While excitement builds for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar later this year, FIFA fired up global fans with enthusiasm for another momentous occasion.

After a lengthy process that lasted four years, the international governing body for football finally unveiled the host cities for the biggest ever showpiece event in its history at a ceremony in New York city on Thursday night.

The eagerly awaited 2026 World Cup, to be staged across the U.S., Mexico and Canada, will be the first ever World Cup shared between three nations and the first to feature 48 teams, an increase from the current 32.

Out of a pool of 22 candidates, only 16 cities made the coveted cut. The U.S. hosts are Atlanta, Boston, Dallas, Houston, Kansas City, Missouri, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Philadelphia, San Francisco and Seattle.

All three Mexican finalists in the list - Mexico City, Monterrey and Guadalajara -  were selected, while Canada is set to be represented by Toronto and Vancouver.

"Together with our good friends in Canada and Mexico, we couldn't be more excited to work with FIFA to host what we think will be the greatest World Cup in history," U.S. Soccer President Cindy Parlow Cone said in a statement.

"I want to congratulate all the bid cities that will host games. I know you will all do a fantastic job of sharing your world class stadiums, unique communities and culture, and amazing fans when the world comes to the North America in four years." said the statement. 

According to the organizers, sixty of the 80 games will be played at U.S. stadiums, including all games from the quarterfinals onward. The other 20 will be split evenly between Mexico and Canada.

FIFA has yet to designate the specific venues for matches, but several U.S. media outlets revealed that the AT&T Stadium, home of NFL giants Dallas Cowboys; and MetLife Stadium, a sports complex shared by both New York NFL powerhouses Giants and Jets, are believed to be the two top contenders to stage the World Cup final.

"We will take our time with that decision," said FIFA President Gianni Infantino during the ceremony when asked about the identity of the cities that will host the 2026 final. "There are still some discussions to go on and we will certainly choose the best cities there as well for the opening and the final, but every match will be a final in this World Cup."

The Rose Bowl in Pasadena, which hosted the final of the 1994 World Cup, missed out on restoring its former glory after being left out at the final hurdle. Instead, Los Angeles' new favorite SoFi Stadium will make its World Cup debut in 2026. As the world's most expensive stadium at more than $5 billion, it is the home of NFL's Los Angeles Chargers and Rams, and just staged this year's Super Bowl.

Washington D.C.'s bid to host the World Cup was also snubbed, which means no match will be staged in the U.S. capital in 2026.

Mexico City's Estadio Azteca, meanwhile, will become the first stadium to feature in three separate World Cups. The iconic venue has hosted the 1970 and 1986 tournament.