In the summer of 2026, sixteen stadiums in North America hosted matches as part of the FIFA World Cup. Over the years, astronauts aboard the International Space Station have captured a top-down view of the infrastructure, landscapes and ecosystems surrounding many of these places.

Six of the matches were played at San Francisco Bay Area Stadium, beginning on June 13 with a matchup between Qatar and Switzerland. This stadium (also called Levi’s Stadium) is located in Santa Clara, California, adjacent to San Jose and about 40 miles (64 kilometers) south of San Francisco. An astronaut aboard the International Space Station took this photo (above) on July 26, 2022.

The stadium, completed in 2014, is surrounded by a mix of recreational, housing and commercial infrastructure. The scene includes the southern part of the San Francisco Bay, which is 23 years into a 50-year effort to restore up to 90 percent of the region’s salt ponds to wetlands and tidal marshes, while preserving some of its salt-producing heritage.

The Bay Area hosted its sixth and final World Cup match on July 1, when the United States faced Bosnia and Herzegovina in a qualifying match. The United States advanced to the round of 16 after a 2-0 victory.

The FIFA World Cup final is scheduled for July 19 at New York New Jersey Stadium, part of the Meadowlands Sports Complex, in East Rutherford, New Jersey. The stadium (also called MetLife Stadium) is located along the New Jersey Turnpike, west of midtown Manhattan. Note that north is at the bottom right of this photograph, captured by an astronaut on April 17, 2022.

The area has witnessed centuries of human impact. Settlers cleared wetlands and cedar forests to establish settlements, and development followed for a variety of economic and industrial uses. In the 20th century it became an unregulated landfill. However, in recent decades, wetland restoration efforts have occurred alongside sports and entertainment complex development.

Other World Cup host cities have also appeared in astronaut photos and satellite images. Guadalajara Stadium (Akron Stadium), Los Angeles Stadium (SoFi Stadium), Houston Stadium (NRG Stadium/Reliant Stadium) and BC Place Vancouver (BC Place) are among the locations that have been observed from above.

Astronaut photograph ISS067-E-202213 was acquired on July 26, 2022, using a Nikon D5 digital camera with a focal length of 400 millimeters, and astronaut photograph ISS067-E-18580 was acquired on April 17, 2022, using a Nikon D5 digital camera with a focal length of 1150 millimeters. They are provided by the ISS Crew Earth Observation Facility and the Earth Sciences and Remote Sensing Unit at NASA Johnson Space Center. The images were taken by an Expedition 67 crew member. The images have been cropped and enhanced to improve contrast and lens artifacts have been removed. The International Space Station Program supports the laboratory as part of the ISS National Laboratory to help astronauts take photographs of Earth that will be of great value to scientists and the public, and to make those images freely available on the Internet. Additional images taken by astronauts and cosmonauts can be viewed at NASA/JSC Gateway to Astronaut Photography of Earth. Story by Kathryn Hansen.

• NASA (2026, July 1) NASA data helps CDC track air quality during 2026 World Cup. Retrieved July 6, 2026.
• NASA Earth Observatory (2026, June 12) World Cup fever in Guadalajara. Accessed July 6, 2026.
• NASA Earth Observatory (2023, March 5) New York and New Jersey. Accessed July 6, 2026.
• NASA Earth Observatory (February 11, 2016) From salt production to salt marshes. Accessed July 6, 2026.
• History of the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority (2023). Accessed July 6, 2026.
• U.S. Geological Survey (2023) Nesting Waterfowl Monitoring for the South Bay Salt Pond Restoration Project: 2022 Breeding Season. Accessed July 6, 2026.