World Cup 2026 Schedule: Everything You Need to Know

Q: When and where is World Cup 2026 being held?

For the first time in the competition’s history, World Cup 2026 has three host nations. The USA, Canada and Mexico were awarded the rights in 2018, bringing the tournament back to North America for the first time since 1994.

Q: How many World Cup 2026 matches will each country host?

World Cup 2026 will contain a total of 104 matches, 40 more than in 2018. The USA will host 78 matches, with Canada and Mexico staging 13 each.

Q: What is the format for World Cup 2026?

World Cup 2026 begins with a group stage, with the 48 participants split into 12 groups of four. The top two will advance automatically to the round of 32, where they will be joined by the eight best third-place finishers. From there, the tournament proceeds as a straight knockout event until the final.

Q: Why are there 48 teams at World Cup 2026?

The history of the World Cup shows a gradual enlargement over the decades. In 1982, the tournament went from 16 teams to 24. In 1998, it increased from 24 to 32. In 2017, FIFA approved an expansion from 32 to 48 teams for World Cup 2026.The organisers of international tournaments are always seeking to strike the right balance between quality and representation. Invite too many teams and you risk an excessive amount of unappetising one-sided matches. Invite too few and you exclude large portions of the globe. FIFA considers 48 teams for World Cup 2026 to be the best compromise between inclusivity and maintaining a high standard of competition.

Q: Who are the favorites to win World Cup 2026?

Spain, France and England are currently the three favorites to win World Cup 2026. Spain are the European champions, while France have reached the last two World Cup finals. Like those two teams, England also have a talented roster at their disposal.The South American challenge will be led by Brazil and Argentina. Brazil have not won the tournament since 2002 and have Carlo Ancelotti leading the team. Argentina are the holders following their success in 2018.

Contributors

Published: April 13, 2026, 10:35 AM ET

9 min read

World Cup 2026 will be the biggest ever edition of soccer’s flagship tournament. Forty-eight teams will take part in the USA, Canada, and Mexico this summer, up from 32 four years ago. There will be a total of 104 matches at the competition, a huge increase from the 64 games we saw in 2018.

With the World Cup spread across three countries for the first time, and with so many more fixtures to organise, this event required considerable logistical planning. In this article, you will find the full World Cup 2026 schedule, featuring the key details of every single match taking place in North America this June and July.

Before diving deeper, be sure to check our World Cup Winner predictions.

World Cup 2026: Key Dates at a Glance

In the table below, you will find the dates for each stage of World Cup 2026, from the group stage right up until the final.

Stage of Tournament	Dates
Group Stage	June 11 - June 27
Round of 32	June 28 - July 3
Round of 16	July 4 - July 7
Quarter-finals	July 9 - July 11
Semi-finals	July 14 - July 15
Third-place Play-off	July 18
Final	July 19

World Cup 2026 Group Stage: Day-to-Day Schedule

When and where is each group game taking place at World Cup 2026? Here is our day-to-day breakdown of the first part of the competition.

Follow our link to check out the latest World Cup Group Stage odds.

Thursday, June 11

Teams	Group	Kick-off Time	Location
Mexico vs South Africa	A	3 pm ET	Mexico City (Mexico)
South Korea vs Czechia	A	10 pm ET	Zapopan (Mexico)

Friday, June 12

Teams	Group	Kick-off Time	Location
Canada vs Bosnia & Herzegovina	B	3 pm ET	Toronto (Canada)
USA vs Paraguay	D	9 pm ET	Inglewood, California (USA)

Saturday, June 13

Teams	Group	Kick-off Time	Location
Qatar vs Switzerland	B	3 pm ET	Santa Clara, California (USA)
Brazil vs Morocco	C	6 pm ET	East Rutherford, New Jersey (USA)
Haiti vs Scotland	C	9 pm ET	Foxborough, Massachusetts (USA)

Sunday, June 14

Teams	Group	Kick-off Time	Location
Australia vs Turkey	D	12 am ET	Vancouver (Canada)
Germany vs Curucao	E	1 pm ET	Houston, Texas (USA)
Netherlands vs Japan	F	4 pm ET	Arlington, Texas (USA)
Ivory Coast vs Ecuador	E	7 pm ET	Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (USA)
Tunisia vs Sweden	F	10 pm ET	Guadalupe (Mexico)

Monday, June 15

Teams	Group	Kick-off Time	Location
Spain vs Cape Verde	H	12 pm ET	Atlanta, Georgia (USA)
Belgium vs Egypt	G	3 pm ET	Seattle, Washington (USA)
Saudi Arabia vs Uruguay	H	6 pm ET	Miami Gardens, Florida (USA)
Iran vs New Zealand	G	9 pm ET	Inglewood, California (USA)

Tuesday, June 16

Teams	Group	Kick-off Time	Location
France vs Senegal	I	3 pm ET	East Rutherford, New Jersey (USA)
Norway vs Iraq	I	6 pm ET	Foxborough, Massachusetts (USA)
Argentina vs Algeria	J	9 pm ET	Kansas City, Kansas (USA)

Wednesday, June 17

Teams	Group	Kick-off Time	Location
Austria vs Jordan	J	12 am ET	Santa Clara, California (USA)
Portugal vs DR Congo	K	1 pm ET	Houston, Texas (USA)
England vs Croatia	L	4 pm ET	Arlington, Texas (USA)
Ghana vs Panama	L	7 pm ET	Toronto (Canada)
Uzbekistan vs Colombia	K	10 pm ET	Mexico City (Mexico)

Thursday, June 18

Teams	Group	Kick-off Time	Location
South Africa vs Czechia	A	12 pm ET	Atlanta, Georgia (USA)
Switzerland vs Bosnia & Herzegovina	B	3 pm ET	Inglewood, California (USA)
Canada vs Qatar	B	6 pm ET	Vancouver (Canada)
Mexico vs South Korea	A	9 pm ET	Zapopan (Mexico)

Friday, June 19

Teams	Group	Kick-off Time	Location
USA vs Australia	D	3 pm ET	Seattle, Washington (USA)
Scotland vs Morocco	C	3 pm ET	Foxborough, Massachusetts (USA)
Brazil vs Haiti	C	9 pm ET	Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (USA)

Saturday, June 20

Teams	Group	Kick-off Time	Location
Paraguay vs Turkey	D	12 am ET	Santa Clara, California (USA)
Netherlands vs Poland	F	1 pm ET	Houston, Texas (USA)
Germany vs Ivory Coast	E	4 pm ET	Toronto (Canada)
Ecuador vs Curacao	E	8 pm ET	Kansas City, Kansas (USA)

Sunday, June 21

Teams	Group	Kick-off Time	Location
Tunisia vs Japan	F	12 am ET	Guadalupe (Mexico)
Spain vs Saudi Arabia	H	12 pm ET	Atlanta, Georgia (USA)
Belgium vs Iran	G	3 pm ET	Inglewood, California (USA)
New Zealand vs Egypt	G	9 pm ET	Vancouver (Canada)

Monday, June 22

Teams	Group	Kick-off Time	Location
Argentina vs Austria	J	1 pm ET	Arlington, Texas (USA)
France vs Iraq	J	5 pm ET	Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (USA)
Norway vs Senegal	I	8 pm ET	East Rutherford, New Jersey (USA)
Jordan vs Algeria	J	11 pm	Santa Clara, California (USA)

Tuesday, June 23

Teams	Group	Kick-off Time	Location
Portugal vs Uzbekistan	K	1 pm ET	Houston, Texas (USA)
England vs Ghana	L	4 pm ET	Foxborough, Massachusetts (USA)
Panama vs Croatia	L	7 pm ET	Toronto (Canada)
Colombia vs DR Congo	K	10 pm ET	Zapopan (Mexico)

Wednesday, June 24

Teams	Group	Kick-off Time	Location
Canada vs Switzerland	B	3 pm ET	Vancouver (Canada)
Qatar vs Bosnia & Herzegovina	B	3 pm ET	Seattle, Washington (USA)
Scotland vs Brazil	C	6 pm ET	Miami Gardens, Florida (USA)
Morocco vs Haiti	C	6 pm ET	Atlanta, Georgia (USA)
Mexico vs Czechia	A	9 pm ET	Mexico City (Mexico)
South Korea vs South Africa	A	9 pm ET	Guadalupe (Mexico)

Thursday, June 25

Teams	Group	Kick-off Time	Location
Ecuador vs Germany	E	4 pm ET	East Rutherford, New Jersey (USA)
Curacao vs Ivory Coast	E	4 pm ET	Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (USA)
Tunisia vs Netherlands	F	7 pm ET	Kansas City, Kansas (USA)
Japan vs Sweden	F	7 pm ET	Arlington, Texas (USA)
USA vs Turkey	D	10 pm ET	Inglewood, California (USA)
Paraguay vs Australia	D	10 pm ET	Santa Clara, California (USA)

Friday, June 26

Teams	Group	Kick-off Time	Location
Norway vs France	I	3 pm ET	Foxborough, Massachusetts (USA)
Senegal vs Iraq	I	3 pm ET	Toronto (Canada)
Uruguay vs Spain	H	8 pm ET	Zapopan (Mexico)
Cape Verde vs Saudi Arabia	H	8 pm ET	Houston, Texas (USA)
New Zealand vs Belgium	G	11 pm ET	Vancouver (Canada)
Egypt vs Iran	G	11 pm ET	Seattle, Washington (USA)

Saturday, June 27

Teams	Group	Kick-off Time	Location
Panama vs England	L	5 pm ET	East Rutherford, New Jersey (USA)
Croatia vs Ghana	L	5 pm ET	Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (USA)
Colombia vs Portugal	K	7.30 pm ET	Miami Gardens, Florida (USA)
Uzbekistan vs DR Congo	K	7.30 pm ET	Atlanta, Georgia (USA)
Jordan vs Argentina	J	10 pm	Arlington, Texas (USA)
Algeria vs Austria	J	10 pm	Kansas City, Kansas (USA)

World Cup 2026 Knockout Stage: Day-to-Day Schedule

When and where is each knockout game taking place at World Cup 2026? Here is our day-to-day breakdown of the second part of the competition.

Sunday, June 28

Teams	Round	Kick-off Time	Location
Group A 2nd Place vs Group B 2nd Place	Round of 32	3 pm ET	Inglewood, California (USA)

Monday, June 29

Teams	Round	Kick-off Time	Location
Group C Winner vs Group F 2nd Place	Round of 32	1 pm ET	Houston, Texas (USA)
Group E Winner vs Group A/B/C/D/F 3rd Place	Round of 32	4.30 pm ET	Foxborough, Massachusetts (USA)
Group F Winner vs Group C 2nd Place	Round of 32	9 pm ET	Guadalupe (Mexico)

Tuesday, June 30

Teams	Round	Kick-off Time	Location
Group E 2nd Place vs Group I 2nd Place	Round of 32	1 pm ET	Arlington, Texas (USA)
Group I Winner vs Group C/D/F/G/H 3rd Place	Round of 32	5 pm ET	East Rutherford, New Jersey (USA)
Group A Winner vs Group C/E/F/H/I 3rd Place	Round of 32	9 pm ET	Mexico City (Mexico)

Wednesday, July 1

Teams	Round	Kick-off Time	Location
Group L Winner vs Group E/H/I/J/K 3rd Place	Round of 32	12 pm ET	Atlanta, Georgia (USA)
Group G Winner vs Group A/E/H/I/J 3rd Place	Round of 32	4 pm ET	Seattle, Washington (USA)
Group D Winner vs Group B/E/F/I/J	Round of 32	8 pm ET	Santa Clara, California (USA)

Thursday, July 2

Teams	Round	Kick-off Time	Location
Group H Winner vs Group J 2nd Place	Round of 32	3 pm ET	Inglewood, California (USA)
Group K 2nd Place vs Group L 2nd Place	Round of 32	7 pm ET	Toronto (Canada)
Group B Winner vs Group D/E/I/J/L 3rd Place	Round of 32	11 pm ET	Vancouver (Canada)

Friday, July 3

Teams	Round	Kick-off Time	Location
Group D 2nd Place vs Group G 2nd Place	Round of 32	2 pm ET	Arlington, Texas (USA)
Group J Winner vs Group H 2nd Place	Round of 32	6 pm ET	Miami Gardens, Florida (USA)
Group K Winner vs Group D/E/I/J/L 3rd Place	Round of 32	9.30 pm ET	Kansas City, Kansas (USA)

Saturday, July 4

Teams	Round	Kick-off Time	Location
TBD vs TBD	Round of 16	1 pm ET	Houston, Texas (USA)
TBD vs TBD	Round of 16	5 pm ET	Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (USA)

Sunday, July 5

Teams	Round	Kick-off Time	Location
TBD vs TBD	Round of 16	4 pm ET	East Rutherford, New Jersey (USA)
TBD vs TBD	Round of 16	8 pm ET	Mexico City (Mexico)

Monday, July 6

Teams	Round	Kick-off Time	Location
TBD vs TBD	Round of 16	3 pm ET	Arlington, Texas (USA)
TBD vs TBD	Round of 16	8 pm ET	Seattle, Washington (USA)

Tuesday, July 7

Teams	Round	Kick-off Time	Location
TBD vs TBD	Round of 16	12 pm ET	Atlanta, Georgia (USA)
TBD vs TBD	Round of 16	4 pm ET	Vancouver (Canada)

Thursday, July 9

Teams	Round	Kick-off Time	Location
TBD vs TBD	Quarter-finals	4 pm ET	Foxborough, Massachusetts (USA)

Friday, July 10

Teams	Round	Kick-off Time	Location
TBD vs TBD	Quarter-finals	3 pm ET	Inglewood, California (USA)

Saturday, July 11

Teams	Round	Kick-off Time	Location
TBD vs TBD	Quarter-finals	5 pm ET	Miami Gardens, Florida (USA)
TBD vs TBD	Quarter-finals	9 pm ET	Kansas City, Kansas (USA)

Tuesday, July 14

Teams	Round	Kick-off Time	Location
TBD vs TBD	Semi-finals	3 pm ET	Arlington, Texas (USA)

Wednesday, July 15

Teams	Round	Kick-off Time	Location
TBD vs TBD	Semi-finals	3 pm ET	Atlanta, Georgia (USA)

Saturday, July 18

Teams	Round	Kick-off Time	Location
TBD vs TBD	Third-Place Play-off	5 pm ET	Miami Gardens, Florida (USA)

Sunday, July 19

Teams	Round	Kick-off Time	Location
TBD vs TBD	Final	3 pm ET	East Rutherford, New Jersey (USA)

World Cup 2026 Schedule FAQ

When and where is World Cup 2026 being held?

How many World Cup 2026 matches will each country host?

What is the format for World Cup 2026?

Why are there 48 teams at World Cup 2026?

Who are the favorites to win World Cup 2026?

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