Dec 8, 2025 - News

The closest World Cup matches to D.C.

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Animated illustration of a soccer ball with a pattern of Liberty Bells on it bouncing and rolling across the screen. — Illustration: Brendan Lynch/Axios

The 2026 World Cup matches closest to D.C. will be in Philadelphia, New Jersey and Boston.

Why it matters: D.C. stadiums didn't pass FIFA muster.

State of play: The first match at MetLife Stadium outside New York City will be June 13 — Brazil vs. Morocco. Here's the full schedule of the group stage matches on the Acela corridor:

Philly:

June 14: Ivory Coast vs. Ecuador
June 19: Brazil vs. Haiti
June 22: France vs. Playoff Winner
June 25: Curaçao vs. Ivory Coast
June 27: Croatia vs. Ghana

NY/NJ:

June 13: Brazil vs. Morocco
June 16: France vs. Senegal
June 22: Norway vs. Senegal
June 25: Ecuador vs. Germany
June 27: Panama vs. England

Boston:

June 13: Haiti vs. Scotland
June 16: Playoff Winner vs. Norway
June 19: Scotland vs. Morocco
June 23: England vs. Ghana
June 26: Norway vs. France

Plus: Knockout stage schedules TBD.

The final: MetLife Stadium.

Go deeper: Where to catch FIFA's biggest names

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The closest World Cup matches to D.C.

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