FIFA World Cup 2026 Schedule

The 2026 FIFA World Cup introduces the biggest expansion in the tournament’s history. A total of 48 national teams will compete across 104 matches, compared to 32 teams and 64 matches at the 2022 edition. Matches will be played in 16 host cities located across the United States, Canada, and Mexico.

The group stage features 12 groups of four teams. Each nation plays three matches, facing every other team in its group once. After the group stage concludes, the top two teams from each group automatically qualify for the knockout rounds.

The tournament also allows the eight best third-placed teams to advance. As a result, 32 nations move into the first knockout round, officially known as the Round of 32. From that point onward, the competition follows a single-elimination format, with teams progressing through the Round of 16, quarter-finals, and semi-finals before reaching the final.

The tournament opens on 11 June 2026 in Mexico City and concludes on 19 July 2026 with the World Cup Final at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.

The group stage runs from 11 June to 27 June 2026 and features all 48 qualified teams. Each group contains four nations, with every team playing three matches. The top two teams in each group, along with the eight best third-placed teams, advance to the Round of 32.

• Group A: Mexico, South Africa, South Korea, Czechia
• Group B: Canada, Switzerland, Qatar, Bosnia and Herzegovina
• Group C: Brazil, Morocco, Haiti, Scotland
• Group D: United States, Paraguay, Australia, Türkiye
• Group E: Germany, Curaçao, Côte d’Ivoire, Ecuador
• Group F: Netherlands, Japan, Tunisia, Sweden
• Group G: Belgium, Egypt, Iran, New Zealand
• Group H: Spain, Cabo Verde, Saudi Arabia, Uruguay
• Group I: France, Senegal, Norway, Iraq
• Group J: Argentina, Algeria, Austria, Jordan
• Group K: Portugal, Uzbekistan, Colombia, DR Congo
• Group L: England, Croatia, Ghana, Panama

The knockout stage starts on 28 June 2026 with the newly introduced Round of 32. From that point, every match is played in a single-elimination format, with the winner advancing and the losing team exiting the tournament.

The FIFA World Cup 2026 Final is scheduled for 19 July 2026. The match will take place at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, part of the New York metropolitan area. During the tournament, FIFA refers to the venue as New York New Jersey Stadium.

Kick-off is set for 3:00 PM EDT. More than 80,000 spectators are expected to attend the championship match, which will decide the winner of the first 48-team World Cup.

MetLife Stadium is one of the largest venues selected for the tournament. Before the final, it will stage group-stage fixtures and knockout-round matches. The stadium is home to the NFL’s New York Giants and New York Jets and previously hosted major international sporting events, including the 2016 Copa América Final.

World Cup 2026 begins on 11 June and runs across 16 host cities in the United States, Canada, and Mexico. After 104 matches, the competition will conclude in New Jersey, where the next world champion will be crowned.