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When does the World Cup start? Date, time, first match and opening ceremony for 2026 FIFA soccer finals originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
FIFA is ready to unveil its biggest World Cup ever as the 2026 competition ramps up towards a highly anticipated opening this coming summer.
Hosted in the United States, Canada, and Mexico, the tournament will be held throughout the summer across five weeks in North America.
A famous World Cup venue will hold the opening match, while the final will be held outside one of the biggest and most iconic cities in the world.
The Sporting News brings you all the information about the highly anticipated tournament's beginning.
2026 WORLD CUP HQ:Latest World Cup news | World Cup draw results | World Cup schedule | Buy World Cup tickets
When does World Cup 2026 start?
The 2026 World Cup will start on Thursday, June 11, 2026. This marks a return to the traditional June-July schedule of the sport's flagship tournament, with the final taking place on July 19.
The 2022 edition was moved to the northern hemisphere's winter to avoid the brutal heat of the summer months in host nation Qatar, where the high temperatures of June and July were considered a risk to player and spectator welfare.
MORE:Complete list of teams to have qualified for the World Cup | Will Iran withdraw from the World Cup?
World Cup 2026 first game
The first World Cup match will see co-hosts Mexico face South Africa at Estadio Azteca in Mexico City, one of only three stadia in the world to host two World Cup finals, on June 11.
The Azteca will become the only arena in the world to have hosted both a World Cup final and the opening match of the competition in different years.
Date and kickoff time of opening match
The opening match will take place at 3 p.m. ET on Thursday, June 11.
When is the World Cup opening ceremony?
There will be three different opening ceremonies for the 2026 tournament, with one in each of the three host countries.
Colombian reggaeton star J Balvin and South African singer-songwriter Tyla will preview the opening game in Mexico City. A day later, Michael Buble and Katy Perry will perform at BMO Field in Toronto prior to Canada's opener against Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Then, ahead of the USA's clash with Paraguay on June 12, Perry will partner rap star Future for the third opening ceremony at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles.
World Cup 2026 kickoff times
FIFA announced the World Cup schedule on December 6, 2025.
The schedule for all group games can be found below.
Group A | Group B | Group C | Group D | Group E | Group F
Group G | Group H | Group I | Group J | Group K | Group L
When is World Cup 2026 final?
The 2026 FIFA World Cup final will be played on Sunday, July 19, 2026.
It will be held at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. Kickoff is scheduled for 3 p.m. ET.
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