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# World Cup: A road trip wrapped in a riddle
- URL: https://www.redeyebr.com/world-cup-a-road-trip-wrapped-in-a-riddle/
- Published: 2026-05-12T01:36:41.000Z
- Updated: 2026-05-12T01:36:41.000Z
- Description: Possible team to see in World Cup matches within driving distance
- Author: Mukul Verma
- Tags: Get Out

World Cup math is already making our heads hurt.

Trying to figure out where to travel for a World Cup match is less like planning a vacation and more like solving a Rubik’s Cube while surrounded by screaming children.

**Why it matters:** The 2026 World Cup is coming close enough for Baton Rouge fans to drive to matches in Atlanta, Houston or Dallas. The trick is knowing who might actually play there.

**The problem:** Teams play three group-stage matches. Then the knockout bracket depends not only on how they do, but how everyone else does. 

**The New York Times tried to make it easier.** Using world rankings and prediction markets, the paper [estimated the odds](https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2026/05/08/upshot/world-cup-odds.html?ref=redeyebr.com) (🔒) of which teams could land in each knockout-round city. But, be aware, the publication warns that one goal before the final whistle can send a team 3,000 miles in the opposite direction.

Here’s the *RedEye* driving-distance version:

**Atlanta:** England has a 70% chance of playing there in the Round of 32 on July 1\. Likely opponents: Congo, 23%; Croatia, 20%; or Uzbekistan, 17%.

**Yes, but:** This could be a brutal ticket. English fans travel well, and London has direct flights to Atlanta. 

**Houston:** Five hours by car, give or take traffic on I-10\. Brazil is the big prize here, with 75% chance for a Round of 32 match on June 29\. Possible opponents: Japan, 33%; Netherlands, 27%; or Sweden, 26%.

**Yes!** Brazil is Brazil. Even people who don’t watch soccer understand the appeal of watching Brazil play the beautiful game. 

**Dallas:** The odds are more scattered, but the possible teams include Norway, 43%; Ecuador, 40%; Ivory Coast, 32%; and Senegal, 25%. The round of 32 match is June 30\. This should be the easiest ticket, as there are no big names that casual American fans would recognize. 

**The U.S. question:** The U.S. team is projected as more likely to play in San Francisco, at 41%, than Dallas, at 29%. 

**The bottom line:** If you want certainty, wait. If you want Brazil, start looking at Houston. If you want England, prepare for sticker shock and a pub full of people explaining why this is finally their year. If you just want to watch a match without the crush of fans, Dallas is your best bet. 

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