FIFA World Cup 2026 – top speakers & top seminar hotels

The next global football festival is coming: the FIFA World Cup 2026. Three host countries – USA, Canada and Mexico – 16 host cities and an expanded field promise record reach and plenty of talking points for your business event. Use the World Cup as your stage – for client events, leadership talks, team-building or public viewing experiences that truly make an impact.

The tournament runs from 11 June to 19 July 2026. The opening match will be played at the legendary Estadio Azteca in Mexico City, and the final at MetLife Stadium in New York/New Jersey. Matches will take place across 16 host cities – including Mexico City, Guadalajara, Monterrey, Vancouver, Toronto, Seattle, the San Francisco Bay Area, Los Angeles, Dallas, Kansas City, Miami, Atlanta, Boston, Philadelphia and New York/New Jersey.

For the first time, 48 teams will compete – in 12 groups of four, followed by a 32-team knockout phase. In total there will be 104 matches across three countries and three time zones – a perfect springboard for creative event concepts, content formats and international guests.

Why plan now?

• Guaranteed attention: The World Cup dominates agendas and coffee-break chats for six weeks – ideal for sport-infused thought-leadership formats.
• Use the time difference smartly: Many matches fall in the European evening – perfect for after-work sessions + public viewing in the same venue.
• Storytelling with substance: Elite football offers real stories of teamwork, resilience, leadership and performance under pressure – themes that resonate in every organisation.

Pro tip: Combine expert input in the afternoon (keynote/panel/workshop) with a shared match experience in the evening. You’ll blend knowledge transfer, emotion and networking – measurable in satisfaction and engagement.

Top speakers, moderators & referees – for your World Cup event

Book personalities who have been on World and European Championship stages – as players, coaches, referees or the voices of the game. A selection:

• Lothar Matthäus – World Champion
• Béla Réthy – Journalist & presenter
• Bernhard Heusler – Honorary president FC Basel, football expert
• Urs Meier – former FIFA referee
• Felix Kroos – Football expert
• Oliver Kahn – Football expert
• Marcel Reif – Presenter
• Deniz Aytekin – DFB referee
• Anthony Taylor – Premier League & FIFA referee
• Markus Babbel – Football expert
• Felix Brych – Referee of the year 2017 & 2022
• Markus Gisdol – Football coach
• Ralf Rangnick – Coach national team Austria
• René Adler – Football expert
• Rudi Cerne – Presenter
• Gilbert Gress – Football expert
• Steffi Jones – Football expert
• Timo Hildebrand – Football expert
• Uli Hoeness – Honorary president FC Bayern Munich
• Thorsten Kinhöfer – former FIFA referee
• Peter Knäbel – Director of Sport FC Schalke 04
• Babak Rafati – former FIFA referee
• Holger Stanislawski – Soccer coach & expert
• Tim Borowski – Football expert

…and many more.

Formats that work:

• Keynote + Q&A: ‘Behind the scenes of major tournaments’.
• Double-pass talk: A host guides insights on leadership, pressure, decision-making quality.
• Referee insights: Perception, the laws of the game, making a decision in 0.3 seconds.
• Team dynamics masterclass: From squad to a well-oiled unit.

Top seminar hotels – the playing field for meaningful encounters

Whether a city hotel with excellent public-transport links, a design venue with screens and streaming set-up, or a mountain retreat for leadership workshops – we recommend first-class seminar and meeting hotels across the DACH region, with the tech, rooms and catering to power your World Cup event. On request, we integrate public-viewing zones, breakout lounges and partner branding.

One team wins. Always.

Plan your World Cup 2026 event now – with inspiring personalities on stage and the right hotels behind the scenes. Our MICE experts support you before, during and after the tournament: from the idea and programme through to live production.

Contact us – we look forward to your e-mail or call. Together we’ll turn your event into a special World Cup 2026 experience.