Even though Lionel Messi, the super-star best player in the world, did not play due to a hamstring injury, Argentina delighted about 15,000 ardent fans at Lincoln Financial Field while easily dominating El Salvador 3-0 in an entertaining match last weekend.

This event started a set of international games that will be played in the Philly area as preparation for the six that The City of Brotherly Love will host during the upcoming FIFA World Cup (WC) ’26.  Then, the almost 40-million people living in the 150-mile radius of the stadium will welcome thousands of visitors that want to attend five group stage matches on June 14, 19, 22, 25 and 27.  The sixth game will be one of the tournament’s round-of-16 and will be held on America’s birthplace on  July 4th to purposedly coincide with the 250 USA Independence Day anniversary.

City officials and Philly’s WC organizing committee are working diligently to show the world why this area is well known for efficiently hosting all kinds of regional and world events.  They are drawing from their experience organizing and managing all day-to-day operations for US Women/Men National Team, FIFA Women’s World Cup, CONCACAF Gold Cup, Copa America Centenario, and US Women Victory Tours, among other soccer events.  It is worth mentioning that the well-known success of clubs like The Philadelphia Union and Philly Women’s Pro Soccer add an important value to the anticipated triumphant outcome that the city will deliver before, during, and after WC ’26.

While no details have yet been announced, each game at Lincoln Field is going to be a three-day festival with lots of activities distributed on matchday minus-one, matchday, and matchday plus-one.  It is expected that tailgate gatherings organized by fans attending the games, and entertainment spectacles conducted by FIFA officials will give a colorful and exciting environment that everybody will enjoy outside of the field to be complemented with the actual soccer rivalry inside it.

For the first time ever, FIFA WC ’26 will be disputed by 48 teams in 104 games played in 16 venues across USA, Mexico, and Canada.  The most recent tournament, Qatar ’22, involved 32 teams playing 64 matches.

It is expected that each WC game will break record attendance for soccer matches at Lincoln Field and the more than 60,000 fans that watched Mexico against Germany last October will be dwarfed when the best world tournament comes to the area in 2026.  Philadelphia will show the planet why it is rightfully known as ‘First World Heritage City in US’.