Sports Illustrated recently published a ranking of the best cities for taking in the World Cup. They looked at the quality of the games, the cities themselves, the stadiums, and the locations of the stadiums to come up with a list of the best cities of the 16 that are hosting games. Here are the results, along with some of the reasoning.
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Adrian Yu/Unsplash Photo
16. SAN FRANCISCO – not the best games, and too far from downtown S.F.
15. KANSAS CITY – Again, stadium too far from downtown.
14. NEW YORK NEW JERSEY – The Meadowlands stadium is “a nightmare” to get to.
13. PHILADELPHIA – No headlining matchups.
12. HOUSTON – The city has plenty to offer but SI gave it a very low rating.
11. GUADALAJARA – Games aren’t great. Stadium too far from the action.
10. MONTERREY – Great stadium but the city is designed for cars.
9. BOSTON – One of the best sports cities in the world, but Foxborough and Gillette Stadium are major detractors from its status as a must-see city at the World Cup.
8. DALLAS – It’s one of the worst transit situations of the entire World Cup, even though the city offers a unique Texan flavor, and the match schedule is the best in the tournament.
7. MIAMI – Intimate stadium sight lines and a vibrant Latin culture.
6. LOS ANGELES – SoFi Stadium will be one of the best venues of the World Cup. Situated in Inglewood, California, it is relatively accessible from downtown Los Angeles and is accustomed to hosting major events.
5. ATLANTA – Mercedes-Benz Stadium itself is one of the most modern, offering excellent sight lines throughout, and is near downtown and accessible by MARTA, the city’s train system.
4. MEXICO CITY – Home to the greatest stadium at the World Cup, as the Estadio Azteca has undergone massive renovations to become a modern facility and boasts the greatest soccer history of any venue.
3. TORONTO – Toronto is the world’s most multicultural city, making the first 48-team World Cup a truly remarkable moment. The downtown will be enthralled by World Cup fever.
2. SEATTLE – Unlike many of its U.S. counterparts, Lumen Field sits within walking distance of the downtown core and is accessible by public transit. Situated next to T-Mobile Park, home to the MLB’s Seattle Mariners, the stadium district offers plenty of areas for fans to hang out before and after the game.
1. VANCOUVER – Vancouver tops the list of the best World Cup cities, with a subway that connects downtown, many suburbs and the airport. At the same time, the 54,000-seat BC Place Stadium sits in the downtown core, featuring bars and restaurants all within walking distance. Unlike in many cities, fans might be able to avoid driving entirely.
WORLD’S MOST BEAUTIFUL VILLAGES
MSN Travel has a pretty piece about the world’s most beautiful villages. Sad to say I’ve only been to two of them, Positano and Cesky Krumlov. Both are very much worthy of the list. Here’s the MSN list.
Cesky Krumlov is one of the prettiest villages I’ve ever run across. JIM BYERS PHOTO
Hallstatt, Austria
Shirakawa, Japan
Giethoorn, Netherlands
Bibury, England
Oia, Santorini, Greece
Reine, Norway
Eze, France
Cesky Krumlov, Czechia
Goreme, Turkiye
Ping’an, China
Positano, Italy
Chefchaouen, Morocco
