2026 World Cup Schedule: Roadmap for Football's Biggest Tournament

The wait is over. The 2026 World Cup — the biggest tournament the sport has ever seen — finally has its roadmap.

FIFA has confirmed the full schedule for the expanded 48-team edition, laying out every kick-off time, date and venue across the USA, Canada and Mexico. From the opening whistle at Estadio Azteca on June 11 to the final at MetLife Stadium on July 19, every one of the 104 games now has a place on the calendar.

Sixteen stadiums will share the load. Some are steeped in football history, others are monuments to the NFL, but for 39 days they will all belong to the world’s game.

A historic opener in Mexico

The tournament starts where World Cup folklore already lives.

On Thursday, June 11, Mexico walk out at Estadio Azteca in Mexico City to face South Africa at 3pm ET in Group A. It is the perfect stage: a third World Cup opener for the Azteca, a football cathedral now welcoming a new generation.

Later that night, at 10pm, South Korea meet Czechia at Estadio Akron in Guadalajara, underlining Mexico’s central role in the early days of the tournament. Group A then stretches across the continent, with Czechia and South Africa heading to Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta on June 18, while Mexico return to Guadalajara to host South Korea that same evening.

The group closes on June 24 with a heavyweight Azteca clash between Czechia and Mexico at 9pm ET, and South Africa against South Korea in Monterrey at Estadio BBVA.

Canada steps onto the global stage

Canada’s World Cup story begins on home soil in Group B.

On Friday, June 12, BMO Field in Toronto hosts Canada vs Bosnia and Herzegovina at 3pm ET, the country’s first World Cup match as co-host. A day later, Qatar face Switzerland at Levi’s Stadium in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Canada then travel west to Vancouver’s BC Place, where they meet Qatar on June 18 and Switzerland on June 24. Bosnia and Herzegovina complete the group against Qatar at Lumen Field in Seattle, a reminder that this World Cup will be a constant shuffle across borders and time zones.

Giants on tour: Brazil, USA, Germany, Netherlands

Some of the game’s biggest names will become touring attractions across North America.

Brazil open Group C on June 13 at MetLife Stadium against Morocco at 6pm ET, a marquee night in New York/New Jersey. Their path then takes them to Philadelphia’s Lincoln Financial Field to play Haiti on June 19, before a glamour tie against Scotland at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami on June 24.

The USA begin their campaign in Group D on June 12 at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, under the lights at 9pm ET against Paraguay. From there they head north to Seattle to face Australia on June 19, then back to SoFi for a late showdown with Turkiye on June 25. It is a coast-to-coast itinerary designed for packed stands and prime-time audiences.

Germany, drawn in Group E, start against Curacao in Houston’s NRG Stadium on June 14, then meet Ivory Coast in Toronto and close the group against Ecuador at MetLife on June 25. The Netherlands headline Group F, opening against Japan at AT&T Stadium in Dallas on June 14 and later facing Sweden in Houston before finishing in Kansas City against Tunisia.

Every one of these fixtures has been placed with intent: big nations, big markets, big crowds.

A tournament without a single quiet corner

Look down the group list and there is no lull.

Group G sends Belgium and Egypt to Seattle on June 15, while Iran and New Zealand kick off their campaign at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles that same day. Group H has Spain starting against Cape Verde in Atlanta at noon on June 15, followed by Saudi Arabia vs Uruguay in Miami at 6pm ET. By June 21, Spain and Saudi Arabia are back in Atlanta, with Uruguay and Cape Verde again in Miami.

France headline Group I, opening against Senegal at MetLife on June 16, then facing Iraq in Philadelphia and Norway in Boston. Argentina, in Group J, begin at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City on June 16 against Algeria at 9pm ET, then move to Dallas to face Austria on June 22 before closing against Jordan back at AT&T Stadium on June 27.

Group K sends Portugal to Houston on June 17 to meet Democratic Republic of Congo, while Uzbekistan and Colombia ignite Estadio Azteca that night. England’s Group L run starts in Dallas against Croatia on June 17, then moves to Toronto against Ghana and finally to MetLife for a June 27 clash with Panama.

Every day, another heavyweight walks into a new city. Every night, another stadium turns into a temporary capital of world football.

Knockout paths take shape

Once the group dust settles, the new 32-team knockout bracket takes over.

The Round of 32 begins on June 28 at SoFi Stadium with the runners-up from Groups A and B. Over the next six days, the bracket stretches from Los Angeles to Mexico City, from Dallas to Vancouver. Group winners earn glamour slots: the Group A winner returns to Estadio Azteca on June 30, Group L’s winner heads to Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta on July 1, while Group H’s champion lands at SoFi on July 2.

By July 4, the Round of 16 is underway. Houston hosts the first tie at 1pm ET between the winners of Matches 73 and 75, while Philadelphia stages another later that day. MetLife, Azteca, AT&T Stadium, Lumen Field, Mercedes-Benz Stadium and BC Place all host knockout ties between July 4 and July 7. The tournament becomes a travelling drama, each city getting its own elimination night.

Quarterfinals follow from July 9 to July 11, split between Gillette Stadium in Boston, SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, Hard Rock Stadium in Miami and Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City. These are the games that will etch themselves into local memory — last-minute winners in Foxborough, penalty shootouts in LA, late drama in the Miami heat.

The road to New York

By mid-July, the field will have shrunk to four.

The first semifinal takes place at AT&T Stadium in Dallas on Tuesday, July 14 at 3pm ET, with the winners of Matches 97 and 98 meeting under the massive roof in Arlington. A day later, on July 15, Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta hosts the second semifinal at the same time, as the winners of Matches 99 and 100 chase a place in the final.

Hard Rock Stadium in Miami gets the third-place game on July 18 at 5pm ET. One day later comes the climax.

On Sunday, July 19, MetLife Stadium in New York/New Jersey stages Match 104, the World Cup final, at 3pm ET. The same venue that opens Brazil’s campaign will decide the champion of a 48-team, three-country epic.

The map is set. The dates are fixed. Now the question shifts from where and when, to who will still be standing when the World Cup reaches that final summer afternoon on the East Coast.