World Cup excitement is approaching boiling point as we reach the latest edition of FIFA's showpiece event, which will begin this week with three countries sharing the hosting duties for the first time: Canada, Mexico and the United States.
Dates and fixtures
What time are the World Cup 2026 matches?
World Cup 2026 will take place between Thursday, June 11 and Sunday, July 19 across three different time zones.
Group stage kick off times (BST)
THURSDAY, JUNE 11
A: Mexico vs South Africa (8:00pm) - ITV
FRIDAY, JUNE 12
A: South Korea vs Czechia (3:00am) - ITV
B: Canada vs Bosnia and Herzegovina (8:00pm) - BBC
SATURDAY, JUNE 13
D: USA vs Paraguay (2:00am) - BBC
B: Qatar vs Switzerland (8:00pm) - ITV
C: Brazil vs Morocco (11:00pm) - BBC
SUNDAY, JUNE 14
C: Haiti vs Scotland (2:00am) - BBC
D: Australia vs Turkiye (5:00am) - ITV
E: Germany vs Curacao (6:00pm) - ITV
F: Netherlands vs Japan (9:00pm) - ITV
MONDAY, JUNE 15
E: Ivory Coast vs Ecuador (12:00am) - BBC
F: Sweden vs Tunisia (3:00am) - ITV
H: Spain vs Cape Verde (5:00pm) - ITV
G: Belgium vs Egypt (8:00pm) - BBC
H: Saudi Arabia vs Uruguay (11:00pm) - ITV
TUESDAY, JUNE 16
G: Iran vs New Zealand (2:00am) - BBC
I: France vs Senegal (8:00pm) - BBC
I: Iraq vs Norway (11:00pm) - BBC
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 17
J: Argentina vs Algeria (2:00am) - ITV
J: Austria vs Jordan (5:00am) - BBC
K: Portugal vs DR Congo (6:00pm) - BBC
L: England vs Croatia (9:00pm) - ITV
THURSDAY, JUNE 18
L: Ghana vs Panama (12:00am) - ITV
K: Uzbekistan vs Colombia (3:00am) - BBC
A: Czechia vs South Africa (5:00pm) - BBC
B: Switzerland vs Bosnia and Herzegovina (8:00pm) - ITV
B: Canada vs Qatar (11:00pm) - ITV
FRIDAY, JUNE 19
A: Mexico vs South Korea (2:00am) - BBC
D: USA vs Australia (8:00pm) - BBC
C: Scotland vs Morocco (11:00pm) - ITV
SATURDAY, JUNE 20
C: Brazil vs Haiti (1:30am) - ITV
D: Turkiye vs Paraguay (4:00am) - ITV
F: Netherlands vs Sweden (6:00pm) - BBC
E: Germany vs Ivory Coast (9:00pm) - ITV
SUNDAY, JUNE 21
E: Ecuador vs Curacao (1:00am) - BBC
F: Tunisia vs Japan (5:00am) - BBC
H: Spain vs Saudi Arabia (5:00pm) - BBC
G: Belgium vs Iran (8:00pm) - ITV
H: Uruguay vs Cape Verde (11:00pm) - BBC
MONDAY, JUNE 22
G: New Zealand vs Egypt (2:00am) - ITV
J: Argentina vs Austria (6:00pm) - BBC
I: France vs Iraq (10:00pm) - BBC
TUESDAY, JUNE 23
I: Norway vs Senegal (1:00am) - ITV
J: Jordan vs Algeria (4:00am) - ITV
K: Portugal vs Uzbekistan (6:00pm) - ITV
L: England vs Ghana (9:00pm) - BBC
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 24
L: Panama vs Croatia (12:00am) - BBC
K: Colombia vs DR Congo (3:00am) - BBC
B: Switzerland vs Canada (8:00pm) - ITV
B: Bosnia and Herzegovina vs Qatar (8:00pm) - ITV
C: Morocco vs Haiti (11:00pm) - BBC
C: Scotland vs Brazil (11:00pm) - BBC
THURSDAY, JUNE 25
A: South Africa vs South Korea (2:00am) - BBC
A: Czechia vs Mexico (2:00am) - BBC
E: Curacao vs Ivory Coast (9:00pm) - BBC
E: Ecuador vs Germany (9:00pm) - BBC
FRIDAY, JUNE 26
F: Japan vs Sweden (12:00am) - BBC
F: Tunisia vs Netherlands (12:00am) - BBC
D: Paraguay vs Australia (3:00am) - ITV
D: Turkiye vs USA (3:00am) - ITV
I: Norway vs France (8:00pm) - ITV
I: Senegal vs Iraq (8:00pm) - ITV
SATURDAY, JUNE 27
H: Cape Verde vs Saudi Arabia (1:00am) - ITV
H: Uruguay vs Spain (1:00am) - ITV
G: Egypt vs Iran (4:00am) - BBC
G: New Zealand vs Belgium (4:00am) - BBC
L: Croatia vs Ghana (10:00pm) - ITV
L: Panama vs England (10:00pm) - ITV
SUNDAY, JUNE 28
K: Colombia vs Portugal (12:30am) - BBC
K: DR Congo vs Uzbekistan (12:30am) - BBC
J: Algeria vs Austria (3:00am) - BBC
J: Jordan vs Argentina (3:00am) - BBC
Group stage |
June 11 – June 27 2026 |
Round of 32 |
June 28 – July 3 2026 |
Round of 16 |
July 4 – July 7 2026 |
Quarter-finals |
July 9 – July 11 2026 |
Semi-finals |
July 14 – July 15 2026 |
Third-place play-off |
July 18 2026 |
Final |
July 19 2026 |
Knockout rounds
SUNDAY, JUNE 28
R32 Match 1: 2A vs 2B (8:00pm)
MONDAY, JUNE 29
R32 M2: 1C vs 2F (6:00pm)
R32 M3: 1E vs 3ABCDF (9:30pm)
TUESDAY, JUNE 30
R32 M4: 1F vs 2C (2:00am)
R32 M5: 2E vs 2I (6:00pm)
R32 M6: 1I vs 3CDFGH (10:00pm)
WEDNESDAY, JULY 1
R32 M7: 1A vs 3CEFHI (2:00am)
R32 M8: 1L vs 3EHIJK (5:00pm)
R32 M9: 1G vs 3AEHIJ (9:00pm)
THURSDAY, JULY 2
R32 M10: 1D vs 3BEFIJ (1:00am)
R32 M11: 1H vs 2J (8:00pm)
FRIDAY, JULY 3
R32 M12: 2K vs 2L (12:00am)
R32 M13: 1B vs 3EFGIJ (4:00am)
R32 M14: 2D vs 2G (7:00pm)
R32 M15: 1J vs 2H (11:00pm)
SATURDAY, JULY 4
R32 M16: 1K vs 3DEIJL (2:30am)
R16 M1: R32 M1 vs R32 M4 (6:00pm)
R16 M2: R32 M3 vs R32 M6 (10:00pm)
SUNDAY, JULY 5
R16 M3: R32 M2 vs R32 M5 (9:00pm)
MONDAY, JULY 6
R16 M4: R32 M7 vs R32 M8 (1:00am)
R16 M5: R32 M12 vs R32 M11 (8:00pm)
TUESDAY, JULY 7
R16 M6: R32 M10 vs R32 M9 (1:00am)
R16 M7: R32 M15 vs R32 M14 (5:00pm)
R16 M8: R32 M13 vs R32 M16 (9:00pm)
WEDNESDAY, JULY 8
Rest day
THURSDAY, JULY 9
QF1: R16 M2 vs R16 M1 (9:00pm)
FRIDAY, JULY 10
QF2: R16 M5 vs R16 M6 (8:00pm)
SATURDAY, JULY 11
QF3: R16 M3 vs R16 M4 (10:00pm)
SUNDAY, JULY 12
QF4: R16 M7 vs R16 M8 (2:00am)
MONDAY, JULY 13
Rest day
TUESDAY, JULY 14
SF1: QF1 vs QF2 (8:00pm)
WEDNESDAY, JULY 15
SF2: QF3 vs QF4 (8:00pm)
THURSDAY, JULY 16
Rest day
FRIDAY, JULY 17
Rest day
SATURDAY, JULY 18
Third-place Play-off (10:00pm)
SUNDAY, JULY 19
World Cup Final (8:00pm)
Click here to download your World Cup 2026 wall chart for FREE
CONTENTS
- Dates and fixtures
- Hosts
- Stadiums
- Qualified teams
- Tournament format
- Tickets
- Wall chart
- Groups
- Kick-off times
- Squads
- Mascots
- Final
- Ball
- Kits
- Broadcasters
- World Cup pubs
Argentina will be looking to defend the World Cup trophy they won in a scintillating final against France in 2022, while the competition will be expanded from 32 teams to a monster 48.
That makes the 23rd edition of the World Cup the biggest and most ambitious of all time. Here's everything you need to know about the competition – and make sure you bookmark this page and keep checking back from time to time as we keep it up to date with all the latest news and developments.
World Cup 2026 – Quick Facts
Dates |
Thursday, June 11 to Sunday, July 19 |
Hosts |
United States, Canada and Mexico |
Teams |
48 |
Matches |
104 |
Opening match |
Estadio Azteca, Mexico City |
Final |
MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford |
When and where is the World Cup 2026 Final?
The 2026 World Cup Final takes place on Sunday 19th July, at 8pm (BST) at MetLife Stadium, New Jersey
Free Match Predictor Game
Where will World Cup 2026 take place?
Where will World Cup 2026 take place?
In something of a U-turn from FIFA, World Cup 2026 will be co-hosted by Canada, Mexico and the United States. FIFA had not been keen on having more than one country as hosts since World Cup 2002, which was shared between Japan and South Korea.
All three countries considered bidding separately but decided in 2017 to team up. With UEFA and AFC nations not allowed to bid because they hosted the last two tournaments, the only rival bid came from Morocco, with the North American bid winning the vote by 134 votes to 65.
The United States hosted the World Cup in 1994, while Mexico hosted in 1970 and 1986 (when they stepped in after the intended hosts, Colombia, dropped out). Canada has never hosted a men's World Cup but did host the Women's World Cup in 2015.
Stadiums
These are the 16 stadiums that will host matches at World Cup 2026, listed with their expected capacities for the tournament:
Stadium |
City |
Host Nation |
World Cup Capacity |
|---|---|---|---|
Vancouver |
Canada |
54,400 |
|
Toronto |
Canada |
45,736 |
|
Mexico City |
Mexico |
87,523 |
|
Guadalupe |
Mexico |
53,500 |
|
Zapopan |
Mexico |
49,850 |
|
East Rutherford |
United States |
82,500 |
|
Arlington |
United States |
80,000 |
|
Kansas City |
United States |
76,416 |
|
Houston |
United States |
72,220 |
|
Atlanta |
United States |
71,000 |
|
Inglewood |
United States |
70,240 |
|
Philadelphia |
United States |
69,796 |
|
Seattle |
United States |
69,000 |
|
Santa Clara |
United States |
68,500 |
|
Foxborough |
United States |
65,878 |
|
Miami Gardens |
United States |
64,767 |
Qualified countries
Which countries have qualified for World Cup 2026?
Confederation |
Qualified Team |
|---|---|
CONCACAF |
Canada (hosts) |
CONCACAF |
Mexico (hosts) |
CONCACAF |
United States (hosts) |
CONCACAF |
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CONCACAF |
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CONCACAF |
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AFC |
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AFC |
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AFC |
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AFC |
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AFC |
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AFC |
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CAF |
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CAF |
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CAF |
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CAF |
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CAF |
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CAF |
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CAF |
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CAF |
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CAF |
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CAF |
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CONMEBOL |
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CONMEBOL |
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CONMEBOL |
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CONMEBOL |
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CONMEBOL |
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CONMEBOL |
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OFC |
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UEFA |
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UEFA |
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UEFA |
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UEFA |
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UEFA |
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UEFA |
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UEFA |
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UEFA |
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UEFA |
All three co-hosts were granted automatic qualification to the tournament, with the first teams to battle through their respective qualification groups being confirmed in the March international break in 2025.
Subsequent qualifiers around the world locked in the first 42 teams, with the final six decided by play-offs in March 2026, nearly four months after the World Cup draw.
There are four teams set to make their World Cup finals debuts in 2026. Jordan, Uzbekistan, Cape Verde and Curacao will all compete at the World Cup for the first time.
- AFC (Asia): Eight direct qualification slots, plus one inter-continental play-off slot
- CAF (Africa): Nine direct qualification slots, plus one inter-continental play-off slot
- CONCACAF (North America, Central America and the Caribbean): On top of the three co-hosts, three direct qualification slots plus two inter-continental play-off slots
- CONMEBOL (South America): Six direct qualification slots, plus one inter-continental play-off slot
- OFC (Oceania): One direct qualification slot, plus one inter-continental play-off slot
- UEFA (Europe): 16 direct qualification slots, no inter-continental play-off slots
Why don't Argentina get automatic qualification as reigning World Cup winners?
FIFA used to give automatic qualification to the reigning World Cup winners, doing so from 1938 to 2002, but they did away with that from 2006.
So far, no reigning champions have yet failed to qualify through the usual process. Argentina qualified as the top team in CONMEBOL, with 12 wins in 18 qualifiers.
Tournament format
How many teams will be at World Cup 2026?
An unprecedented 48 teams will take part in the 2026 edition of the World Cup, which means significant alterations to both the group stage and the knockout stage.
The World Cup has been played in the same basic 32-team format since 1998, with the best two sides from eight groups of four going through to a knockout round of 16.
Now, it's going to be 12 groups of four, with the top two sides from each group going through to a knockout round of 32 alongside the eight best-performing third-placed sides from the groups.
If you've followed the past few European Championships or are old enough to remember the days of 24-team World Cups then it's effectively that but twice the size.
Tickets
How to get World Cup 2026 tickets?
This is set to be the most expensive World Cup by far for supporters, with tickets, travel and accommodation costs going through the roof.
FIFA deployed dynamic pricing when tickets went on sale in 2025. The first fans able to get their hands on tickets were members of the participating federations' supporters' associations, with ticket prices jumping with every new stage of the sales process.
The governing body provides a resale marketplace where prices are just as extreme, while the first 'open sale' stage at the beginning of April saw final tickets on sale for more than £8,000 each.
Nevertheless, FIFA claimed early in 2026 that it had received more than half a billion ticket requests. More than three million tickets have been sold.
FourFourTwo World Cup wall chart
The famous FourFourTwo World Cup wall chart is back and bigger than ever, and only partly because there are 104 matches to be played in the United States, Canada and Mexico in June and July.
Printing out into eight A4 sheets to create a gigantic A1 poster, the wall chart allows you to track every one of those matches throughout the tournament simply by putting pen to paper.
We have versions in colour and black and white, and with kick-off times for a wide variety of time zones around the world.
You can download your World Cup wall chart HERE right now.
Groups
What are the groups for World Cup 2026?
There will be 72 group stage matches at World Cup 2026, where there will be 12 groups of four teams.
Group A |
Mexico |
South Africa |
South Korea |
Czechia |
Group B |
Canada |
Switzerland |
Qatar |
Bosnia and Herzegovina |
Group C |
Brazil |
Morroco |
Haiti |
Scotland |
Group D |
United States |
Paraguay |
Australia |
Turkiye |
Group E |
Germany |
Curacao |
Ivory Coast |
Ecuador |
Group F |
Netherlands |
Japan |
Tunisia |
Sweden |
Group G |
Belgium |
Egypt |
Iran |
New Zealand |
Group H |
Spain |
Cape 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 |
Kick-off times
What are the kick-off times for World Cup 2026?
We now know the match dates, venues and kick-off times for all 104 World Cup matches in June and July.
The extended World Cup format means that there are up to four time slots per day during the group stage, though the spread of time zones actually means that there are an incredible 13 different kick-off times scheduled for matches at the tournament.
Consequently, European viewers will have to be extraordinarily committed to watch some of the matches.
World Cup squads
When are the World Cup 2026 squads announced?
With 48 managers naming 26-man squads for the World Cup, there will be a whopping 1,248 players eligible to play their part in the tournament.
They will be called up ahead of the finals and there are various deadlines federations must meet prior to the tournament.
- Monday, May 11: Between 35 and 55 players named in a preliminary squad list submitted to FIFA
- Monday, May 25: Clubs not involved in the finals of the Champions League, Conference League or CONCACAF Champions Cup release players for international duty
- Saturday, May 30: Final 26-player World Cup squad submitted
- Thursday, June 11: Up to nine additional players permitted to join squads for training purposed released from international duty
Mascots
FIFA unveiled the faces of the World Cup in September, giving the world plenty of time to familiarise itself with the animated representatives of Canada, Mexico and the United States.
Maple the Moose is the Canadian mascot, "a street style-loving artist, music enthusiast and dedicated goalkeeper," according to the FIFA website
The Mexican mascot is Zayu the Jaguar, who is "a symbol of cultural celebration and connection, carrying the heart of Mexico with pride." Zayu is the only mascot with a captain's armband.
Finally, the United States representative is Clutch the Bald Eagle, whose name is terrible zoological guidance but "possesses an unquenchable thirst for adventure."
World Cup 2026 final
Where is the World Cup 2026 final?
Although Dallas' AT&T Stadium was initially expected to win the bid to host the final, the World Cup 2026 final will actually be held at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, just ten miles outside New York City.
The stadium has previously hosted the 2014 Super Bowl final and the 2016 Copa America final, as well as WWE WrestleMania in 2013 and 2019.
Primarily an American football stadium and the home of the New York Jets and New York Giants, the MetLife will have seats specially removed for the World Cup to make it wide enough to suit FIFA's recommended pitch dimensions.
Official match ball
What is the official match ball at World Cup 2026?
The official match ball for World Cup 2026 is the Adidas Trionda.
Kits
When are the kits for 2026 World Cup released?
Adidas released the first home shirts for the World Cup in November 2025, with World Cup 2026 kits emerging steadily ever since.
Puma and Nike joined the party and will be represented at the tournament along with Reebok (Panama), Marathon (Ecuador), Kelme (Jordan), 7Saber (Uzbekistan) and Saeta (Haiti).
There are plenty of nations whose kits have been released now, with less than a month before the tournament. We can't wait to see what else is yet to come.
Watch World Cup 2026 on TV
The World Cup is one of the biggest media events on the planet and a goldmine for the tournament's official broadcasters around the world.
In the UK, that means the BBC and ITV. But which broadcasters will be showing the World Cup in the rest of the world?
Here's the full rundown of World Cup 2026 broadcasters:
Watch World Cup 2026 at the pub
If the World Cup is a communal experience for you, watching matches at the local watering hole is likely to become a regular pastime in June and July.
We've been doing our research – somebody has to – and come up with FourFourTwo's picks of the best pubs in Britain for World Cup viewing.
There's a website, address and phone number included for each one and we've even made a map view of them all. Alternatively, you can search the entire list for a top World Cup boozer near you.
