With the next FIFA World Cup about a year away, American Airlines has bagged an important partnership deal with the tournament, joining as the Official North American Airline Supplier of the event. The carrier says that it is excited to carry fans across North America to experience the excitement of the tournament.
American Airlines
IATA/ICAO Code
AA/AAL
Year Founded
1926
Expand
American already flies thousands of daily flights to the host cities of the 2026 event, which will be jointly hosted by the United States, Mexico, and Canada. The airline is collaborating with Qatar Airways, which will be FIFA’s Global Airline Partner, for several more years.
Official North American Airline Supplier
Photo: David S Swierczek | Shutterstock
American Airlines
has announced that FIFA has made it the Official North American Airline Supplier of the FIFA World Cup 2026 in Canada, Mexico, and the USA. This is a significant partnership deal for the airline, as the FIFA World Cup is among the most-watched global sports events. American says that the agreement will strengthen the tournament’s ties to North America and ensure world-class travel experiences for fans and teams across the USA.
Dallas, which is the headquarters of American Airlines, is also one of the host cities of the tournament, and the agreement also marks an important collaboration of American Airlines with Qatar Airways
to ensure seamless international and domestic connectivity for all stakeholders throughout the competition. Coincidentally, American is also celebrating its 100th anniversary next year. Caroline Clayton, Chief Marketing Officer and Senior Vice President of Communications of American Airlines, commented,
“We are proud to partner with FIFA and look forward to connecting fans to all FIFA World Cup 26™ matches. As the home team for this historic event, we look forward to flying fans across North America to experience the passion, energy and diversity of the beautiful game.”
Serving The Host Cities
Photo: MKPhoto12 | Shutterstock
As one of the big three US airlines, American Airlines has a huge network in the country and a significant presence in Mexico and Canada. The FIFA World Cup 26™ tournament will be played in June and July and, for the first time, will involve 48 teams. It will include 104 matches and is expected to be the most attended and watched sporting event in history.
American says that this partnership underscores FIFA’s commitment to working with industry leaders to ensure that the FIFA World Cup 26™ sets new standards in terms of access, scale, and fan experience. The carrier also notes that it has more than 2,200 daily flights to the FIFA World Cup 2 host cities currently.
American is also offering loyal AAdvantage® members the opportunity to get tickets to matches through ongoing sweepstakes. Anyone who is 18 and over can sign up once daily on the American Airlines website to try their luck at winning a ticket. Spread across three countries, the tournament will be played at the following locations:
United States
Mexico
Canada
Atlanta
Guadalajara
Toronto
Boston
Mexico City
Vancouver
Dallas
Monterrey
Houston
Kansas City
Los Angeles
Miami
New York/New Jersey
Philadelphia
San Francisco Bay Area
Seattle
Related
How Will The 2026 FIFA World Cup Impact US Aviation?
Airports across America are already making preparations for the festival of football.
Qatar Airways’ Partnership Extension
Photo: JetKat | Shutterstock
Qatar Airways is the Global Airline Partner for FIFA through 2030. Speaking about the current deal with American Airlines, Qatar Airways’ Chief Commercial Officer, Thierry Antinori, said that together, through their expansive networks and world-class loyalty programs, both airlines can offer millions of travelers seamless and convenient travel options during the FIFA World Cup 2026.
Qatar has been a FIFA partner since 2017, and in 2023,
the airline extended its partnership
about a year after the FIFA World Cup opening game in Qatar in 2022. The deal allowed Qatar to cover several FIFA events, including the two FIFA World Cups (the United States, Mexico, and Canada in 2026 and another in Argentina, Morocco, Paraguay, Portugal, and Uruguay in 2030), as well as all youth men’s and women’s tournaments.
While Qatar’s partnership with FIFA will run until 2030, other airlines, too, would be keen on partnering with the prestigious sports governing body. The 2034 FIFA World Cup will be held in Saudi Arabia. Perhaps one of the Saudi Arabia-based airlines could become FIFA’s next Global Airline Partner.
