The 2026 World Cup is spread across 16 host cities in three countries. The United States has 11 venues, Canada has two (Toronto and Vancouver), and Mexico has three (Mexico City, Guadalajara and Monterrey). The shortest distance between any two host cities is 380 kilometres (Boston to New York). The longest is 5,400 kilometres (Vancouver to Mexico City). A fan following a single team through the group stage and into the knockout rounds will likely travel between three to five host cities across the 39-day tournament window.
This guide walks through the realistic transport options between every host-city pair: flights, intercity rail, intercity bus and rental car. It names the times, the typical costs at the tournament window, and the practical issues you should plan for. The pattern is that flying is almost always the fastest option for inter-city travel in North America, and renting a car is almost always the cheapest option if you have time and a driving licence valid in all three countries.
Flying
Air travel is the dominant mode for inter-city movement during the tournament. Every host city has a major international airport with daily direct flights to most of the other host cities. The exceptions are the smaller US markets (Kansas City, Foxborough/Boston) which have direct flights to most major US cities but limited direct service to Canada and Mexico.
The carrier most useful for cross-border movement is the OneWorld alliance partnership of American Airlines, Air Canada and (with the new 2025 partnership) Aeromexico. These three operate the densest direct route network across the three host countries. Star Alliance via United Airlines and Air Canada is a similar option in the US-Canada lanes. Delta and Aeromexico (SkyTeam) cover most US-Mexico lanes.
Sample one-way fares for the tournament window, booked 60 days in advance:
- Toronto to New York (1.5 hours): USD 220 to USD 380
- Toronto to Mexico City (5 hours): USD 380 to USD 580
- Vancouver to Los Angeles (3 hours): USD 280 to USD 420
- New York to Miami (3 hours): USD 180 to USD 320
- Los Angeles to Mexico City (4 hours): USD 240 to USD 420
- Mexico City to Houston (2.5 hours): USD 180 to USD 320
- Atlanta to Boston (2.5 hours): USD 220 to USD 360
- Kansas City to Dallas (1.5 hours): USD 180 to USD 280
- Seattle to San Francisco (2 hours): USD 160 to USD 280
Tournament-window prices are 40 to 70 percent higher than the same routes outside the tournament window. The largest premiums are on routes to or from cities hosting marquee matches (the Final at MetLife on 19 July, the Semi-finals at SoFi and Arrowhead).
Border-crossing flights between the US, Canada and Mexico require a passport for entry into the destination country. US citizens entering Canada or Mexico do not need a visa. Canadian citizens entering the US or Mexico do not need a visa. Mexican citizens entering the US need a B-2 tourist visa or a Border Crossing Card. Citizens of other countries should check the visa requirements for each leg of the trip individually. The US ESTA waiver covers tourist entry from 41 countries; the Canadian eTA waiver covers similar but slightly different countries; Mexico requires no advance authorisation from most countries.
Intercity rail
Intercity rail in North America is more limited than in Europe or East Asia, but it is a practical option for several specific routes during the tournament.
The Northeast Corridor of the US (operated by Amtrak, the federally-owned passenger rail company) connects Washington DC, Philadelphia, New York and Boston with frequent service. The Acela Express trains run at 240 kilometres per hour and reach New York to Boston in 3.5 hours, New York to Philadelphia in 1.5 hours. Tournament-window fares are USD 110 to USD 240 one-way for the Acela. The slower Northeast Regional service is USD 60 to USD 140 for the same route.
VIA Rail, Canada's federally-owned passenger rail company, operates the Toronto-Montreal-Quebec City corridor (with Toronto being the only host city on the line). Service to Ottawa, Montreal and Quebec City from Toronto is reasonable for inter-city movement within Canada, but no host-to-host route on VIA Rail is faster than flying. The Vancouver to Toronto VIA Rail journey takes four days, which is interesting as a trip but impractical for tournament logistics.
Mexico has limited intercity rail. The Tren Maya project in southern Mexico does not connect any host cities. There is no scheduled passenger rail between Mexico City, Guadalajara and Monterrey. Inter-city movement in Mexico is by air or by bus.
Intercity bus
Intercity bus service across the three countries is more developed than rail. The major operators are Greyhound, FlixBus and Megabus in the United States and Canada, and ETN, Primera Plus and Estrella Blanca in Mexico.
The bus is the cheapest mode of inter-city travel by a wide margin. New York to Boston by FlixBus is USD 25 to USD 50 (compared to USD 60 to USD 240 by Amtrak). Toronto to Buffalo (the closest US city to Toronto) by Megabus is CAD 30 to CAD 60. Mexico City to Guadalajara by ETN is MXN 1,400 to MXN 2,200 (about USD 80 to USD 130) for a 7-hour journey on the deluxe service.
The trade-off is time. The bus is two to four times slower than flying for most routes. For shorter routes (under four hours), the bus is competitive when you account for airport check-in and security time. For longer routes, the bus is only worth it if cost is the main constraint.
Mexican intercity bus service deserves a particular note. The deluxe-class service from operators like ETN and Primera Plus is at a level above any intercity bus service in the United States or Canada: leather reclining seats with 60-degree recline, in-seat entertainment, complimentary food and drinks, and dedicated terminals separate from the standard-class buses. The Mexico City to Guadalajara route on ETN's executive service is a more comfortable experience than most domestic flights.
Rental cars
Renting a car for inter-city travel is the cheapest option per person if you are travelling in a group of three or four. A standard rental car at any major US, Canadian or Mexican airport costs USD 60 to USD 120 per day during the tournament window, plus fuel at approximately USD 0.10 to USD 0.15 per kilometre. Driving from Toronto to New York (a 9-hour trip including border crossing) costs USD 180 in rental and fuel for a group of four, compared to USD 880 to USD 1,520 in airfare for the same group.
The major rental companies (Hertz, Enterprise, Avis, Budget) operate at every host-city airport. Cross-border rentals (picking up a car in one country and dropping it off in another) are possible but expensive: typically USD 200 to USD 500 in additional drop-off fees. The cheaper alternative for a multi-country trip is to rent within each country and return the car before crossing the border.
Driving licence requirements: a valid driving licence from any country is accepted in the United States and Canada for visits up to 90 days. Mexico requires the driving licence plus an International Driving Permit (a translation document issued by your home country's automobile association) for visits longer than 30 days. Insurance for cross-border rentals must be confirmed at the rental counter; standard US rental insurance does not always cover Canadian or Mexican driving.
Practical advice for inter-city movement
The first booking decision is whether to base yourself in one city and day-trip to nearby matches, or move between cities for each match. The day-trip approach works well for the Northeast US (New York is within 4 hours of Philadelphia, Boston, and Foxborough by rail or car) and within the trio of central US cities (Chicago, Kansas City and Dallas are within direct flight range of each other). It does not work for cross-border movement, where the time penalty for the round trip is too high.
The second decision is whether to book inter-city travel before or after the match draw. The match schedule was published in February 2024 and the tournament-window fares began rising in August 2025. Booking 60 to 90 days in advance is the price-and-availability sweet spot. Booking inside 30 days produces 40 to 80 percent price premiums and limited availability.
The third decision is whether to book refundable or non-refundable. Refundable fares are typically 30 to 60 percent more expensive but allow you to change the trip if your team's results push them into a different city. Non-refundable fares are cheaper but lock you in. For the group stage (when match locations are known), non-refundable is the right call. For knockout-round travel (when you do not know which city your team will be in), refundable or change-fee-friendly fares are worth the premium.
