Philadelphia Stadium hosted six matches at the FIFA World Cup 2026™, including one Round of 16 fixture
Kylian Mbappé scored landmark goals in his 100th international appearance
The city’s FIFA Fan Festival at Lemon Hill in Fairmont Park will remain open until 19 July
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania’s time as a FIFA World Cup 2026™ Host City concluded on Independence Day with a thrilling match between France and Paraguay. Kylian Mbappé sealed his love affair with Philadelphia Stadium, scoring the winner from the penalty spot to mark yet another personal milestone.
Six matches in total were played in Philadelphia, including Saturday’s Round of 16 match, with an average crowd of 68,316 spectators seeing a total of 10 nations from five confederations visit the Pennsylvanian city.
2026 marked the third time that Philadelphia Stadium has held a FIFA tournament following four games at the FIFA Women’s World Cup USA 2003™, which included a host nation match when the United States defeated Nigeria 5-0, and eight games at the FIFA Club World Cup 2025™.
Mbappé will have fond memories of the city and stadium, as he made his 100th senior international appearance for France, scoring his 59th and 60th international goals in the 3-0 victory over Iraq in Group I – all witnessed by FIFA President Gianni Infantino.
Mr Infantino was also in attendance when Brazil defeated Haiti 3-0, and for Côte d'Ivoire’s 2-0 victory over Curaçao. The Ivorian’s win secured their first ever appearance in the FIFA World Cup knockout rounds.
Earlier in the tournament, Yan Diomande became the youngest player – and first teenager – to feature for Côte d'Ivoire in a FIFA World Cup match when he played the full 90 minutes in their 1-0 victory over Ecuador.
Another milestone was achieved in the Group L match between Croatia and Ghana, with Derrick Luckassen’s equaliser for Ghana the 200th goal of the tournament. Croatia would go on to win 2-1.
At the stadium’s final game, Mbappé continued his form there, scoring the winner in France’s 1-0 victory over Paraguay to seal their spot in the quarter finals. The goal was France’s 150th in the history of the FIFA World Cup, with the nation becoming just the fourth team to reach the milestone after Brazil, Germany and Argentina.
It wasn’t just on the pitch that the FIFA World Cup impacted Philadelphia, with FIFA partnering with the city’s schools as part of the tournament’s legacy plan to provide opportunities to students in Pennsylvania now and in the future.
Following a fruitful Soccer for Success programme last year where coaches from the U.S. Soccer Foundation trained 284 health and physical education teachers from 222 schools, another programme was launched this year with Major League Soccer club, Philadelphia Union.
The partnership is part of a long-term commitment to grow the game and inspire the next generation of players, providing elementary school teachers and students with the tools, resources and experiences to discover and develop a passion for football.
Although matches have now concluded in Philadelphia, the FIFA World Cup party will continue at the city’s FIFA Fan Festival at Lemon Hill in Fairmont Park. Free to the public and open for every match day of the tournament, gates open one hour prior to kick-off for the first match of the day.