of 87,523. A second match will be played on the same day at Estadio Akron in Guadalajara, with South Korea playing the Winner of Playoff Tournament 1.
The first match in the United States will take place at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles on June 12, with the USA hosting Paraguay, and the first match in Canada will take place on June 12 at BMO Field in Toronto, when Canada will be playing the UEFA Playoff A Winner.
Six spots remain for the World Cup, with playoffs at the end of March deciding which of the 22 remaining teams will qualify. Four of the spots will be determined by the European playoffs, while two will come from the FIFA playoffs happening in Guadalajara and Monterrey, Mexico. Tournament regulars like four-time champion Italy, Poland, and Denmark are still fighting for qualification.
Iran qualified for the tournament and has not officially withdrawn from the World Cup, nor have FIFA or the U.S. banned it from participating. But its participation looks increasingly unlikely.
Recent violence in Mexico raised concerns about Guadalajara hosting World Cup qualifiers in March, four World Cup matches in June, and South Korea and Colombia as base camps.
Base Camps and Visiting Team Specific Training Sites
The Base Camps and Visiting Team Specific Training Sites for the 48 teams participating in the World Cup have been identified. Each team will use a Base Camp during the Group Stage of the tournament, and the visiting team will use the Visiting Team Specific Training Sites when traveling to the various venues to play their matches. The visiting team will arrive either on match day minus one (MD-1) or on match day minus two (MD-2) to acclimate and practice for their upcoming match.
New Jersey has four Base Camps and two Visiting Team Specific Training Sites.
Fan Fests
As time goes by without assurances of federal funding, more host cities may cut back on announced festivities. New York New Jersey, and Seattle scaled back plans for their Fan Fests, the historically free watch parties. Other host cities like Houston are still planning massive Fan Fests to run the full length of the tournament. Many other cities are somewhere in between.
Stadium Names
The names of the stadiums in which the 104 matches will be played are:
- BMO Field: Toronto Stadium.
- BC Place: BC Place Vancouver.
- Gillette Stadium: Boston Stadium.
- MetLife Stadium: New York New Jersey Stadium.
- Lincoln Financial Field: Philadelphia Stadium.
- Mercedes-Benz Stadium: Atlanta Stadium.
- Hard Rock Stadium: Miami Stadium.
- Arrowhead Stadium: Kansas City Stadium.
- AT&T Stadium: Dallas Stadium.
- NRG Stadium: Houston Stadium.
- Lumen Field: Seattle Stadium.
- Levi’s Stadium: San Francisco Bay Area Stadium.
- SoFi Stadium: Los Angeles Stadium.
- Estadio Banorte: Mexico City Stadium.
- Estadio BBVA: Estadio Monterrey.
- Estadio Akron: Estadio Guadalajara.
The stadiums have been renamed to meet strict FIFA requirements to eliminate commercial branding.
Stadium Preparation
Stadium management at the 16 venues hosting World Cup matches has begun preparing for the World Cup, including converting synthetic turf fields (8 stadiums) to natural grass, covering branding that FIFA does not approve, and many other requirements.
The MetLife Stadium management team began the conversion process in January. Two large snowstorms have not impeded the work. The final match will be played at MetLife Stadium on July 19th. Once the match concludes and the stadium is cleared of fans, the stadium will begin the process to return to its normal configuration, as a BTS show has been scheduled for August 1st.
I was the Assistant General Manager of Giants Stadium in 1994, when the venue hosted seven World Cup matches, including a semi-final match on July 13 featuring Italy vs. Bulgaria. Italy won the match and lost the final match to Brazil at the Rose Bowl. When the match was over and the stadium cleared around 9:00 p.m., the removal of the grass playing surface began. At 6:00 a.m. the following day, half of the field had been removed, and stagehands began building a stage for three Pink Floyd concerts that would take place three days later (July 16, 17, and 18).
The planning phase for the World Cup is over for most venues, and the execution of the world’s biggest sporting event begins soon!
Posted March 10, 2026