FIFA Names Atlanta, Los Angeles, New York Among 16 Cities to Host 2026 World Cup Matches

FIFA/Getty

Preparations for the 2026 World Cup are underway!

On Thursday, FIFA — the international soccer governing body — named the 16 cities where the 2026 World Cup matches will take place.

They include 11 major U.S. cities (Boston, Philadelphia, Miami, New York/New Jersey, Atlanta, Kansas City, Dallas, Houston, San Francisco Bay Area, Los Angeles and Seattle) as well as two in Canada (Toronto and Vancouver) and three sites in Mexico (Guadalajara, Monterrey and Mexico City).

RELATED: England, Poland, Sweden and the Czech Republic Refuse to Play Russia in World Cup Qualifiers

"We congratulate the 16 FIFA World Cup Host Cities on their outstanding commitment and passion. Today is a historic day — for everyone in those cities and states, for FIFA, for Canada, the USA and Mexico who will put on the greatest show on Earth," said FIFA President Gianni Infantino in a press release.

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

"We look forward to working together with them to deliver what will be an unprecedented FIFA World Cup and a game-changer as we strive to make football truly global," he added.

RELATED: FIFA and UEFA Indefinitely Suspend All Russian Teams from Competitions Ahead of World Cup

It will be decided at a later date which of the announced cities will host group play and which will host elimination-round matches, ESPN reported.

"We were delighted by the unparalleled competitiveness of this selection process. We are extremely grateful not only to the 16 cities that have been selected, but also to the other six — with whom we look forward to continuing to engage and explore additional opportunities to welcome fans and participating teams," said FIFA Vice President and Concacaf President Victor Montagliani.

"This has always been a FIFA World Cup of three countries, and that undoubtedly will have a tremendous impact on the whole region and the wider football community," Montagliani added.

In May, FIFA made history after selecting three female referees and three female assistant referees to officiate the 2022 Men's World Cup in Qatar. A total of 36 referees, 69 assistant referees, and 24 video match officials (VMOs) were selected overall.

RELATED VIDEO: From Most Goals to Most Wins: Here Are the Records the U.S. National Team Broke During World Cup

Stéphanie Frappart of France, Salima Mukansanga of Rwanda and Yoshimi Yamashita of Japan were chosen as referees, while Kathryn Nesbitt of the U.S., Neuza Back of Brazil and Karen Díaz Medina of Mexico were named as the assistant referees.

The female assistant referees selected are Kathryn Nesbitt of the U.S., Neuza Back of Brazil and Karen Díaz Medina of Mexico.

"This concludes a long process that began several years ago with the deployment of female referees at FIFA men's junior and senior tournaments," Pierluigi Collina, chairman of the FIFA Referees Committee, said in a release. "In this way, we clearly emphasize that it is quality that counts for us and not gender."