2026 World Cup Schedule: Key Dates and Venues
The wait is over. The 2026 World Cup – bigger, longer and spread across a continent – finally has a roadmap.
FIFA has locked in the full schedule for the expanded 48‑team tournament, confirming dates, kick-off times and venues for all 104 matches across the USA, Canada and Mexico from June 11 to July 19, 2026.
The journey starts where so much World Cup folklore was written: Estadio Azteca.
Azteca lights the fuse
On Thursday, June 11, Mexico open the tournament against South Africa at Estadio Azteca in Mexico City, a 3pm ET kick-off that drips with symbolism. A nation that lives and breathes the World Cup gets to launch the first 48‑team edition in its own cathedral.
Later that night, Group A shifts to Guadalajara, where South Korea face Czechia at Estadio Akron at 10pm. Mexico then crisscross the country: Atlanta for Czechia vs South Africa, back to Guadalajara for Mexico vs South Korea, then a return to Azteca for Czechia vs Mexico on June 24. South Africa and South Korea close the group the same evening in Monterrey.
Group A sets the tone: altitude, noise, and Mexico at center stage.
Canada’s moment, Brazil’s coast‑to‑coast
North of the border, Canada step into their home World Cup on Friday, June 12. They face Bosnia and Herzegovina at BMO Field in Toronto at 3pm ET, the first act in a Group B that also features Qatar and Switzerland.
Canada’s path is a Canadian postcard: Toronto, then Vancouver for Canada vs Qatar on June 18, before a decisive date back at BC Place against Switzerland on June 24. Qatar and Switzerland roam the West Coast, with games in the San Francisco Bay Area, Los Angeles, Vancouver and Seattle.
Brazil, in Group C, will command some of the biggest stages on the map. Their first bow comes on Saturday, June 13 at MetLife Stadium in the New York/New Jersey area, against Morocco at 6pm ET. From there, they head to Philadelphia to meet Haiti on June 19, then swing down to Miami to face Scotland on June 24.
Scotland’s own tour takes them from Boston (against Haiti and Morocco) to that glamour tie with Brazil in Miami. Morocco and Haiti complete a group that stretches from the Northeast to the Deep South.
USA take Hollywood, then head north
The United States begin their campaign under the bright lights of Los Angeles. On Friday, June 12, USA vs Paraguay at SoFi Stadium kicks off at 9pm ET, a prime‑time start in a stadium built for spectacle.
Group D then sends the Americans on a West Coast circuit: Seattle for USA vs Australia on June 19, then back to SoFi for Turkiye vs USA on June 25. Turkiye and Paraguay share the San Francisco Bay Area as a base, with two late‑night kick-offs at Levi’s Stadium.
It is a group built for TV windows and travel logistics, but on paper it also hands the USA three games in their own time zone, in their own stadiums, with minimal disruption.
Giants on the road: Germany, Netherlands, Spain, France, Argentina, England, Portugal
The traditional heavyweights are scattered across the three host nations, each given their own tour of North American football cathedrals.
Germany, in Group E, open against Curacao in Houston on Sunday, June 14 (1pm ET). They then head to Toronto to face Ivory Coast on June 20, before a marquee clash with Ecuador at MetLife Stadium on June 25. Curacao, Ivory Coast and Ecuador complete a group that touches Houston, Philadelphia, Kansas City, Toronto and New York/New Jersey.
The Netherlands headline Group F. They start in Dallas against Japan on June 14, then meet Sweden in Houston on June 20, before closing out against Tunisia in Kansas City on June 25. Sweden’s opener is in Monterrey against Tunisia, and Japan return to Dallas for a potentially decisive meeting with Sweden on June 25.
Spain’s path through Group H begins in Atlanta on Monday, June 15, against Cape Verde at noon ET. Luis de la Fuente’s side then stay in Georgia to face Saudi Arabia on June 21, before a blockbuster finale: Uruguay vs Spain in Guadalajara on June 26. Uruguay’s route runs through Miami and then Mexico, while Saudi Arabia and Cape Verde travel from Miami and Houston respectively.
France, drawn in Group I, open at MetLife Stadium on Tuesday, June 16 against Senegal at 3pm ET – a heavyweight tie in one of the tournament’s showpiece arenas. Les Bleus then go to Philadelphia to play Iraq on June 22, and finish in Boston against Norway on June 26. Norway and Senegal share MetLife for their own clash, with Iraq based in Boston and Toronto.
Argentina, in Group J, have a distinctly American heartland feel to their group. They open in Kansas City against Algeria on June 16 at 9pm ET, then move to Dallas to face Austria on June 22, before returning to AT&T Stadium to meet Jordan on June 27. Algeria and Austria duel back in Kansas City, while Jordan’s journey centers on the Bay Area and Dallas.
England headline Group L and begin in Dallas on Wednesday, June 17, against Croatia at 4pm ET. From there, they head to Boston to meet Ghana on June 23, then up to MetLife Stadium for Panama vs England on June 27. Croatia’s route takes them from Dallas to Toronto, then Philadelphia; Ghana’s from Toronto to Boston and Philadelphia; Panama stay between Toronto and New York/New Jersey.
Portugal, leading Group K, start in Houston on June 17 against Democratic Republic of Congo at 1pm ET. They remain in Texas for Portugal vs Uzbekistan in Houston on June 23, then fly to Miami for a potentially decisive clash with Colombia on June 27. Colombia’s own schedule leans heavily into Mexico and Miami, while DR Congo and Uzbekistan round out the group with dates in Houston, Mexico City, Guadalajara and Atlanta.
Hosts, underdogs, and the global sprawl
Across the 12 groups, the geography is relentless. Iran open Group G in Los Angeles against New Zealand on June 15, while Belgium begin the same day in Seattle against Egypt. Spain, Saudi Arabia, Uruguay and Cape Verde stretch Group H from Atlanta to Miami to Houston to Guadalajara.
Iraq, Norway, Jordan, Uzbekistan, Ghana, Panama, Curacao, Cape Verde and others all get their shot on the biggest stage, from Vancouver’s BC Place to Monterrey’s Estadio BBVA, from Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City to Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia.
Every team knows its path. Every fan can now trace a line across the map.
Knockout roadmap: from LA and Azteca to New York’s final
Once the group stage ends on June 27, the expanded knockout phase begins with a Round of 32.
The first of those games arrives on Sunday, June 28 at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles: Match 73, the runners-up from Groups A and B. Over the next six days, the Round of 32 will sweep through Houston, Boston, Monterrey, Dallas, New York/New Jersey, Mexico City, Atlanta, Seattle, the Bay Area, Toronto, Vancouver, Miami and Kansas City.
Key waypoints jump off the page. Match 79 at Estadio Azteca on June 30 gives the winner of Group A a return to Mexico City. Match 80 the next day in Atlanta hands the winner of Group L a southern showcase. Winners of Groups H, J, K and B are scattered across Los Angeles, Miami, Kansas City and Vancouver.
From there, the Round of 16 tightens the lens.
Houston and Philadelphia host the first two ties on July 4. MetLife Stadium and Estadio Azteca share the spotlight on July 5, with Match 91 in New York/New Jersey and Match 92 in Mexico City. Dallas and Seattle take over on July 6, before Atlanta and Vancouver close the last‑16 slate on July 7.
The quarterfinals are set for four cities in three days:
- July 9: Match 97 in Boston (Gillette Stadium)
- July 10: Match 98 in Los Angeles (SoFi Stadium)
- July 11: Match 99 in Miami (Hard Rock Stadium)
- July 11: Match 100 in Kansas City (Arrowhead Stadium)
Two semifinals then decide everything.
On Tuesday, July 14, AT&T Stadium in Dallas stages Match 101 at 3pm ET. The next day, July 15, Mercedes‑Benz Stadium in Atlanta hosts Match 102, also at 3pm ET.
The losers meet in Miami on Saturday, July 18, for the third‑place game at Hard Rock Stadium.
The winners head for New York.
On Sunday, July 19, MetLife Stadium in the New York/New Jersey area hosts Match 104, the World Cup final, at 3pm ET. A tournament that starts in Mexico City, roams through 16 stadiums in three countries, and squeezes 104 matches into 39 days will end in one of the NFL’s grandest arenas.
The map is drawn. The dates are fixed. Now the countdown begins to find out who can conquer a World Cup stretched across a continent.
