World Cup Cities Seen from the ISS
Over the past several years, astronauts on the International Space Station have photographed urban areas that are slated to serve as venues for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. These images are part of routine Earth‑observation activities and provide a unique vantage point over metropolitan regions.
Among the cities already captured are the New York metropolitan area, the Los Angeles region and Toronto. From roughly 400 kilometres altitude the photos reveal street grids, transportation networks and even individual stadium complexes.
- The pictures are often used in scientific studies of urban growth.
- Some of the imagery has been released publicly through NASA’s image archive.
- Mexico City has also appeared multiple times in the station’s photographic record.
Although the shots were not taken specifically for the World Cup, they offer an intriguing look at how future host sites appear from space. Such data can also assist in planning infrastructure and security measures for the tournament.