Shadowing Practice: What America’s 2026 World Cup Will Look Like - Learn English Speaking with YouTube
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The world is about to turn its attention to the 2026 World Cup.
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The world is about to turn its attention to the 2026 World Cup.
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It's a tournament with more matches than ever before, played across three countries.
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It's already breaking records, but it's also swirling in controversy.
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We'll dive into that and we'll also look at how the 16 host stadiums were upgraded for the tournament.
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From SoFi Stadium's 5.5 billion dollar price tag to the historic Estadio Azteca hosting for the third time.
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Hey, I'm Luis and as someone who started playing football at three years old,
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this video is basically the perfect combination for me.
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So let's dive right in.
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The World Cup reigns as the most watched sporting event on the planet,
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with more than 5 billion watching at some part of the tournament.
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And this is a World Cup unlike any other.
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The competition itself is bigger than ever,
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hosting 48 teams instead of 32.
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A hundred four matches spanning five and a half weeks will make this the longest cup in history.
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And the expansion of the setting is even more extreme.
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For the first time, three different nations will host – the United States, Canada and Mexico.
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The venues span 16 different cities.
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And unlike some previous World Cups,
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all the stadiums are already built.
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Many of them had to be modified they are now hosting a spot they weren't built for.
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For starters, most of these stadiums are installing a temporary grass pitch to replace their normal artificial turf,
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so I won't even mention that each time.
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Another change most of the stadiums face is their names.
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FIFA doesn't allow corporate branding of stadium names,
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so nearly all of them will be temporarily renamed for their city or region,
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just for the run of the cup.
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Alright let's take a look at the stadiums by region,
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starting in the west and moving east.
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We start with a banger.
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This is the SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles.
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It's one of the crown jewels of sports in the US today,
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or even in the world.
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It's the most expensive stadium ever built,
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with costs totalling 5.5 billion dollars.
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New technology helped drive the price to new highs.
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The dual-sided video board features 4K in resolution,
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stretches 110 meters and weighs nearly a thousand tons.
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Another massive expense for the sofa is its canopy.
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It covers nearly 93,000 square meters,
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the entirety of the stadium,
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with a translucent material called ETFE.
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That's a kind of plastic that's used as a roofing material instead of glass.
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It's translucent and incredibly strong,
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ideal for spanning large areas without much structural support.
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It's used in a lot of stadiums,
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but at SoFi they use over 300 separate panels,
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many of which can be opened to provide ventilation.
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Those panels are also embedded with LEDs that allow SoFi to turn its roof into a giant screen.
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You can see the display as you fly into LAX airport.
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This canopy keeps out rain and cold,
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but the stadium remains technically open air.
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That's ideal for Los Angeles weather,
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but it actually was a strike against the stadium for the World Cup.
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In July 2025, FIFA announced it would prioritize air-conditioned-covered stadiums for the Cups' daytime matches.
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In spite of SoFi's roof,
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it won the chance to host 8 matches,
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including the US team's opener.
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But it failed to win the grand prize it wanted – hosting the final.
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In order to host the World Cup, SoFi faced a challenge.
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It needed to convert its pitch from American football's 48.8m wide field to FIFA's 68m wide pitch.
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It's achieving this by losing the concrete risers near the corners
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and replacing those with bleachers that can be rolled away to make space.
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Now looking north, let's check on one of the cup's two Canadian venues.
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BC Place in Vancouver is an older stadium built right in the downtown at the start of the 1980s.
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It went through a massive retrofit back in 2011,
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installing a retractable roof to replace the inflatable one it had used since its opening in 1983.
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That renovation cost 435 million dollars and made BC Stadium the world's largest cable-supported retractable roof structure back then.
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Yeah, that was a long one.
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Although the stadium hosted the Women's World Cup in 2015,
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that renovation wasn't enough.
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For 2026, FIFA called for further renovations.
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This time, they're renovating washrooms,
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locker rooms and elevators and adding more VIP facilities.
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These renovations are expected to cost around 130 million dollars.
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Nearby, just south of the border,
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let's look at Lumen Field in Seattle.
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Fun fact, the steel roof traps crowd noise and makes this one of the loudest stadiums in the world.
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And this was done intentionally.
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The Seattle Seahawks team owner sought to maximize crowd noise while keeping an open-air structure.
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The volume once registered a Guinness World Record,
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reaching more than 137dB during an American football game.
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They later lost that record to another stadium on this list,
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but who knows, maybe a couple of goals at a World Cup match will set a new record.
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Back down to California, Levi's Stadium rounds out the West Coast venue list.
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This venue in the heart of the Silicon Valley has some pretty unusual features.
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It has a 2500 square meter green roof that also partly works as a farm with 40 different crops.
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That's something I haven't seen before.
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On top of that, the venue holds almost 1,200 solar panels and uses 85% recycled water.
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In preparation for the World Cup and the 2026 Super Bowl,
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it got a $200 million upgrade that mainly consisted of upgrading video boards and luxury suites.
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Now, before we start to look east,
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let's talk about the logistics of this World Cup.
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Three countries, four time zones, 104 matches.
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It's the most complex World Cup ever attempted.
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The only word that can appropriately describe the scale here is transcontinental.
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The distance between Vancouver and Miami stadiums is about 4,500 kilometers.
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It requires more teams traveling,
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more fans crossing borders and more media infrastructure to coordinate.
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This year's cup will have more than 5 million fans,
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both domestic and international, traveling to get to a match.
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And their travel plans will look completely different than at the last World Cup, Qatar 2022.
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There, fans could visit multiple stadiums in a single day.
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Now, that would require more detailed travel planning.
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On top of that, the US transportation system is built more around cars,
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with limited public transit to the stadiums.
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Most of the US stadiums are far from downtown.
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7 of the 11 US stadiums do have access to a rail line,
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but some of those are more than a 10-minute walk away.
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FIFA has talked a big game about sustainability in recent years.
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Their goal is to reach net zero by 2040.
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But to be honest, the big picture for this cup does not look eco-friendly.
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I mean, they have 14 years left,
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but this will become a pretty hard challenge.
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Alright, we'll take a look at the venues in the central region in a second.
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Thanks again to Storyblocks for supporting the channel,
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and now let's look at the six venues in the central region.
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First off is AT&T Stadium just outside of Dallas, Texas.
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It's home to the Dallas Cowboys,
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a team known for embracing sports as a spectacle.
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Their 1.15 billion dollar stadium first opened in 2009.
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It features a retractable roof and a 49 meter long HD video board hanging from the ceiling.
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That was the largest HDTV screen in the world at the time.
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It's so large that puns sometimes hit it during American football games.
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Well, that won't be a problem during the World Cup.
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nearby in Houston, NRG's stadium was American football's first retractable roof stadium,
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built in 2002 for $352 million.
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It uses two massive steel panels to slide into place on rails
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and theoretically those could open or close in a couple of minutes.
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Theoretically because the roof is almost never retracted,
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or at least until now.
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NRG is getting a $55 million upgrade to be ready for the cup
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that covers new video boards and improvements to ensure the roof is fully functional for the summer.
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Further north in Kansas City,
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Arrowhead Stadium is the second oldest venue in this year's cup,
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clocking in at 54 years old.
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This stadium actually holds the current Guinness World Record for loudest stadium cheer,
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reaching 142.2 decibels at a game in 2014.
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Now, they're pulling out 3000 seats from the north sideline to make space for a regular football pitch.
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Similar to the change at SoFi,
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it involves pulling out concrete seating and replacing it with retractable bleachers.
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They'll also level the pitch,
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as the field has always featured a so-called crown.
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A slight elevation at the center that helps with drainage.
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Still in the cup's central region are three big stadiums in Mexico.
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The highlight is Mexico City's Estadio Azteca.
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This stadium makes history as the first to ever host three World Cups.
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1970, 1986 and now 2026.
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And along the way it has seen some of the most famous moments in World Cup history,
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like Diego Maradona's Hand of God or Goal of the Century in 1986,
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or Pelé's 1970 header that led to victory over Italy.
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I'll link a legendary video right here.
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Notably, the elevation, 2200m above sea level,
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became a serious hardship for visiting players.
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The thin air affects stamina and also means that balls fly faster and farther than you're used to.
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I didn't really believe this at first,
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but the altitude can actually make a big difference on long shots and free kicks,
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and it could give Mexico a home field advantage in their opening match against South Africa.
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The newest renovations cost around 80 million dollars.
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They include a hybrid pitch that allows the field to withstand intensive use and still be FIFA qualified.
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Hybrid basically means it includes both natural and artificial grass.
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and 5% artificial grass leaves are stitched into the natural grass to add durability to the field.
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It's the standard in Premier League football,
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and now it's arriving in Mexico.
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The renovation also involves adding new seating in the upper tiers,
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as well as new lighting and video systems.
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To honor its history, Estadio Azteca will host the opening match on June 11.
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Northwest in Guadalajara, Estadio Acron is designed like a dormant volcano.
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The idea here is that the grassy earth walls are the volcano,
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the seating bowl is the crater and the roof canopy is a cloud.
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Maybe a stretch, but it's certainly an interesting looking stadium.
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To the northeast in Monterey,
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Estadio BBVA stands out for its unique steel design.
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This stadium opened in 2015 and is known for steep seating and minimal distance between the field and seats.
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And beyond watching the match,
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the mountain backdrop of Cerro de la Silla is pretty damn impressive too.
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Before we get to the remaining 6 stadiums,
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including the final one, we have to talk about one more thing.
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Accessibility.
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In other words, who can attend one of these World Cup matches?
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The 2026 World Cup is shaping up to be the most expensive in history.
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FIFA adopted a dynamic pricing strategy and it's sending prices sky high.
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It's a shock compared to Qatar's 2022 World Cup,
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where a ticket to the final could be had for $600.
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time around fans need to spend at least 4000 dollars,
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so more than 6 times more than before.
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Football is a sport built on accessibility.
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But these new price tags suggest that the pinnacle of the sport does not reflect that.
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Of course, it is about more than ticket prices.
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For an international event like this,
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it's also about national borders.
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If you can afford to get a ticket,
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will you be able to show up to use it?
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To reduce visa appointment wait times,
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they introduced a FIFA pass.
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But a ticket alone does not guarantee entry to the United States.
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So this raises a question.
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Will fans from all participating countries even be allowed entry?
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Finally, let's look at the stadiums in the eastern region.
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Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta opened in 2017 and revolutionized stadium design in the process.
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This 1.6 billion dollar stadium was the first ever built with a retractable roof that opens in a circle,
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like a camera aperture.
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The circle motif continues here,
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with a 360-degree LED video screen,
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known as a halo board.
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For the World Cup, upgrades at Mercedes-Benz Stadium include creating more premium seats.
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Down in Miami, Hard Rock Stadium was built back in 1987 for just 115 million dollars,
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so it would certainly need a few updates before hosting the World Cup.
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Luckily, in the 2010s it went through a $500 million renovation that got it much of the way there.
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Up north in Massachusetts, let's look at Gillette Stadium.
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It completed a $250 million renovation in 2023,
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including World Cup mandates from FIFA as well as overall improvements.
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The pitch was already wide enough,
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but the stadium had to pull out corner seats for other reasons,
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making space for security, media and other personnel.
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Further changes included installing the stadiums 22-story lighthouse with an observation deck
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and a curved video board spanning more than 2000 square meters.
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Further north in Toronto, the June 12,
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2026 game at BMO Field will be the first men's World Cup match ever held on Canadian soil.
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And the country is going all out to make it possible.
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It's giving the field a 146 million dollar renovation to prepare for the cup.
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This will temporarily increase capacity from 28,180 seats all the way to 45,000.
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Basically massive steel grandstands will be put in place at the open north and south ends of the stadium,
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allowing for the massive seating upgrade.
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But just for the 6 matches it hosts,
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then it all comes down.
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Back in the US, this is Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia.
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Built in 2003, it features an asymmetrical seating design,
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as well as steep upper levels.
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It's all designed to maximize the clean sidelines for fans.
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And three open corners give some of those fans views of downtown Philly during the game.
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Alright, we've seen a lot of stadiums now,
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but there's one left, just outside of New York City.
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On July 19th, 2026, the MetLife Stadium will host the World Cup Final.
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This 1.6 billion dollar structure is the NFL's biggest stadium.
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And it houses two teams,
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the New York Giants and the New York Jets.
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It does this by using a chameleon exterior.
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Thousands of aluminum louvers that can be lit blue for New York Giants games and green for New York Jets games.
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MetLife faces the same pitch challenges as other NFL stadiums,
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so around 1700 seats are being pulled out to accommodate the wider pitch.
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The stadium is based in New Jersey,
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but it has direct rail access to New York City.
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So that's the lineup of stadiums we'll be seeing this summer.
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Is anyone here going to attempt a game?
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If so, which one?
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Let me know down below.
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As always, thank you so much for watching and I'll see you in the next one.
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About This Lesson
In this lesson, you will practice listening and speaking skills through a discussion about the upcoming 2026 World Cup. As you engage with the content, you will improve your English pronunciation and comprehension by absorbing key details about this monumental sporting event. This lesson is designed to help you develop your speaking abilities, particularly through techniques like shadowspeak, where you imitate native speakers to enhance fluency and understanding.
Key Vocabulary & Phrases
- World Cup - The international football tournament that occurs every four years.
- Host stadiums - Venues that will hold matches during the tournament.
- Temporary grass pitch - A type of playing surface installed for the event, replacing the usual artificial turf.
- Corporate branding - The use of company names or logos in naming stadiums, which is restricted during the World Cup.
- Translucent material - A substance that allows light to pass through but not detailed shapes; often used in modern stadium roofing.
- Dual-sided video board - A large display technology used in stadiums to enhance the fan experience.
- Canopy - A covering that protects from the elements, typically made from strong materials.
- LEDs - Light-emitting diodes used in modern display technology for creating vibrant images.
Practice Tips
To maximize your learning experience, consider the following practice techniques:
- Listen carefully to the transcript and focus on the pronunciation of key vocabulary. Repeat each word or phrase aloud to reinforce your memory.
- Use shadowspeak by playing the video or audio at a slow pace. Pause after each sentence to replicate the intonation and rhythm of the speaker.
- Record yourself while shadowing the content. Listening to your recordings will help you identify areas needing improvement while enhancing your English pronunciation.
- Break it down into manageable sections. Rather than trying to tackle the entire transcript at once, focus on smaller chunks that contain rich vocabulary.
- Practice with a partner if possible, taking turns to shadow each other. This can create a more engaging learning experience and foster confidence in your speaking abilities.
- Lastly, visit a shadowing site to explore more resources and exercises that can complement your learning, allowing you to improve your English pronunciation through effective practice.
What is the Shadowing Technique?
Shadowing is a science-backed language learning technique originally developed for professional interpreter training and popularized by polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. The method is simple but powerful: you listen to native English audio and immediately repeat it out loud — like a shadow following the speaker with just a 1–2 second delay. Unlike passive listening or grammar drills, shadowing forces your brain and mouth muscles to simultaneously process and reproduce real speech patterns. Research shows it significantly improves pronunciation accuracy, intonation, rhythm, connected speech, listening comprehension, and speaking fluency — making it one of the most effective methods for IELTS Speaking preparation and real-world English communication.
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