World Cup 2026 Schedule at a Glance
The World Cup 2026 schedule spans 39 days and 104 matches, making this the largest FIFA World Cup in history. The tournament runs from Thursday, June 11 to Sunday, July 19, 2026, across 16 host cities split between the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Whether you want to plan a watch party, track your picks on worldcup-predictions.app, or book travel, this guide has every key date, time, and fixture you need.
⚽ Ready to play? predict all 104 World Cup 2026 matches and climb the free global leaderboard.
Key Tournament Dates: From Opening Kick-Off to the Final
| Stage | Dates | Matches |
|---|---|---|
| Group Stage | June 11 – June 27 | 72 matches |
| Round of 32 | June 28 – July 3 | 16 matches |
| Round of 16 | July 4 – July 7 | 8 matches |
| Quarterfinals | July 9 – July 11 | 4 matches |
| Semifinals | July 14 – July 15 | 2 matches |
| Third-Place Match | July 18 | 1 match |
| Final | July 19 | 1 match |
The Opening Match: Mexico vs. South Africa at Estadio Azteca
The tournament begins on June 11, 2026, with Mexico vs. South Africa at the Estadio Azteca in Mexico City — officially called "Mexico City Stadium" during the tournament under FIFA's naming rules — with kick-off at 3:00 PM ET. It is a landmark moment: Estadio Azteca becomes the only venue in history to host three separate FIFA World Cup openings, having previously done so in 1970 and 1986. For more on this historic fixture, see our dedicated guide to the World Cup 2026 opening match.
The 2026 tournament features three separate opening ceremonies — one for each host nation — a first in World Cup history. After Mexico City on June 11, ceremonies follow on June 12 at BMO Field in Toronto and at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California.
Group Stage Schedule: June 11 – June 27
The group stage runs for 17 days across all 16 host cities. With 48 teams split into 12 groups of four, there are 72 group-stage matches in total — up from 48 in previous 32-team tournaments. Expect up to six matches per day during the busiest stretches. Every team plays three matches.
The top two finishers in each group advance automatically to the knockout rounds, joined by the eight best third-placed teams across all 12 groups — meaning 32 of the 48 teams progress to the Round of 32.
Selected Group Stage Fixtures (All times ET)
| Date | Match | Venue | Time (ET) |
|---|---|---|---|
| June 11 | Mexico vs. South Africa | Estadio Azteca, Mexico City | 3:00 PM |
| June 12 | Canada vs. Bosnia and Herzegovina | BMO Field, Toronto | TBD |
| June 12 | USA vs. Paraguay | SoFi Stadium, Los Angeles | 9:00 PM |
| June 13 | Brazil vs. Morocco | MetLife Stadium, New Jersey | 6:00 PM |
| June 13 | Haiti vs. Scotland | Gillette Stadium, Boston | 9:00 PM |
| June 14 | Germany vs. Curaçao | NRG Stadium, Houston | 1:00 PM |
| June 14 | Netherlands vs. Japan | AT&T Stadium, Dallas | 4:00 PM |
| June 19 | USA vs. Australia | Lumen Field, Seattle | 3:00 PM |
| June 25 | Türkiye vs. USA | SoFi Stadium, Los Angeles | 10:00 PM |
A historic milestone falls on June 21: the match between Tunisia and Japan at Estadio BBVA in Monterrey is the 1,000th match in FIFA World Cup history.
The 12 Groups: Who Is Playing Whom
The draw took place on December 5, 2025, at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. Here is every group at a glance. See our World Cup 2026 groups guide for full analysis of each group's dynamics and predictions.
| Group | Teams |
|---|---|
| A | Mexico, South Africa, South Korea, Czechia |
| B | Canada, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Qatar, Switzerland |
| C | Brazil, Morocco, Haiti, Scotland |
| D | United States, Paraguay, Australia, Türkiye |
| E | Germany, Curaçao, Ivory Coast, Ecuador |
| F | Netherlands, Japan, Sweden, Tunisia |
| G | Belgium, Egypt, Iran, New Zealand |
| H | Spain, Cape Verde, Saudi Arabia, Uruguay |
| I | France, Senegal, Iraq, Norway |
| J | Argentina, Algeria, Austria, Jordan |
| K | Portugal, DR Congo, Uzbekistan, Colombia |
| L | England, Croatia, Ghana, Panama |
Four nations make their World Cup debut in 2026: Cape Verde, Curaçao, Jordan, and Uzbekistan. Curaçao is the smallest nation ever to qualify for the World Cup, while Uzbekistan becomes the first Central Asian country to appear at the tournament. Notable absentees include Italy, who failed to qualify for the third consecutive tournament, as well as Cameroon, Denmark, Poland, Serbia, and Wales.
The Brand-New Round of 32: June 28 – July 3
One of the most significant structural changes in World Cup history is the introduction of a Round of 32 — a brand new knockout round that has never featured in a FIFA World Cup before. Rather than jumping straight from the group stage to a Round of 16, the 32 qualified teams first play 16 winner-takes-all matches between June 28 and July 3.
This means every team that exits the group stage in third place is not automatically eliminated — the eight best third-placed sides earn a place in the Round of 32. The trade-off is real jeopardy: one bad game in the Round of 32 and you are out.
The USA, Canada, and Mexico all host Round of 32 matches. One Round of 16 match (July 5) also takes place at Estadio Azteca in Mexico City and one at BC Place in Vancouver — meaning all three host nations stage knockout football beyond the Round of 32. From the quarterfinals onward, every match is played exclusively in the United States.
Round of 16 Schedule: July 4 – July 7
Eight matches, two per day across four days, determine who reaches the last eight. Round of 16 venues include Philadelphia, Houston, New Jersey, Mexico City, Dallas, Seattle, Atlanta, and Vancouver. The full bracket depends on group-stage results, but the match-slot assignments to venues are already confirmed by FIFA.
Quarterfinal Schedule: July 9 – July 11
All four quarterfinals are played in the United States, across three days:
| Date | Venue | City | Time (ET) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thursday, July 9 | Gillette Stadium | Boston/Foxborough | 4:00 PM |
| Friday, July 10 | SoFi Stadium | Los Angeles | 3:00 PM |
| Saturday, July 11 | Hard Rock Stadium | Miami | 5:00 PM |
| Saturday, July 11 | Arrowhead Stadium | Kansas City | 9:00 PM |
Semifinal Schedule: July 14 and July 15
The two semifinals are held at two of America's most iconic sporting arenas:
- Semifinal 1 — Tuesday, July 14: AT&T Stadium, Arlington (Dallas area), kick-off 3:00 PM ET. Capacity approximately 94,000 — the largest venue in the entire tournament.
- Semifinal 2 — Wednesday, July 15: Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, kick-off 3:00 PM ET. Capacity approximately 75,000, with a retractable-roof design that creates one of the most atmospheric environments in US sport.
Third-Place Match and the Final
The third-place match takes place on Saturday, July 18 at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida, kick-off 5:00 PM ET.
The tournament concludes with the World Cup 2026 Final on Sunday, July 19, 2026, at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. Kick-off is set for 3:00 PM ET (8:00 PM BST / 9:00 PM CEST). MetLife Stadium holds approximately 82,500 spectators, making it one of the largest venues to host a World Cup Final in the modern era. For everything about the showpiece event, read our World Cup 2026 Final guide.
All 16 Host Venues at a Glance
| Country | City | Stadium | Capacity | Matches |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| USA | Dallas (Arlington) | AT&T Stadium | ~94,000 | 9 (most of any venue) |
| USA | New York/New Jersey | MetLife Stadium | ~82,500 | Incl. Final |
| Mexico | Mexico City | Estadio Azteca | ~87,500 | Incl. Opening + R16 |
| USA | Atlanta | Mercedes-Benz Stadium | ~75,000 | Incl. Semifinal |
| USA | Kansas City | Arrowhead Stadium | ~73,000 | Incl. Quarterfinal |
| USA | Houston | NRG Stadium | ~72,000 | Group + R32 + R16 |
| USA | San Francisco Bay Area | Levi's Stadium | ~71,000 | Group + R32 |
| USA | Los Angeles | SoFi Stadium | ~70,000 | Incl. Quarterfinal |
| USA | Philadelphia | Lincoln Financial Field | ~69,000 | Group + R32 + R16 |
| USA | Seattle | Lumen Field | ~69,000 | Group + R32 + R16 |
| USA | Miami | Hard Rock Stadium | ~65,000 | Incl. QF + 3rd Place |
| USA | Boston (Foxborough) | Gillette Stadium | ~65,000 | Incl. Quarterfinal |
| Canada | Vancouver | BC Place | ~54,000 | Group + R32 + R16 |
| Mexico | Monterrey | Estadio BBVA | ~53,500 | Group + R32 |
| Mexico | Guadalajara | Estadio Akron | ~48,000 | Group + R32 |
| Canada | Toronto | BMO Field | ~45,000 | Group + R32 |
The United States hosts 78 of the 104 matches, including every game from the quarterfinals through the Final. Canada and Mexico each host 13 matches, with their stadiums staging group-stage and Round of 32 football, plus a small number of Round of 16 fixtures at Estadio Azteca (Mexico City) and BC Place (Vancouver).
How to Watch the World Cup 2026 Schedule
In the United States, Fox Sports holds the exclusive English-language broadcast rights, with matches split across FOX and FS1 — the biggest games, including all USMNT fixtures and the Final, air free over the air on FOX. Spanish-language broadcasts air on Telemundo (92 matches free over the air) and Universo, with all 104 matches streamable in Spanish on Peacock. For a full breakdown by region, see our how to watch guide for the USA. In the United Kingdom, all 104 matches are free-to-air on BBC and ITV, with streaming on BBC iPlayer and ITVX.
Put Your Knowledge to Work
Now that you know every stage date and fixture window, head over to worldcup-predictions.app to make your group-stage picks, predict the knockout bracket, and compete with fans worldwide. The prediction game is free, covers all 104 matches, and updates in real time as results come in. With the group stage delivering up to six matches per day, there has never been more to predict — or more ways to prove you saw it coming.