World Cup 2026 Schedule
The complete 2026 FIFA World Cup tournament schedule. With 104 matches across 39 days, this is the biggest World Cup ever. Full fixture calendar with dates, venues, and key matches to look out for.
Tournament Timeline Overview
Group Stage — Matchday 1 (June 11–17)
The opening weekend of World Cup 2026 features 18 matches across multiple venues. The host nations will play their opening matches on the first match day.
| Date | Match | Venue | Time (Local) | Stage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wed, June 11 | 🇺🇸 USA vs TBA | Hard Rock Stadium, Miami | 7:00 PM ET | Group A |
| Wed, June 11 | 🇨🇦 Canada vs TBA | BMO Field, Toronto | 7:00 PM ET | Group B |
| Wed, June 11 | TBA vs TBA | Soldier Field, Chicago | 3:00 PM ET | Group C |
| Wed, June 11 | TBA vs TBA | Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta | 7:00 PM ET | Group C |
| Wed, June 11 | 🇲🇽 Mexico vs TBA | Estadio Azteca, Mexico City | 7:00 PM ET | Group D |
| Wed, June 11 | TBA vs TBA | SoFi Stadium, Los Angeles | 4:00 PM ET | Group E |
| Wed, June 11 | TBA vs TBA | AT&T Stadium, Arlington | 7:00 PM ET | Group F |
| Wed, June 11 | TBA vs TBA | Lumen Field, Seattle | 4:00 PM ET | Group F |
| Thu, June 12 | 🏴 England vs TBA | Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia | 7:00 PM ET | Group G |
| Thu, June 12 | 🇧🇷 Brazil vs TBA | Levi's Stadium, Santa Clara | 7:00 PM ET | Group G |
| Thu, June 12 | 🇫🇷 France vs TBA | Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis | 7:00 PM ET | Group H |
| Thu, June 12 | 🇩🇪 Germany vs TBA | Stadium TBD | 3:00 PM ET | Group H |
| Thu, June 12 | TBA vs TBA | BC Place, Vancouver | 4:00 PM ET | Group A |
| Thu, June 12 | TBA vs TBA | Estadio Azteca, Mexico City | 7:00 PM ET | Group B |
| Fri, June 13 | TBA vs TBA | Allegiant Stadium, Las Vegas | 8:00 PM ET | Group D |
| Fri, June 13 | TBA vs TBA | AT&T Stadium, Arlington | 8:00 PM ET | Group E |
| Fri, June 13 | TBA vs TBA | Hard Rock Stadium, Miami | 8:00 PM ET | Group B |
| Fri, June 13 | TBA vs TBA | SoFi Stadium, Los Angeles | 8:00 PM ET | Group F |
Note: Full group assignments and specific match dates will be confirmed by FIFA after the draw ceremony. The schedule above shows tentative placements based on FIFA's confirmed matchday structure and host nation priorities. Specific opponents will be determined by the draw, which is expected to take place in January 2026.
Knockout Stage Schedule
The knockout rounds begin on June 29 with the new Round of 32 — the biggest change to the 2026 format.
Round of 32
Dates: June 29 – July 1, 2026
Eightteen matches across 10 venues. For the first time, 32 teams battle down to 16. Group winners play third-placed teams, with seeding ensuring fairness. The Round of 32 matches are spread across USA venues primarily, with one or two matches in Canada/Mexico for maximum viewership.
Round of 16
Dates: July 3 – July 7, 2026
Eight matches reducing 16 teams to 8 quarter-finalists. Venues rotate across all three nations for maximum geographic coverage. Expect the biggest group winners to be hosted at the largest stadiums — AT&T Stadium, SoFi, and Estadio Azteca will likely each host at least one last-16 match.
Quarter-finals
Dates: July 9 – July 11, 2026
Four quarter-final matches spread across the tournament's premier venues. FIFA has tentatively confirmed that the quarter-finals will be hosted across a mix of US East Coast and West Coast venues, plus one in Canada and one in Mexico. The specific venues for each quarter are determined by the match schedule drawing.
Semi-finals
Dates: July 13 – July 14, 2026
Two semi-final matches. FIFA has confirmed the semi-final venues as:
- Semi-final 1: Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta
- Semi-final 2: Allegiant Stadium, Las Vegas
The Final
🏆 2026 FIFA World Cup Final
Sunday, July 19, 2026
MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey
The final match will be played at MetLife Stadium outside New York City — the largest stadium hosting World Cup 2026 matches with a capacity of 82,500. Located in the heart of the New York metropolitan area, the nearest stadium has hosted three previous World Cup finals (1950 in Brazil, 1994 in USA, 2014 in Brazil). With an estimated global television audience of 1.2 billion viewers, this will be one of the most watched sporting events in history.
Key Dates to Remember
World Cup Draw
Expected January 2026 — all group assignments confirmed
Stadium Readiness Checks
March–May 2026 — FIFA inspections and friendlies at all 16 venues
Tournament Opening Ceremony
June 10, 2026 — evening event at Hard Rock Stadium, Miami
Tournament Closing Ceremony
July 19, 2026 — trophy presentation at MetLife Stadium
Final Ticket Release
Expected March 2026 — last batch of tickets released for group matches
How to Follow the Tournament
📺 Television Broadcast
In the United States, the 2026 World Cup will be jointly broadcast by Fox and Telemundo/UniMas. This is an unprecedented shared arrangement covering all 104 matches. Fox will broadcast the majority of English-language coverage, while Telemundo and UniMas will handle Spanish-language broadcasts. Expect Fox to air key matches (host nation games, finals) in prime time slots. The opening match and final will be shown simultaneously on both networks.
📱 FIFA+ Streaming
FIFA's own streaming platform, FIFA+, will stream all 104 matches live in HD to viewers outside the host nations. This is the first World Cup to offer complete streaming coverage through FIFA's own platform, making it the most accessible World Cup ever for international viewers. In the host nations, some matches will also be simululated on FIFA+ through deals with local broadcasters.
🌐 Time Zone Guide
With matches across three countries, kick-off times span multiple time zones broadly:
- Los Angeles, Seattle, Vancouver: Pacific Time (PT) — UTC-7 (EDT)
- Mexico City: Central Time (CT) — UTC-6
- Miami, Atlanta, Arlington, Chicago, New York, Philadelphia, Toronto, Indianapolis: Eastern Time (ET) — UTC-4
- Las Vegas: Pacific Time (PT) — UTC-7
- Seattle: Pacific Time (PT) — UTC-7
All FIFA official schedules will list times in local stadium time. For international comparison, most matches kick off at 1:00 PM or 7:00 PM local time, which translates to convenient evening viewing slots for European audiences on the late kick-off slots.