FIFA has revealed the complete schedule for the 2026 World Cup, with the tournament set to run from 11 June to 19 July across 16 stadiums in the United States (US), Mexico and Canada.
All 104 matches now have fixed dates and venues as the countdown to kick-off reaches less than 20 days.
Tournament dates at a glance
- Group Stage: Thursday 11 June – Saturday 27 June 2026
- Round of 32: Sunday 28 June – Friday 3 July 2026
- Round of 16: Saturday 4 July – Tuesday 7 July 2026
- Quarter-finals: Thursday 9 July – Saturday 11 July 2026
- Semi-finals: Tuesday 14 July – Wednesday 15 July 2026
- Third-place play-off: Saturday 18 July 2026, Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens, Florida
- Final: Sunday 19 July 2026, MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey
The expanded 48-team format means the group stage will last 17 days, with 12 groups of four teams each. Each team plays three round-robin matches.
The top two from each group plus the eight best third-placed teams advance to the new Round of 32.
Opening match and key fixtures
The tournament begins on 11 June 2026 with hosts Mexico facing South Africa at the Estadio Azteca, Mexico City, 3 pm ET.
South Korea play Czechia later that day in Guadalajara at 10 pm ET.
Other early group stage fixtures confirmed by FIFA include:
- 12 June: Canada vs Bosnia & Herzegovina, BMO Field, 2:00 am ET
- 13 June: USA vs Paraguay, SoFi Stadium, 1:00 am ET
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- 13 June: Brazil vs Morocco, MetLife Stadium, 10:00 pm ET
- 14 June: Germany vs Curaçao, NRG Stadium, 5:00 pm ET
- 17 June: England vs Croatia, venue TBC, 8:00 pm ET
- 17 June: Argentina vs Algeria, Arrowhead Stadium, 1:00 am ET
The final will be held on 19 July 2026 at MetLife Stadium, New Jersey, capping a 39-day tournament.
Nigeria Super Eagles: fixtures still pending
Nigeria’s exact group stage opponents, dates and venues have not been released.
The Super Eagles qualified via the CAF play-offs in November 2025 but lost to DR Congo on penalties.
Nigeria are awaiting FIFA’s decision on a petition relating to that match.
FIFA’s 1 June deadline for all 48 final squads means Nigeria’s group will only be confirmed once the governing body ratifies the last qualifiers.
The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) confirmed the team will play Portugal in a final friendly on 10 June 2026 in Leiria, one day before the tournament opens.
If ratified, Nigeria would enter the group stage between 11-27 June, playing three matches before the Round of 32 begins on 28 June.
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