Sports tourism is booming ahead of the 2026 World Cup
With a strong global increase in interest in traveling to experience major sporting events, an analysis by Live Football Tickets reveals which stadiums will be the most iconic for the upcoming World Cup in the United States, Mexico, and Canada
Months before the start of the 2026 World Cup, the growth of sports tourism is becoming increasingly evident. Global searches related to the tournament have increased by 5,000% in recent weeks, reflecting travelers' interest in attending an event that promises to attract millions of fans to North America.
In that context, Live Football Tickets analyzed the 16 stadiums that will host the competition, evaluating capacity, audience rating, social media presence and architectural symmetry —a metric known as the “Golden Ratio”— to identify which are the most iconic venues of the tournament.
The study ranks AT&T Stadium in Texas as the most outstanding, with a score of 8.64 out of 10. With 94,000 seats, a cutting-edge design, and more than 153,000 mentions on Instagram, it stands out as one of the preferred venues for those planning to travel to experience the World Cup.
In second place is MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, the venue for the final. Although it has a slightly smaller capacity, it leads in digital popularity with over 330,000 hashtags on Instagram and achieved the highest score for architectural symmetry, earning a total of 8.54.
The historic Azteca Stadium in Mexico City ranks third with 8.19. An icon of world football, it will be the only venue to host three editions of the Cup, a key attraction for travelers looking to combine sport and football culture.
At the bottom of the ranking is BMO Field in Toronto, with a score of 4.13, mainly due to its smaller capacity, although it obtained one of the highest scores in architectural symmetry.
The five most iconic stadiums of the 2026 World Cup
AT&T Stadium (EE.UU.) – 8.64/10
MetLife Stadium (USA) – 8.54/10
Azteca Stadium (Mexico) – 8.19/10
Mercedes-Benz Stadium (EE.UU.) – 8.01/10
SoFi Stadium (USA) – 7.90/10
The report highlights that this growing interest in the World Cup not only drives demand for tickets, but also for travel, accommodation and experiences linked to the sport, consolidating sports tourism as one of the fastest expanding segments by 2026.
Fuente: Live Football Tickets