World Cup fans planning to attend matches at the 2026 edition of that competition will likely be traveling long distances. For example, Miami and Vancouver, British Columbia, are 2,801 miles apart, and an Air Canada flight from one to the other takes 6-7 hours. Conversely, some host cities are quite close to each other, and two city pairs are even fewer than 150 miles apart.

Philadelphia and New York

The closest World Cup city pair is in the heart of the densely populated Northeast: Philadelphia and New York. Only 94 miles separate them, and, depending on traffic, that route should be able to be traveled in about 100 minutes.

Philadelphia

Matches in Philadelphia are being played at Lincoln Financial Field, which is the home of the NFL’s Philadelphia Eagles; Temple University’s college football team plays home games here as well.

However, it has also been the site of a large number of football matches over the years, including high-profile friendlies played by the USA men’s and women’s national teams. Gold Cup contests were held here in 2009, 2015 and 2017 as well, including the 2015 event’s final. Additionally, Copa America matches took place at the facility in 2016.

Its most prestigious match this summer will be an Independence Day round of 16 contest.

East Rutherford, N.J.

East Rutherford, N.J., which is 13 miles northwest of New York City, is where World Cup venue MetLife Stadium is located. Its primary use is as an NFL facility, as the site of New York Jets and Giants home games.

But, same as at Lincoln Financial Field, this stadium has had a number of prestigious football matches played on its pitch as well. These include numerous USA friendly matches as well as 2011 and 2015 Gold Cup, 2016 and 2024 Copa America and 2025 Club World Cup games.

In fact, it hosted the final at two of those events, the 2016 Copa America and 2025 Club World Cup, and it will be the site of another this summer. The 2026 World Cup final will be played at the venue.

Transportation

The easiest way to travel from Philadelphia to New York and vice versa is via an Acela train, which can reach speeds of up to 160 mph. Numerous ones serve this route. One example is a 12:04 p.m. weekday departure from Philadelphia’s 30th Street Station that pulls into New York’s Pennsylvania Station at 1:20 p.m. That said, even regular service between these communities is quick. One of those trains leaves Philadelphia at 10:51 a.m. and arrives in New York at 12:15 p.m.

There are no flights between Philadelphia and any of New York’s major airports.

Also of note, a number of bus services connect these World Cup host cities. A few of the more known options are Greyhound, FlixBus, Megabus, Peter Pan and OurBus while multiple Chinatown buses make this trip as well.

Vancouver and Seattle

Over on the West Coast is the second-closest World Cup city pair, that of Vancouver and Seattle. They’re only 143 miles apart, and a drive from one to the other should take 2-3 hours. However, keep in mind that it involves a border crossing, which always has the potential to extend that time frame considerably.

Vancouver

BC Place will host World Cup matches. Its main tenants are the MLS’ Vancouver Whitecaps and CFL’s BC Lions.

As far as non-club football matches go, its most famous one was the 2015 Women’s World Cup final. It also hosted eight other contests at that event. On the men’s side, Canada’s national team has played here multiple times, including its 2025 Gold Cup opener, a 6-0 win over Honduras.

A round of 16 showdown and six other World Cup matches will take place at the venue this summer.

Seattle

Seattle’s Lumen Field is also playing host to World Cup showdowns in June and July. Once this event concludes, it will return to serving as the home facility for the Seattle Sounders of MLS, the Seattle Reign of the NWSL and the NFL’s Seattle Seahawks.

In addition to playing host to many of MLS’ largest crowds, including 69,274 for the 2019 MLS Cup, the venue has welcomed many of the world’s most prestigious clubs. In fact, six 2025 Club World Cup matches took place here.

As far as national team showdowns go, the USA men and women have played at the venue several times, including a 2014 World Cup qualifier against Panama that featured an attendance of 40,847. However, the most significant contest to be held at the stadium was a 2016 Copa America quarterfinal between the USA and Ecuador.

One of the 2026 World Cup matches to be contested here will be a round of 16 tie.

Transportation

There are flights between Vancouver and Seattle for those who want to travel between these World Cup cities by air. Airlines offering them include Air Canada, Alaska Airlines and Delta Air Lines.

Amtrak also serves this route, albeit not via a high-speed train and with much less frequent service than exists in the Northeast Corridor. In fact, there are only two trains a day operating in each direction. One option that you could take would be a train departing Vancouver at 7:15 a.m. and arriving in Seattle at 11:40 a.m.

Fans wanting or needing more flexibility can catch a bus between the cities. Greyhound and FlixBus are also available here, but Megabus, Peter Pan and OurBus are not. However, an additional option unique to the Northwest is Quick Shuttle.

Conclusion

Those in New York, Philadelphia, Seattle, Vancouver or points between those close World Cup city pairs can attend numerous matches without significant travel expenses or time investments. And while you make these trips, you can keep up to date on contests that are being played elsewhere with Sofascore.