When is the 2026 FIFA World Cup? Date and full tournament schedule

[ASFN Admin]

The 2026 FIFA World Cup is officially 70 days away. The most anticipated edition in the tournament’s history has expanded to 48 teams and will feature a record 104 matches across 16 cities in the United States, Canada, and Mexico over the summer.

Group-stage play begins June 11, with each team playing three matches. The top two finishers from each group advance to the knockout round along with the eight best third-place teams. That means 32 teams will advance, marking the first time since 1998 that more than 16 teams have moved on.

From the round of 32 onward, every match is win-or-go-home.

The tournament opens in Mexico City, where Group A kicks off with host nation Mexico taking on South Africa. The action then shifts to Estadio Guadalajara for South Korea vs. Czechia.

Here is the complete schedule for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

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When does the 2026 World Cup start?​

The tournament begins with Group A games in Mexico City on June 11, starting with the host nation, Mexico, facing South Africa. The action then moves to Estadio Guadalajara for the match between Korea and Czechia.

2026 World Cup full schedule​

Full schedule for the 2026 World Cup according to FIFA.com:

Group Stage:​

Thursday, June 11:

• Group A: Mexico vs. South Africa (Mexico City), 3 p.m. ET
• Group A: South Korea vs. Czechia (Zapopan, Mexico), 10 p.m. ET

Friday, June 12:

• Group B: Canada vs. Bosnia and Herzegovina (Toronto), 3 p.m. ET
• Group D: United States vs. Paraguay (Inglewood, Calif.), 9 p.m. ET

Saturday, June 13:

• Group B: Qatar vs. Switzerland (Santa Clara, Calif.), 3 p.m. ET
• Group C: Brazil vs. Morocco (East Rutherford, New Jersey), 6 p.m. ET
• Group C: Haiti vs. Scotland (Foxborough, Mass.), 9 p.m. ET
• Group D: Australia vs. Türkiye (Vancouver, Canada), 12 a.m. ET

Sunday, June 14:

• Group E: Germany vs. Curaçao (Houston), 1 p.m. ET
• Group F: Netherlands vs. Japan (Arlington, Texas), 4 p.m. ET
• Group E: Ivory Coast vs. Ecuador (Philadelphia), 7 p.m. ET
• Group F: Sweden vs. Tunisia (Guadalupe, Mexico), 10 p.m. ET

Monday, June 15:

• Group H: Spain vs. Cape Verde (Atlanta), 1 p.m. ET
• Group G: Belgium vs. Egypt (Seattle), 6 p.m. ET
• Group H: Saudi Arabia vs. Uruguay (Miami Gardens, Fla.), 6 p.m. ET
• Group G: Iran vs. New Zealand (Inglewood, Calif.), 12 a.m. ET (June 16)

Tuesday, June 16:

• Group I: France vs. Senegal (East Rutherford, N.J.), 3 p.m. ET
• Group I: Iraq vs. Norway (Foxborough, Mass.), 6 p.m. ET
• Group J: Argentina vs. Algeria (Kansas City, Mo.), 9 p.m. ET
• Group J: Austria vs. Jordan (Santa Clara, Calif.), 12 a.m. ET

Wednesday, June 17:

• Group K: Portugal vs. DR Congo (Houston), 1 p.m. ET
• Group L: England vs. Croatia (Arlington, Texas), 4 p.m. ET
• Group L: Ghana vs. Panama (Toronto), 7 p.m. ET
• Group K: Uzbekistan vs. Colombia (Mexico City), 10 p.m. ET

Thursday, June 18:

• Group A: Czechia vs. South Africa (Atlanta), noon ET
• Group B: Switzerland vs. Bosnia and Herzegovina (Inglewood, Calif.), 3 p.m. ET
• Group B: Canada vs. Qatar (Vancouver, Canada), 6 p.m. ET
• Group A: Mexico vs. South Korea (Zapopan, Mexico),11 p.m. ET

Friday, June 19:

• Group D: United States vs. Australia (Seattle), 3 p.m. ET
• Group C: Scotland vs. Morocco (Foxborough, Mass.), 6 p.m. ET
• Group C: Brazil vs. Haiti (Philadelphia), 9 p.m. ET
• Group D: Türkiye vs. Paraguay (Santa Clara, Calif.), 12 a.m. ET

Saturday, June 20:

• Group F: Netherlands vs. Sweden (Houston), 1 p.m. ET
• Group E: Germany vs. Ivory Coast (Toronto), 4 p.m. ET
• Group E: Ecuador vs. Curaçao (Kansas City, Mo.), 8 p.m. ET
• Group F: Tunisia vs. Japan (Guadalupe, Mexico), 12 a.m. ET

Sunday, June 21:

• Group H: Spain vs. Saudi Arabia (Atlanta), noon ET
• Group G: Belgium vs. Iran (Inglewood, Calif.), 3 p.m. ET
• Group H: Uruguay vs. Cape Verde (Miami Gardens, Fla.), 6 p.m. ET
• Group G: New Zealand vs. Egypt (Vancouver), 9 p.m. ET

Monday, June 22:

• Group J: Argentina vs. Austria (Arlington, Texas), 1 p.m. ET
• Group I: France vs. Iraq (Philadelphia), 5 p.m. ET
• Group I: Norway vs. Senegal (East Rutherford, N.J.), 8 p.m. ET
• Group J: Jordan vs. Algeria (Santa Clara, Calif.), 11 p.m. ET

Tuesday, June 23:

• Group K: Portugal vs. Uzbekistan (Houston), 1 p.m. ET
• Group L: England vs. Ghana (Foxborough, Mass.), 4 p.m. ET
• Group L: Panama vs. Croatia (Toronto), 7 p.m. ET
• Group K: Colombia vs. DR Congo (Zapopan, Mexico), 10 p.m. ET

Wednesday, June 24:

• Group B: Switzerland vs. Canada (Vancouver, Canada), 3 p.m. ET
• Group B: Bosnia and Herzegovina vs. Qatar (Seattle), 3 p.m. ET
• Group C: Scotland vs. Brazil (Miami Gardens, Fla.), 6 p.m. ET
• Group C: Morocco vs. Haiti (Atlanta), 6 p.m. ET
• Group A: Czechia vs. Mexico (Mexico City), 9 p.m. ET
• Group A: South Africa vs. South Korea (Guadalupe, Mexico), 9 p.m. ET

Thursday, June 25:

• Group E: Ecuador vs. Germany (East Rutherford, N.J.), 4 p.m. ET
• Group E: Curacao vs. Ivory Coast (Philadelphia), 4 p.m. ET
• Group F: Japan vs. Sweden (Arlington, Texas), 7 p.m. ET
• Group F: Tunisia vs. Netherlands (Kansas City, Mo.), 7 p.m. ET
• Group D: Türkiye vs. United States (Inglewood, Calif.), 10 p.m. ET
• Group D: Paraguay vs. Australia (Santa Clara, Calif.), 10 p.m. ET

Friday, June 26:

• Group I: Norway vs. France (Foxborough, Mass.), 3 p.m. ET
• Group I: Senegal vs. Iraq (Toronto), 3 p.m. ET
• Group H: Cape Verde vs. Saudi Arabia (Houston), 8 p.m. ET
• Group H: Uruguay vs. Spain (Zapopan, Mexico), 8 p.m. ET
• Group G: Egypt vs. Iran (Seattle), 11 p.m. ET
• Group G: New Zealand vs. Belgium (Vancouver, Canada), 11 p.m. ET

Saturday, June 27:

• Group L: Panama vs. England (East Rutherford, N.J.), 5 p.m. ET
• Group L: Croatia vs. Ghana (Philadelphia), 5 p.m. ET
• Group K: Colombia vs. Portugal (Miami Gardens, Fla.), 7:30 p.m. ET
• Group K: DR Congo vs. Uzbekistan (Atlanta Stadium), 7:30 p.m. ET
• Group J: Algeria vs. Austria (Kansas City, Mo.), 10 p.m. ET
• Group J: Jordan vs. Argentina (Arlington, Texas), 10 p.m. ET

Round of 32​

Sunday, June 28:

• Group A runners-up vs. Group B runners-up (Inglewood, Calif.), 3 p.m. ET

Monday, June 29:

• Group C winners vs. Group F runners-up (Houston), 1 p.m. ET
• Group E winners vs. Group A/B/C/D/F third place (Foxborough, Mass.), 4:30 p.m. ET
• Group F winners vs. Group C runners-up (Guadalupe, Mexico), 9 p.m. ET

Tuesday, June 30:

• Group E runners-up vs. Group I runners-up (Arlington, Texas), 1 p.m. ET
• Group I winners vs. Group C/D/F/G/H third place (East Rutherford, N.J.), 5 p.m. ET
• Group A winners vs. Group C/E/F/H/I third place (Mexico City), 9 p.m. ET

Wednesday, July 1:

• Group L winners vs. Group E/H/I/J/K third place (Atlanta), noon ET
• Group G winners vs. Group A/E/H/I/J third place (Seattle), 4 p.m. ET
• Group D winners vs. Group B/E/F/I/J third place (Santa Clara, Calif.), 8 p.m. ET

Thursday, July 2:

• Group H winners v. Group J runners-up (Inglewood, Calif.), 3 p.m. ET
• Group K runners-up v. Group L runners-up (Toronto), 7 p.m. ET
• Group B winners v. Group E/F/G/I/J third place (Vancouver, Canada), 11 p.m. ET

Friday, July 3:

• Group D runners-up vs. Group G runners-up (Arlington, Texas), 2 p.m. ET
• Group J winners vs. Group H runners-up (Miami Gardens, Fla.), 6 p.m. ET
• Group K winners vs. Group D/E/I/J/L third place (Kansas City, Mo.), 9:30 p.m. ET

Round of 16​

Saturday, July 4:

• Round of 16 match 1 (Houston), 1 p.m. ET
• Round of 16 match 2 (Philadelphia), 5 p.m. ET

Sunday, July 5:

• Round of 16 match 3 (East Rutherford, N.J.), 4 p.m. ET
• Round of 16 match 4 (Mexico City), 8 p.m. ET

Monday, July 6:

• Round of 16 match 5 (Arlington, Texas), 3 p.m. ET
• Round of 16 match 6 (Seattle), 5 p.m. ET

Tuesday, July 7:

• Round of 16 match 7 (Atlanta), noon ET
• Round of 16 match 8 (Vancouver, Canada), 4 p.m. ET

Quarterfinals​

Thursday, July 9:

• Quarterfinal 1: (Foxborough, Mass.), 4 p.m. ET

Friday, July 10:

• Quarterfinal 2: (Inglewood, Calif.), 3 p.m. ET

Saturday, July 11:

• Quarterfinal 3: (Miami Gardens, Fla.), 5 p.m. ET
• Quarterfinal 4: (Kansas City, Mo.), 9 p.m. ET

Semifinals​

Tuesday, July 14:

• Semifinal 1: (Arlington, Texas), 3 p.m. ET

Wednesday, July 15:

• Semifinal 2: (Atlanta), 3 p.m. ET

Saturday, July 18:

• Third-place game: (Miami Gardens, Florida), 5 p.m. ET

Sunday, July 19:

• Final: (East Rutherford, N.J.), 3 p.m. ET

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 2026 FIFA World Cup schedule and date

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