College sports prove popular across states.placeholder image
College sports prove popular across states.
When Boston was confirmed as seven-match host city for coming FIFA World Cup, it marked more than a major sporting milestone.
The decision signalled a defining moment for sports-led travel across the United States. From iconic stadiums and storied franchises to rodeos, regattas and road races, 2026 is shaping up to be a year where sport becomes the ultimate gateway to place. TTM represents destinations where sport is not simply staged, but lived. These are cities and states where match day spills into streets, tailgates become cultural rituals and visitors are welcomed straight into the beating heart of the action. With the world arriving for football’s biggest tournament, the breadth and depth of American sport will be on full display.
Football: global game meets local passion Boston will take centre stage in summer as it hosts seven FIFA World Cup matches at Gillette Stadium, including five group fixtures, knockout match and quarter-final. Between June 14 and July 9 the city will welcome fans from across the globe, England and Scotland among teams already confirmed for group stage matches, Wales, Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland still able to qualify via play-offs. Beyond the stadium, fan festivals, watch parties and city-wide celebrations are expected to transform Greater Boston into month-long football carnival.
The region’s football story runs deeper than the World Cup. New England Revolution - one of Major League Soccer’s original clubs - continues to build on near 30-year legacy at Gillette Stadium, while Boston Legacy FC will make history in 2026 as National Women’s Soccer League’s 15th team, launching with nationally broadcast home opener. Elsewhere, football culture thrives at every scale. San Antonio’s Toyota Field offers intimate, fan-forward experiences, Nashville SC plays in front of sell-out crowds at Geodis Park, and Maine’s Portland Hearts of Pine has already captured attention with its community-driven ethos and emphatic debut season in USL competition. American football: where game day is city-wide event Few sporting experiences rival NFL game day. In New Orleans, Saints turn every home fixture at Caesars Superdome into festival of sound, colour and cuisine, complete with second-line parades and legendary tailgating. Nashville’s Nissan Stadium anchors Titans’ autumn schedule, while Foxborough’s Gillette Stadium remains synonymous with six-time Super Bowl champion New England Patriots. College football adds another layer of spectacle. From historic Sugar Bowl in New Orleans to Knoxville’s Neyland Stadium - one of the largest in the country - Saturdays in the South are defined by marching bands, rivalries and rituals. Events such as Bayou Classic, AutoZone Liberty Bowl and Arizona Bowl in Tucson, presented by Snoop Dogg, blend sport with entertainment and civic pride, drawing visitors year after year. Baseball: history, heritage and hometown pride Few venues capture sporting nostalgia like Fenway Park. As Major League Baseball’s oldest stadium, it remains pilgrimage site for fans, offering tours tracing lineage from Green Monster to generations of Red Sox legends. Across the South, baseball is equally ingrained. Memphis’ Triple-A Redbirds play at AutoZone Park as not-for-profit club supporting local community, while college baseball in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, draws national attention to Pete Taylor Park, hub of regional tournaments and fierce loyalty. Louisiana adds its own chapter through Marucci Baton Rouge-based bat maker trusted by more than half of Major League players, and through museums celebrating the state’s sporting DNA. Basketball: banners, buzzer-beaters and big personalities In basketball, legacy and energy go hand in hand. Boston Celtics’ 18 championship banners hang over TD Garden, where winter nights are defined by noise, history and expectation. Memphis sees Grizzlies deliver among NBA’s most electric atmospheres, while San Antonio’s Spurs continue to blend tradition with star power, preparing for move to a new downtown arena that will reshape city’s sporting landscape. Women’s basketball remains major draw, Connecticut Sun playing at Mohegan Sun Arena, and development pathways on display through Maine Celtics in NBA G League. For fans keen to trace the roots of the game, Springfield’s Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame remains essential stop. Ice hockey: fast, fierce and fan-driven Hockey thrives in both traditional and emerging markets. Boston Bruins' games at TD Garden remain among NHL’s most sought-after tickets, while Nashville Predators fixtures at Bridgestone Arena fit seamlessly into city’s music-filled downtown. In Maine, Arizona and North Carolina, AHL and NHL teams offer accessible, high-energy experiences, complemented by training access, themed nights and family-friendly pricing. Beyond arenas: cycling, racing, rodeo and more Sport in 2026 is not confined to stadiums. Tucson’s El Tour de Tucson attracts more than 10,000 cyclists annually, raising millions for charity while showcasing desert landscapes. In San Antonio, Charreada - Mexico’s national sport - is celebrated at Stock Show and Rodeo, blending horsemanship, heritage and spectacle in way found nowhere else in the US. Motor racing fans can follow NASCAR from New Hampshire to Connecticut, experience dirt-track drama in Tennessee or take to skies with helicopter flights over Las Vegas Grand Prix. Fishing tournaments along Gulf Coast draw elite anglers and curious crowds, while polo in Newport, sailing in Maine and skiing in Vermont add seasonal depth to rich sporting calendar. With FIFA World Cup as its anchor, 2026 will spotlight how sport connects visitors to place, US destinations not simply hosting events, rather inviting UK travellers into their communities, traditions and rhythms.
Catch angling action like Bassmaster Classicplaceholder image
Catch angling action like Bassmaster Classic
For travellers seeking more than a seat in the stands, the message is clear ... come for the game, stay for the city, and leave with deeper connections than expected. Whether it’s World Cup clash, college rivalry, rodeo night or marathon morning, sport offers shared language. And this year the US will be speaking it fluently.