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2026 FIFA World Cup: The Countdown is On!
Soccer fans, mark your calendars! The highly anticipated 2026 FIFA Men’s World Cup is rapidly approaching, and the full schedule, including where your favorite teams will be playing, has officially been unveiled.
FIFA released the comprehensive World Cup schedule on Saturday, detailing an epic tournament featuring 104 matches spread across 11 vibrant cities in the United States, alongside three in Mexico and two in Canada. A whopping 78 of these games will be hosted on U.S. soil, including all matches from the quarterfinals onward. Canada and Mexico will each host 13 games.
The American host cities are: Atlanta, Boston, Dallas, Houston, Kansas City, Los Angeles, Miami, New York/New Jersey, Philadelphia, the San Francisco Bay Area, and Seattle.
The grand finale of the World Cup is set to kick off at 3 p.m. EDT on July 19, 2026, at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. This prime-time slot ensures optimal viewing for fans across the globe, with kickoff times aligning perfectly for evening audiences in Europe (9 p.m.) and Britain (8 p.m.).
The World Cup groups were drawn on Friday during a star-studded event that reportedly saw appearances from President Donald Trump, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum, and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney.
FIFA, the governing body of the tournament, carefully considered travel logistics and broadcasting schedules when determining the match locations and times.
“Let’s just say it’s been a long night – or a short night,” remarked chief tournament officer Manolo Zubiria. “As I explained earlier to some of the coaches, we’ve tried to basically strike the right balance looking at the preparation, the recovery that the teams have to do in this very large footprint, the biggest World Cup ever, 16 cities, three countries, different climatic conditions, time zones.”
While six of the 48 teams slated to participate in the summer tournament are yet to be decided, the stage is now officially set for a monumental sporting event.
Team USA’s Path to Glory
Team USA is guaranteed at least three group games in June. Their opponents will be Australia, Paraguay, and the winner of UEFA playoff C, which will be decided in March 2026 and features Turkey, Romania, Slovakia, and Kosovo.
The U.S. national team will play their first-round games as follows:
- June 12: vs.
Paraguay at Inglewood, California (6 p.m. local start / 9 p.m. EDT)
- June 19: vs. Australia at Seattle (Noon kickoff local / 3 p.m.
EDT)
- June 25: vs. the UEFA playoff winner, back at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood (7 p.m. local start)
Group Stage Schedule Highlights
The tournament officially kicks off on June 11, 2026, with co-host Mexico taking on South Africa in Mexico City. Team USA (Los Angeles) and Canada (Toronto) will begin their campaigns a day later. The thrilling group stage will run until June 27.
Here’s a snapshot of the initial group stage matchups:
June 11, 2026
- Mexico vs.
South Africa (Group A) – Mexico City
- South Korea vs.
UEFA playoff D (Group A) – Guadalajara
June 12
- Canada vs.
UEFA playoff A (Group B) – Toronto
- USA vs.
Paraguay (Group D) – Los Angeles
June 13
- Brazil vs.
Morocco (Group C) – New York/New Jersey
- Australia vs.
UEFA playoff C (Group D) – Vancouver
- Haiti vs.
Scotland (Group C) – Boston
- Qatar vs.
Switzerland (Group B) – San Francisco Bay Area
June 14
- Germany vs.
Curaçao (Group E) – Houston
- Ivory Coast vs.
Ecuador (Group E) – Philadelphia
- Netherlands vs.
Japan (Group F) – Dallas
- UEFA playoff B vs.
Tunisia (Group F) – Monterrey
June 15
- Spain vs.
Cape Verde (Group H) – Atlanta
- Saudi Arabia vs.
Uruguay (Group H) – Miami
- Belgium vs.
Egypt (Group G) – Seattle
- Iran vs.
New Zealand (Group G) – Los Angeles
June 16
- France vs.
Senegal (Group I) – New York/New Jersey
- FIFA playoff 2 vs.
Norway (Group I) – Boston
- Argentina vs.
Algeria (Group J) – Kansas City
- Austria vs.
Jordan (Group J) – San Francisco Bay Area
June 17
- England vs.
Croatia (Group L) – Toronto or Dallas
- Ghana vs.
Panama (Group L) – Toronto or Dallas
- Portugal vs.
FIFA playoff 1 (Group K) – Houston or Mexico City
- Uzbekistan vs.
Colombia (Group K) – Houston or Mexico City
June 18
- UEFA playoff D vs.
South Africa (Group A) – Atlanta
- Switzerland vs.
UEFA playoff A (Group A) – Los Angeles
- Canada vs.
Qatar (Group B) – Vancouver
- Mexico vs.
South Korea (Group A) – Guadalajara
June 19
- Brazil vs.
Haiti (Group C) – Philadelphia
- Scotland vs.
Morocco (Group C) – Boston
- UEFA playoff C vs.
Paraguay (Group D) – San Francisco Bay Area
- USA vs.
Australia (Group D) – Seattle
June 20
- Germany vs.
Ivory Coast (Group E) – Toronto
- Ecuador vs.
Curaçao (Group E) – Kansas City
- Netherlands vs.
UEFA playoff B (Group F) – Houston
- Tunisia vs.
Japan (Group F) – Monterrey
June 21
- Spain vs.
Saudi Arabia (Group H) – Atlanta
- Uruguay vs.
Cape Verde (Group H) – Miami
- Belgium vs.
Iran (Group G) – Los Angeles
- New Zealand vs.
Egypt (Group G) – Vancouver
June 22
- France vs.
FIFA playoff 2 (Group I) – Philadelphia
- Norway vs.
Senegal (Group I) – New York/New Jersey
- Argentina vs.
Austria (Group J) – Dallas
- Jordan vs.
Algeria (Group J) – San Francisco Bay Area
June 23
- England vs.
Ghana (Group L) – Boston
- Panama vs.
Croatia (Group L) – Toronto
- Portugal vs.
Uzbekistan (Group K) – Houston
- Colombia vs.
FIFA playoff 1 (Group K) – Guadalajara
June 24
- Scotland vs.
Brazil (Group C) – Miami
- Morocco vs.
Haiti (Group C) – Atlanta
- Canada vs.
Switzerland (Group B) – Vancouver
- UEFA playoff A vs.
Qatar (Group B) – Seattle
- Mexico vs.
UEFA playoff D (Group A) – Mexico City
- South Korea vs.
South Africa (Group A) – Monterrey
June 25
- Ecuador vs.
Germany (Group E) – New York/New Jersey
- Curaçao vs.
Ivory Coast (Group E) – Philadelphia
- Tunisia vs.
Netherlands (Group F) – Kansas City
- Japan vs.
UEFA playoff B (Group F) – Dallas
- USA vs.
UEFA playoff C (Group D) – Los Angeles
- Paraguay vs.
Australia (Group D) – San Francisco Bay Area
June 26
- Norway vs.
France (Group I) – Boston
- Senegal vs.
FIFA playoff 2 (Group I) – Toronto
- New Zealand vs.
Belgium (Group G) – Vancouver
- Egypt vs.
Iran (Group G) – Seattle
- Uruguay vs.
Spain (Group H) – Guadalajara
- Cape Verde vs.
Saudi Arabia (Group H) – Houston
June 27
- Panama vs.
England (Group L) – New York/New Jersey
- Croatia vs.
Ghana (Group L) – Philadelphia
- Jordan vs.
Argentina (Group J) – Dallas
- Algeria vs.
Austria (Group J) – Kansas City
- Colombia vs.
Portugal (Group K) – Miami
- FIFA playoff 1 vs.
Uzbekistan (Group K) – Atlanta
The Road to the Final: Knockout Stage
The tension builds as the tournament moves into the knockout rounds!
Round of 32
June 28
- Runner-up Group A vs Runner-up Group B – Los Angeles (Match 73)
June 29
- Winner Group E vs Best 3rd place Group A/B/C/D/F – Boston (Match 74)
- Winner Group F vs Runner-up Group C – Guadalupe, Mexico (Match 75)
- Winner Group C vs Runner-up Group F – Houston (Match 76)
June 30
- Winner Group I vs Best 3rd place Group C/D/F/G/H – New Jersey (Match 77)
- Runner-up Group E vs Runner-up Group I – Dallas (Match 78)
- Winner Group A vs Best 3rd place Group C/E/F/H/I – Mexico City (Match 79)
July 1
- Winner Group L vs Best 3rd place Group E/H/I/J/K – Atlanta (Match 80)
- Winner Group D vs Best 3rd place Group B/E/F/I/J – San Francisco-Bay Area (Match 81)
- Winner Group G vs Best 3rd place Group A/E/H/I/J – Seattle (Match 82)
July 2
- Runner-up Group K vs Runner-up Group L – Toronto (Match 83)
- Winner Group H vs Runner-up Group J – Los Angeles (Match 84)
- Winner Group B vs Best 3rd place Group E/F/G/I/J – Vancouver (Match 85)
July 3
- Winner Group J vs Runner-up Group H – Miami (Match 86)
- Winner Group K vs Best 3rd place Group D/E/I/J/L – Kansas City (Match 87)
- Runner-up Group D vs Runner-up Group G – Dallas (Match 88)
Round of 16
July 4
- Match 74 winner vs.
Match 77 winner – Philadelphia (Match 89)
- Match 73 winner vs.
Match 75 winner – Houston (Match 90)
July 5
- Match 76 winner vs.
Match 78 winner – New Jersey (Match 91)
- Match 79 winner vs.
Match 80 winner – Mexico City (Match 92)
July 6
- Match 83 winner vs.
Match 84 winner – Dallas (Match 93)
- Match 81 winner vs.
Match 82 winner – Seattle (Match 94)
July 7
- Match 86 winner vs.
Match 88 winner – Atlanta (Match 95)
- Match 85 winner vs.
Match 87 winner – Vancouver (Match 96)
Quarterfinals
July 9
- Match 89 winner vs. Match 90 winner – Boston (Match 97)
July 10
- Match 93 winner vs. Match 94 winner – Los Angeles (Match 98)
July 11
- Match 91 winner vs Match 92 winner – Miami (Match 99)
- Match 95 winner vs. Match 96 winner – Kansas City (Match 100)
Semifinals
July 14
- Winner 97 vs. Winner 98 – Dallas
July 15
- Winner 99 vs. Winner 100 – Atlanta
Third Place Playoff
- July 18, 2026 – Miami
The Grand Final
- July 19, 2026 – New Jersey