FIFA World Cup 2026: The biggest tournament in the football world is all set to kick off in a few months. The FIFA World Cup 2026 is expected to be bigger than ever before. For the first time in history, 48 teams will take part in the tournament instead of the usual 32 teams. The event will be jointly hosted by three countries in North America: the United States, Canada, and Mexico.
It has to be noted that this is only the second time in history that the FIFA World Cup will be hosted in multiple countries. The first incident took place in the year 2002, when Japan and South Korea hosted the marquee tournament together.
FIFA World Cup 2026 – When Will The Tournament Start?
The FIFA World Cup 2026 is scheduled to kickstart from June 11th. The group stage of the tournament will run until June 27. The knockout rounds will start with the round of 32 on June 28 and the round of 16 on July 4.
The quarterfinals will begin on July 9. The semifinals will be played on July 14 and July 15. The final match will take place on July 19.
FIFA World Cup 2026 – Host Cities
A total of 16 cities have been shortlisted to host the matches across the three countries. While the United States will host games in 11 cities, including Atlanta, Dallas, Los Angeles, Miami, and New York/New Jersey, on the other hand, Mexico will host matches in Guadalajara, Mexico City, and Monterrey. Canada will host games in Vancouver and Toronto.
The final will be played at MetLife Stadium, which is the home stadium of the NFL teams New York Giants and New York Jets.
FIFA World Cup 2026 – Full Schedule
June 11, 2026
Mexico vs South Africa
- Kick-Off: 1:00 p.m. UTC−6 | 12:30 a.m. IST (June 12)
- Venue: Estadio Azteca, Mexico City
South Korea vs UEFA Path D Winner
- Kick-Off: 8:00 p.m. UTC−6 | 7:30 a.m. IST (June 12)
- Venue: Estadio Akron, Guadalajara
June 12, 2026
Canada vs UEFA Path A Winner
- Kick-Off: 3:00 p.m. UTC−4 | 12:30 a.m. IST (June 13)
- Venue: BMO Field, Toronto
USA vs Paraguay
- Kick-Off: 6:00 p.m. UTC−7 | 6:30 a.m. IST (June 13)
- Venue: SoFi Stadium, Los Angeles
June 13, 2026
Qatar vs Switzerland
- Kick-Off: 12:00 p.m. UTC−7 | 12:30 a.m. IST (June 14)
- Venue: Levi’s Stadium, San Francisco Bay Area
Brazil vs Morocco
- Kick-Off: 6:00 p.m. UTC−4 | 3:30 a.m. IST (June 14)
- Venue: MetLife Stadium, New Jersey
Haiti vs Scotland
- Kick-Off: 9:00 p.m. UTC−4 | 6:30 a.m. IST (June 14)
- Venue: Gillette Stadium, Boston
Australia vs UEFA Path C Winner
- Kick-Off: 9:00 p.m. UTC−7 | 9:30 a.m. IST (June 14)
- Venue: BC Place, Vancouver
June 14, 2026
Germany vs Curacao
- Kick-Off: 12:00 p.m. UTC−5 | 10:30 p.m. IST
- Venue: NRG Stadium, Houston
Netherlands vs Japan
- Kick-Off: 3:00 p.m. UTC−5 | 1:30 a.m. IST (June 15)
- Venue: AT&T Stadium, Dallas
Ivory Coast vs Ecuador
- Kick-Off: 7:00 p.m. UTC−4 | 4:30 a.m. IST (June 15)
- Venue: Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia
UEFA Path B Winner vs Tunisia
- Kick-Off: 8:00 p.m. UTC−6 | 7:30 a.m. IST (June 15)
- Venue: Estadio BBVA, Monterrey
June 15, 2026
Spain vs Cape Verde
- Kick-Off: 12:00 p.m. UTC−4 | 9:30 p.m. IST
- Venue: Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta
Belgium vs Egypt
- Kick-Off: 12:00 p.m. UTC−7 | 12:30 a.m. IST (June 16)
- Venue: Lumen Field, Seattle
Saudi Arabia vs Uruguay
- Kick-Off: 6:00 p.m. UTC−4 | 3:30 a.m. IST (June 16)
- Venue: Hard Rock Stadium, Miami
Iran vs New Zealand
- Kick-Off: 6:00 p.m. UTC−7 | 6:30 a.m. IST (June 16)
- Venue: SoFi Stadium, Los Angeles
June 16, 2026
France vs Senegal
- Kick-Off: 3:00 p.m. UTC−4 | 12:30 a.m. IST (June 17)
- Venue: MetLife Stadium, New Jersey
IC Path 2 Winner vs Norway
- Kick-Off: 6:00 p.m. UTC−4 | 3:30 a.m. IST (June 17)
- Venue: Gillette Stadium, Boston
Argentina vs Algeria
- Kick-Off: 8:00 p.m. UTC−5 | 6:30 a.m. IST (June 17)
- Venue: Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City
Austria vs Jordan
- Kick-Off: 9:00 p.m. UTC−7 | 9:30 a.m. IST (June 17)
- Venue: Levi’s Stadium, San Francisco Bay Area
June 17, 2026
Portugal vs IC Path 1 Winner
- Kick-Off: 12:00 p.m. UTC−5 | 10:30 p.m. IST
- Venue: NRG Stadium, Houston
England vs Croatia
- Kick-Off: 3:00 p.m. UTC−5 | 1:30 a.m. IST (June 18)
- Venue: AT&T Stadium, Dallas
Ghana vs Panama
- Kick-Off: 7:00 p.m. UTC−4 | 4:30 a.m. IST (June 18)
- Venue: BMO Field, Toronto
Uzbekistan vs Colombia
- Kick-Off: 8:00 p.m. UTC−6 | 7:30 a.m. IST (June 18)
- Venue: Estadio Azteca, Mexico City
June 18, 2026
UEFA Path D Winner vs South Africa
- Kick-Off: 12:00 p.m. UTC−4 | 9:30 p.m. IST
- Venue: Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta
Switzerland vs UEFA Path A Winner
- Kick-Off: 12:00 p.m. UTC−7 | 12:30 a.m. IST (June 19)
- Venue: SoFi Stadium, Los Angeles
Canada vs Qatar
- Kick-Off: 3:00 p.m. UTC−7 | 3:30 a.m. IST (June 19)
- Venue: BC Place, Vancouver
Mexico vs South Korea
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Kick-Off: 7:00 p.m. UTC−6 | 6:30 a.m. IST (June 19)
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Venue: Estadio Akron, Guadalajara
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