Al Jazeera’s dedicated 2026 World Cup page has all the latest news, match progress and live text commentary to keep you up to date with group standings, real-time results and schedules.
After years of planning, preparation and no shortage of controversy, the 2026 FIFA World Cup is about to begin.
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The event, co-hosted by Canada, Mexico and the United States, will be the largest in tournament history.
The 23rd edition of the expanded 48-team tournament begins on Tuesday with 104 games between Mexico and South Africa.
Argentina are the defending champions, having lifted the trophy at the Qatar 2022 tournament, but who will take home the prized title in world football this time?
In the lead-up to Thursday’s opener, Al Jazeera has put together a complete guide to everything you need to know about the teams, groups, format and schedule.
What are the groups and teams for the 2026 FIFA World Cup?
⚽Group A: Mexico, South Africa, Republic of Korea (South Korea), Czech Republic (Czech Republic)
⚽Group B: Canada, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Qatar, Switzerland
⚽Group C: Brazil, Morocco, Haiti, Scotland
⚽Group D: America, Paraguay, Australia, Turkiye
⚽Group E: Germany, Curacao, Ivory Coast, Ecuador
⚽Group F: Netherlands, Japan, Sweden, Tunisia
⚽Group G: Belgium, Egypt, Iran, New Zealand
⚽Group H: Spain, Cape Verde, Saudi Arabia, Uruguay
⚽ Group I: France, Senegal, Iraq, Norway
⚽Group J: Argentina, Algeria, Austria, Jordan
⚽Group K: Portugal, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uzbekistan, Colombia
⚽Group L: England, Croatia, Ghana, Panama
When and where will the opening match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup be held?
The tournament will begin on June 11th at 1:00 pm CST (7:00 pm GMT) at the Mexico City Stadium in Mexico.
When and where will the 2026 FIFA World Cup final be held?
The final game will be held at MetLife Stadium, known as New York-New Jersey Stadium during the tournament, on July 19th at 3:00 pm ET (7:00 pm GMT).
Why did FIFA change the names of stadiums hosting World Cup matches?
To limit ambush marketing by brands not associated with FIFA, the governing body changed the stadium names of all venues to match the host city.
As a result, New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium was renamed New York-New Jersey Stadium, Los Angeles’ SoFi Stadium was renamed Los Angeles Stadium for the tournament, and so on.
What is the format of the 2026 FIFA World Cup?
The tournament will consist of one group stage round and four knockout rounds before the final.
Unlike previous competitions, the knockouts will begin with the round of 32, followed by the round of 16, four quarterfinal matches, and two semifinal matches.
Here is a stage-by-stage breakdown of the tournament schedule:
Group Stage: June 11th to June 27th
Round of 32: June 28 – July 3
Round 16: July 4-7
Quarterfinals: July 9th-11th
Semi-finals: July 14th-15th
Bronze medal match: July 18th
Last day: July 19th
What is the full World Cup match schedule?
group stage
Thursday, June 11th
Mexico vs. South Africa, 1pm CST (19:00 GMT) – Mexico City Stadium, Mexico City, Mexico
South Korea vs. Czech Republic, 8pm CST (Friday 2am GMT) – Estadio Guadalajara, Zapopan, Mexico
Friday June 12th
Canada vs. Bosnia, 3:00 PM ET (19:00 GMT) – Toronto Stadium, Toronto, Canada
USA vs. Paraguay, 6:00 PM PT (Saturday 01:00 GMT) – Los Angeles Stadium, Los Angeles, USA
Saturday June 13th
Qatar vs. Switzerland, 12:00 PM PT – San Francisco Bay Area Stadium, San Francisco, USA
Brazil vs. Morocco, 6:00 PM ET (22:00 GMT) – New Jersey Stadium, New York, New Jersey, USA
Haiti vs. Scotland, 9pm ET (1am GMT Sunday) – Boston Stadium, Boston, USA
Australia vs. Tolkier, 6pm PT (4pm GMT Sunday) – BC Place, Vancouver, Canada
Sunday, June 14th
Germany vs. Curacao, 12pm CDT (5pm GMT) – Houston Stadium, Houston, USA
Netherlands vs. Japan, 3pm CDT (20:00 GMT) – Dallas Stadium, Dallas, USA
Ivory Coast vs. Ecuador, 7:00 PM ET (23:00 GMT) – Philadelphia Stadium, Philadelphia, USA
Sweden vs. Tunisia, 8pm CST (Monday 02:00 GMT) – Estadio Monterrey, Guadalupe, Mexico
Monday June 15th
Spain vs. Cape Verde, 12:00 PM ET – Atlanta Stadium, Atlanta, USA
Belgium vs. Egypt, 12:00 PM PT – BC Place, Vancouver, Canada
Saudi Arabia vs. Uruguay, 6:00 PM ET (22:00 GMT) – Miami Stadium, Miami, USA
Iran vs. New Zealand, 6pm PT (1am GMT Tuesday) – Los Angeles Stadium, Los Angeles, USA
Tuesday June 16th
France vs. Senegal, 3:00 PM ET (19:00 GMT) – New Jersey Stadium, New York, New Jersey, USA
Iraq vs. Norway, 6:00 PM ET (22:00 GMT) – Boston Stadium, Boston, USA
Argentina vs. Algeria, 8pm CDT (1am GMT Wednesday) – Kansas City Stadium, Kansas City, USA
Austria vs. Jordan, 9pm PT (4pm GMT Wednesday) – San Francisco Bay Area Stadium, San Francisco, USA
Wednesday June 17th
Portugal vs DRC 12pm CDT (17:00 GMT) – Houston Stadium, Houston, USA
England vs. Croatia, 3pm CDT (20:00 GMT) – Dallas Stadium, Dallas, USA
Ghana vs. Panama, 7:00 PM ET (23:00 GMT) – Toronto Stadium, Toronto, Canada
Uzbekistan vs. Colombia, 8pm CST (Thursday 02:00 GMT) – Mexico City, Mexico City, Mexico City Stadium
Thursday, June 18th
Czech Republic vs. South Africa, 12:00 PM ET – Atlanta Stadium, Atlanta, USA
Switzerland vs. Bosnia, 12:00 PM PT (19:00 PM GMT) – Los Angeles Stadium, Los Angeles, USA
Canada vs. Qatar, 3:00 PM PT (22:00 GMT) – BC Place, Vancouver, Canada
Mexico vs. South Korea, 7pm CST (Friday 01:00 GMT) – Estadio Guadalajara, Zapopan, Mexico
Friday June 19th
Scotland vs. Morocco, 6pm ET (22:00 GMT) – Boston Stadium, Boston, USA
USA vs. Australia, 12pm PT – Seattle Stadium, Seattle, USA
Brazil vs. Haiti, 8:30pm ET (12:30am GMT Saturday) – Philadelphia Stadium, Philadelphia, USA
Tolkien vs. Paraguay, 9:00 PM PT (Saturday 03:00 GMT) – San Francisco Bay Area Stadium, San Francisco, USA
Saturday June 20th
Netherlands vs. Sweden, 12pm CDT (5pm GMT) – Houston Stadium, Houston, USA
Germany vs. Ivory Coast, 4:00 PM ET (20:00 GMT) – Toronto Stadium, Toronto, Canada
Ecuador vs. Curacao, 7pm CDT (Sunday 03:00 GMT) – Kansas City Stadium, Kansas City, USA
Tunisia vs. Japan, 10pm CST (Sunday 04:00 GMT) – Estadio Monterrey, Guadalupe, Mexico
Sunday, June 21st
Spain vs. Saudi Arabia, 12:00 PM ET (16:00 PM GMT) – Atlanta Stadium, Atlanta, USA
Belgium vs. Iran, 12pm PT – Los Angeles Stadium, Los Angeles, USA
Uruguay vs. Cape Verde 6:00 PM (22:00 ET) – Miami Stadium, Miami, USA
New Zealand vs. Egypt, 6pm PT (1am GMT Monday) – BC Place, Vancouver, Canada
Monday June 22nd
Argentina vs. Austria 12pm CDT (17:00 GMT) – Dallas Stadium, Dallas, USA
France vs. Iraq, 5:00 PM ET (21:00 GMT) – Philadelphia Stadium, Philadelphia, USA
Norway vs. Senegal, 8pm ET (midnight GMT Tuesday) – New Jersey Stadium, New York, New Jersey, USA
Jordan vs. Algeria, 8pm PT (Tuesday 03:00 GMT) – San Francisco Bay Area Stadium, San Francisco, USA
Tuesday, June 23rd
Portugal vs. Uzbekistan 12pm CDT (17:00 GMT) – Houston Stadium, Houston, USA
England vs. Ghana, 4pm ET (20:00 GMT) – Boston Stadium, Boston, USA
Panama vs. Croatia, 7:00 PM ET (23:00 GMT) – Toronto Stadium, Toronto, Canada
Colombia vs. DRC, 8pm CST (Wednesday 02:00 GMT) – Estadio Guadalajara, Zapopan, Mexico
Wednesday June 24th
Switzerland vs. Canada, 12:00 PM PT – BC Place, Vancouver, Canada
Bosnia vs. Qatar, 12:00 PM PT – Seattle Stadium, Seattle, USA
Scotland vs. Brazil, 6pm ET (22:00 GMT) – Miami Stadium, Miami, USA
Morocco vs. Haiti, 6:00 PM ET (22:00 GMT) – Atlanta Stadium, Atlanta, USA
Czech Republic vs. Mexico, 7pm CST (Thursday 01:00 GMT) – Mexico City Stadium, Mexico City, Mexico
South Africa vs. South Korea, 7pm CST (Thursday 01:00 GMT) – Estadio Monterrey, Guadalupe, Mexico
Thursday, June 25th
Ecuador vs. Germany, 4:00 PM ET (20:00 GMT) – New Jersey Stadium, New York, New Jersey, USA
Curacao vs. Ivory Coast, 4:00 PM ET (20:00 GMT) – Philadelphia Stadium, Philadelphia, USA
Japan vs. Sweden 6pm CDT (23:00 GMT) – Dallas Stadium, Dallas, USA
Tunisia vs. Netherlands, 6pm CDT (23:00 GMT) – Kansas City Stadium, Kansas City, USA;
Tolkier vs. USA, 7pm PT (2am GMT Friday) – Los Angeles Stadium, Los Angeles, USA
Paraguay vs. Australia, 7pm PT (2am GMT Friday) – San Francisco Bay Area Stadium, San Francisco, USA
Friday June 26th
Norway vs. France, 3:00 PM ET (19:00 GMT) – Boston Stadium, Boston, USA
Senegal vs. Iraq, 3:00 PM ET (19:00 GMT) – Toronto Stadium, Toronto, Canada
Cape Verde vs. Saudi Arabia 7:00 PM CDT (Saturday 00:00 GMT) – Houston Stadium, Houston, USA
Uruguay vs. Spain, 6pm CST (Saturday 00:00 GMT) – Estadio Guadalajara, Zapopan, Mexico
Egypt vs. Iran, 8pm PT (Saturday 03:00 GMT) – Seattle Stadium, Seattle, USA
New Zealand vs. Belgium, 8pm PT (3pm GMT Saturday) – BC Place, Vancouver, Canada
Saturday June 27th
Panama vs. England, 5pm ET (9pm GMT) – New Jersey Stadium, New York, New Jersey, USA
Croatia vs. Ghana, 5:00 PM ET (21:00 GMT) – Philadelphia Stadium, Philadelphia, USA
Colombia vs. Portugal, 7:30 PM ET (23:30 GMT) – Miami Stadium, Miami, USA
DRC vs. Uzbekistan 7:30pm ET (23:30 GMT) – Atlanta Stadium, Atlanta, USA
Algeria vs. Austria 9pm CDT (Sunday 02:00 GMT) – Kansas City Stadium, Kansas City, USA
Jordan vs. Argentina, 9pm CDT (Sunday 02:00 GMT) – Dallas Stadium, Dallas, USA
knockout stage
Sunday, June 28th
Round of 32 Match, 12pm PT (19:00 GMT) – Los Angeles Stadium, Los Angeles, USA
Monday June 29th
Round of 32 Matches 12pm CDT (19:00 GMT) – Houston Stadium, Houston, USA
Round of 32 Match 4:30pm (8:30pm ET) – Boston Stadium, Boston, USA
Round of 32 Match 7pm CST (Tuesday 01:00 GMT) – Estadio Monterrey, Guadalupe, Mexico
Tuesday, June 30th
Round of 32 matches, 12pm CDT (5pm GMT) – Dallas Stadium, Dallas, USA
Round of 32 Match, 5pm ET (9pm GMT) – New Jersey Stadium, New York, New Jersey, USA
Round of 32 Matches 7pm CST (Wednesday 01:00 GMT) – Mexico City, Mexico City, Mexico City Stadium
Wednesday, July 1st
Round of 32 Match, 12:00 PM (16:00 PM ET) – Atlanta Stadium, Atlanta, USA
Round of 32 Match, 1:00 PM PT (20:00 GMT) – Seattle Stadium, Seattle, USA
Round of 32 Match, 5pm PT (20:00 GMT) – San Francisco Bay Area Stadium, San Francisco, USA
Thursday, July 2nd
Round of 32 Match, 12pm PT (19:00 GMT) – Los Angeles Stadium, Los Angeles, USA
Round of 32 Game 7:00pm ET – Toronto Stadium, Toronto, Canada
Round of 32 Game 8pm PT (Friday 3pm GMT) – BC Place, Vancouver, Canada
Friday, July 3rd
Round of 32 Match, 1pm CDT (18:00 GMT) – Dallas Stadium, Dallas, USA
Round of 32 Game 6:00 PM (10:00 PM ET) – Miami Stadium, Miami, USA
Round of 32 Matches 8:30pm CDT (Saturday 01:30 GMT) – Kansas City Stadium, Kansas City, USA
Saturday, July 4th
Round of 16 matches, 12pm CDT (5pm GMT) – Houston Stadium, Houston, USA
Round of 16 Match 5:00 PM (21:00 GMT) – Philadelphia Stadium, Philadelphia, USA
Sunday, July 5th
Round of 16 Game 4:00 p.m. (8:00 p.m. ET) – New Jersey Stadium, New York, New Jersey, USA
Round of 16 Matches 6pm CST (Monday 00:00 GMT) – Mexico City, Mexico City, Mexico City Stadium
Monday, July 6th
Round of 16 Match, 2pm CDT (19:00 GMT) – Dallas Stadium, Dallas, USA
Round of 16 Game 5pm PT (Tuesday Midnight GMT) – Seattle Stadium, Seattle, USA
Tuesday, July 7th
Round of 16 Game, 12:00 PM ET – Atlanta Stadium, Atlanta, USA
Round of 16 Match 1pm PT – BC Place, Vancouver, Canada
Thursday, July 9th
First quarterfinal at 4:00 PM ET (20:00 GMT) – Boston Stadium, Boston, USA
Friday, July 10th
Second Quarterfinal, 12:00 PM PT (19:00 PM GMT) – Los Angeles Stadium, Los Angeles, USA
Saturday, July 11th
Third Quarterfinal 5:00 PM (8:00 PM ET) – Miami Stadium, Miami, USA
4th Quarterfinal 8pm CDT (Sunday 01:00 GMT) – Kansas City Stadium, Kansas City, USA
Tuesday, July 14th
First Semi-Final, 2pm CDT (19:00 GMT) – Dallas Stadium, Dallas, USA
Wednesday, July 15th
2nd Semi-Final 3:00 PM (19:00 ET) – Atlanta Stadium, Atlanta, USA
Saturday, July 18th
Bronze Medal Match 5:00 PM (21:00 GMT ET) – Miami Stadium, Miami, USA
Sunday July 19th
Finals 3:00pm (7:00pm ET) – New Jersey Stadium, New York, New Jersey, USA
