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With the 2026 Men’s World Cup set to take place between June 11 to July 19, 2026, stadiums across Canada, Mexico, and the US are sure to be filled with excitement and celebration.
Teams from 48 countries will take to the pitch to vie for the top prize, with the fans from around the world who are lucky enough to have snagged tickets cheering them on.
Luckily for those us who won’t be attending the matches themselves, there are many, many other great locations from which to watch and celebrate this tournament.
Let’s look at some other places around the world where we can soak up the World Cup atmosphere and enthusiasm with like-minded fans.
The first destination on our list for great World Cup ambiance is Lisbon, Portugal, home to a massive soccer culture that’s reaches to the countries diasporas across the world.
This city offers Mediterranean sunshine, gorgeous views from its hilltop neighbourhoods, and spectacular history and culture around every cobbled-street corner.
Of course, while you’re there cheering on your favourite teams (and hopefully Portugal as well), you’ll have to try the city’s excellent food and drinks, including vinho verde, bifanas, and the ubiquitous pasteis de nata (custard tarts).
If you want to take in the World Cup ambiance in a city that enjoys easy access to both the beach and the jungle, Rio de Janeiro in Brazil might be the place for you.
Known for its infectious energy, culture, and music, plus it’s incredible food and spectacular sunshine, Rio is an amazing destination even without the extra World Cup vibes.
Of course, if you’ve got time before or after watching the matches, don’t forget to check out the Christ the Redeemer statue (one of the new 7 wonders of the world), the cable cars up the mountain, and samba-filled nightlife.
Also, before you head out, get yourself set up with an eSIM so that you can easily share your adventures with friends and family back home.
Next on our list of destinations for great World Cup atmosphere is Seoul, South Korea.
Known for its immense national pride, the bars and public squares are sure to be filled with fans for every match that involves the home team.
Whenever there isn’t a game on, you’ll find more than enough to keep you occupied with the fantastic food and drink culture, the beautiful museums, temples, parks, and mountains, and opportunities to explore the many neighbourhoods of the city.
Plus, Seoul is an Asian travel hub, making it a convenient stop on a larger adventure around Northeast Asia and/or Southeast Asia.
World Cup fans likely remember that Cape Town, South Africa, was one of the host cities for the 2010 World Cup, with the city’s amazing energy (and the blast of the vuvuzelas) coming through in every image and video from the event.
The World Cup ambiance is sure to be exceptional in Cape Town, with fans rooting not just for the national South African team but also for the other African teams from Algeria, Cabo Verde, Côte d’Ivoire, Egypt, Ghana, Morocco, Senegal, and Tunisia.
While in Cape Town, we recommend exploring the classic tourist spots like Table Mountain, Robben Island, the waterfront, and the adorable penguins at Boulders Beach.
Of course, if you’ve got time for an even bigger adventure, you could also add on a safari in Kruger National Park (and potentially use travel points, like Scene+ points, to cover the expense).
For more info, take a look at our South Africa itinerary suggestions and our guides on how to use travel points to save on expenses (e.g., Marriott Bonvoy points to save on accommodations).
Our fifth selection for a great place to enjoy the World Cup ambiance and watch a few matches is Madrid, Spain.
The biggest city in Spain, Madrid is known for its late-night socializing, stunning architecture, world-class art museums, and, of course, its tapas and entire food scene.
While visiting, we recommend that you explore the city’s many neighbourhoods, each showcasing its own unique character, to take in the matches at the local bars and restaurants that are sure to have fans spilling out onto the streets.
Then, when you’re in need of a respite from the World Cup fervour, you can enjoy a stroll in the city’s gorgeous parks, bask in the fantastic weather, and enjoy a cafe con leche or tinto de verano on one of the many casual terraces.
Our final choice for a great destination to cheer on the World Cup contenders this summer is Buenos Aires, Argentina, home to the winners of the 2022 World Cup.
The ambiance and energy in Buenos Aires is sure to be electric as fans will their team to defend their title from four years ago.
Known as the cultural capital of the country, this walkable city is full of gorgeous architecture (lots of Art Nouveau and Art Deco to take in) and green spaces.
Of course, while you’re there, you’ll have to enjoy some empanadas, grilled meat, and yerba mate to get even just a small taste of the food culture.
Buenos Aires is also a great place for late-night patios, dancing (maybe there’s a tango lesson in your future?), and so much more.
If you’re planning on heading to any of the above destinations (or anywhere else for that matter), there’s a number of ways that you can save on your travel with the right travel credit card and rewards program.
Read on to learn how you can save on flights and accommodations with points.
One way to save on your flight to a place with top-notch World Cup ambiance is with airline loyalty programs.
For Canadians heading to the destinations listed above, we recommend looking at programs like:
Earning enough points for an award flight in any of these programs is fairly easy, thanks to co-branded credit cards like the American Express® Aeroplan®* Card, the WestJet RBC® World Elite Mastercard, the RBC British Airways Visa Infinite, the Air France KLM World Elite MasterCard®, and more.
Plus, many of these airline loyalty programs are transfer partners with accessible rewards program in Canada like American Express Membership Rewards and RBC Avion Rewards.
With these programs, you can earn with a whole range of Membership Rewards credit cards or RBC Avion Rewards credit cards and then transfer your MR points or RBC Avion Rewards points to one of the five airline loyalty programs mentioned.
Additionally, depending on where you’d like to connect and how ambitious your travel plans are, you can create fascinating trips that stop in Europe on your way to South Africa (using Flying Blue’s stopover option, for example), or use Aeroplan’s stopover feature to enjoy an extra destination on your way to just about any World Cup party city.
Another great way to save on your World Cup travel flights is with a flexible travel points programs like TD Rewards, BMO Rewards, and Scotiabank’s Scene+.
For example, you can cover some travel costs with a powerful, flexible currency like Scotiabank’s Scene+ points, earned with co-branded credit cards like the Scotiabank Passport™ Visa Infinite* Card.
With your accumulated points, you can book travel through Scene+ Travel, powered by Expedia and redeem to cover the cost at a rate of 1 Scene+ point = 1 cent.
You can also make eligible travel purchases directly on your Scene+ credit card and redeem your points to cover these travel expenses at a later date for the same rate. This option is particularly useful because you can use it to offset other transportation costs that you incur during your trip, like train and bus transportation or car rentals.
Plus, not only is it easy to earn Scene+ points with the Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite* Card, but it also comes with travel perks and benefits that will make your whole trip more affordable and more comfortable. This includes things like travel insurance coverage, car rental insurance, and free airport lounge access.
Flexible travel points like Scene+ points are also super useful for saving on accommodations, especially since they can be used to cover expenses at Airbnbs and small boutique hotels that can’t be accessed using hotel loyalty points.
Now, if you have some Marriott Bonvoy points, Hilton Honors points, or any other hotel loyalty points, these can certainly also be helpful in covering the cost of a night or two during your World Cup adventure.
Also, don’t forget that programs like American Express Membership Rewards are transfer partners with Marriott Bonvoy and Hilton Honors, so you can always earn Membership Rewards points with an eligible credit card and then move them to your Marriott or Hilton account to cover a few nights in one of the amazing locations mentioned above.
The 2026 Men’s World Cup is going to be an exciting few weeks and if you’re not heading to watch a match in person, joining in on the World Cup ambiance somewhere else is a great alternative.
Before you head out on your adventure, consider practising the local language with Babbel to help you make friends and cheer on the home team, and consider getting an eSIM from a reputable vendor like Holafly, Saily, or Airalo, so that you can stay connected from just about anywhere.
Of course, you’ll also want to make sure that you’ve got a good travel card like the Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite* Card so that you can save on expenses, enjoy some travel insurance coverage, and put your feet up with complimentary airport lounge passes.
Finally, check out our other 2026 FIFA World Cup guides to make sure you’re familiar with all the ways to secure tickets and save with points:
Savings are here (if you don’t see the sign-up form, please click here):
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