America Gears Up for a Landmark Year in 2026

This article originally appeared in the 2025 edition of Inbound Insider: The Official IITA Member Directory & Magazine.

With the World Cup, Route 66’s 100th anniversary, and the America 250 celebration, the United States is set to welcome millions for a historic year in 2026!

THE UNITED STATES is poised for an extraordinary year in 2026, with a trio of landmark events set to captivate travelers and history enthusiasts alike. For starters, the 2026 FIFA World Cup will be co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico, marking the first time the tournament spans three countries. The U.S. will welcome soccer fans to 11 host cities and the final match is scheduled to take place at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, on July 19, 2026. 

Simultaneously, Route 66 will celebrate its 100th anniversary in 2026. Known as the  “Main Street of America,” this iconic highway stretches from Chicago to Santa Monica, California, and has long been a symbol of American freedom and adventure. Commemorative events, festivals, and road trips are planned along the route, inviting travelers to relive the golden age of American road travel and explore the charming small towns and historic landmarks that line the highway. Adding to the national celebrations, in 2026, America250 will honor the 250th anniversary of the United States’ founding. This year-long series of events will highlight the nation’s rich history, cultural diversity and democratic ideals. From educational programs and historical reenactments to community festivals and national exhibitions, America250 aims to inspire a renewed sense of pride and unity among Americans, while also welcoming visitors from around the world to join in the festivities. Together, these three monumental events promise to make 2026 a year of unparalleled cultural exchange, historical reflection, and shared celebration across the United States.

WORLD CUP

The FIFA World Cup 26 will be the 23rd edition of the  
tournament but the first to feature 48 teams and three host  
countries: Canada, Mexico and the United States. As the most-watched sporting event on the planet, the tournament, which will take  place between June 11 and July 19, 2026, is expected to attract an estimated 5.5 million visitors, with the majority spending time in the U.S. thanks to 11 of the 16 host cities being located stateside. The American host cities include Atlanta, Boston, Dallas, Houston, Kansas City, Los Angeles, Miami, New York/New Jersey, Philadelphia, San Francisco, and Seattle. Each of these destinations will welcome fans from around the world, offering a once-in-a-generation opportunity to showcase their stadiums, communities, and culture. The United States last hosted the men’s World Cup in 1994, whereas it will be Canada’s first time hosting or co-hosting the men’s tournament.

Eleven cities in the United States will host World Cup matches in 2026.

ROUTE 66

Since 1926, no other roadway in American history has evoked a sense of reverence, nostalgia and wanderlust quitelike Route 66. Running between Chicago and Santa Monica, California, the 2,448-mile asphalt artery was synonymous with road trips and the golden age of automobile travel. Though interstate superhighways have supplanted the so-called Main Street of America, many stretches of old Route 66 are still open to traffic, providing peeks into America’s past as it threads towns big and small. Those who explore Route 66 during its centennial in 2026 will be treated to more fun than usual. Plans are underway for special projects and celebrations in communities across the country. Here are a few: New in St. Robert, Missouri is the Route 66 Neon Park, an open-air museum featuring nearly a dozen retro signs, each with a storyboard and historical photo. Positioned among oak trees in an existing roadside park, the neon artifacts from Route 66 businesses across Missouri will be lit at night. 

Recent Route 66 developments in Illinois include the Illinois State Fairgrounds Route 66 Experience, an outdoorwalk-through exhibit with little red sheds highlighting businesses and attractions, past and present, in 92 Illinois communities. The garden courtyard brims with replicas of billboards and neon signs that once advertised motels, a drive-in movie theater, and other places along the fabled ribbon of roadway.  In New Mexico, the city of Albuquerque is providing grants to support the restoration and construction of neon signs along its  Route 66 corridor. Known as Central Avenue as it passes through the city, the road connects a series of diverse neighborhoods. Besides new flashes of neon, Central Avenue is being revitalized with large-scale murals and interactive art installations.  The Arizona Route 66 Museum at the  Kingman Visitor Center is updating exhibits with touch screens and app integration. In 2024, a $7 million streetscape renovation transformed Beale Street in historic downtown Kingman into a more inviting space. 

AMERICA250

America250 comprises a series of special events and museum exhibitions that honor our nation’s founding. The red-letter day will be July 4, 2026, the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, but events will take place months before and after. Many are comparing America250 to the country’s bicentennial bash in 1976, a star-spangled commemoration that, for those old enough to remember, evokes memories bathed in red, white, and blue. There were sculptures and monuments created for the occasion, plenty of USA-themed merchandising, and festivities in towns big and small. As home to the original 13 colonies, the Eastern Seaboard as a whole naturally will be a prime focus of semiquincentennial festivities and observances, with Virginia— the first, largest and most prosperous colony—in a starring role. One signature event will be Sail250 Virginia (June 12-14 and June 19-22, 2026), which will feature an international fleet of tall ships and military vessels in Norfolk and other ports.  In Richmond, the 250th anniversary of Patrick Henry’s rousing “Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death” speech was celebrated with the grand opening of the Give Me Liberty exhibition at the Virginia Museum of History and Culture. The Give Me Liberty exhibition opens at the American Revolution Museum at Yorktown in April 2026. 

Reprinted with permission from the 2025 issue of Inbound Insider, published by IITA in partnership with Premier Travel Media.