The official schedule of the 2026 World Cup is now fully known – we know the groups, matches and dates. The tournament will start on June 11, 2026, and the grand final will take place on July 19 at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. For the first time in history, the World Cup will be played in a 48-team format, and the entire schedule includes as many as 104 matches.

The tournament in the USA, Canada and Mexico is the largest world championship in the history of national football. The World Cup will last from June 11 to July 19, 2026. The draw for the group stage has already been made – we know the full composition of all 12 groups. The opening match is scheduled for June 11 – Mexico will face South Africa at Estadio Azteca. The final will take place on July 19 at 9:00 p.m. ET at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford.

World Championship calendar and the most important information about the tournament

The 2026 World Cup will be held in three countries: the United States, Canada and Mexico. The new format with 48 participants and 12 groups of 4 teams means a longer path to the title – there is an additional round of 16 in the knockout phase. Debutants or rare World Cup participants included: Haiti, Curaçao, Uzbekistan, Cape Verde and Jordan.

Here are the full squads of all 12 groups:

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

2026 World Cup schedule – group stage day by day

Below is the full schedule of the FIFA World Cup in the group phase according to Polish time.

Schedule of the World Cup in the knockout phase – 1/16 finals

After the end of group play, 32 teams will advance to the knockout stage – the winners and runners-up of all 12 groups and the eight best third-placed teams. The new round of 16 is an additional stage on the way to the title.

June 28

• 2nd place in group A – 2nd place in group B (SoFi Stadium, Inglewood)

June 29

• Winner of the group E – one of the 3 teams in the group. A/B/C/D/F (Gillette Stadium, Foxborough)
• Winner of the group F – 2nd place in group C (Estadio BBVA, Guadalupe)
• Winner of the group C – 2nd place in group F (NRG Stadium, Houston)

June 30

• Winner of the group I – one of the 3 teams in the group. C/D/F/G/H (MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford)
• 2nd place in group E – 2nd place in group I (AT&T Stadium, Arlington)
• Winner of the group A – one of the 3 teams in the group. C/E/F/H/I (Estadio Azteca, Mexico)

July 1st

• Winner of the group L – one of the 3 teams in the group. E/H/I/J/K (Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta)
• Winner of the group D – one of the 3rd teams in the group. B/E/F/I/J (Levi’s Stadium, Santa Clara)
• Winner of the group G – one of the 3 teams in the group. A/E/H/I/J (Lumen Field, Seattle)

July 2

• 2nd place in group K – 2nd place in group L (BMO Field, Toronto)
• Winner of the group H – 2nd place in group J (SoFi Stadium, Inglewood)
• Winner of the group B – one of the 3 teams in the group. E/F/G/I/J (BC Place, Vancouver)

July 3

• Winner of the group J – 2nd place in group H (Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens)
• Winner of the game. K – one of the 3rd team of the game. D/E/I/J/L (Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City)
• 2nd place in group D – 2nd place in group G (AT&T Stadium, Arlington)

World Cup calendar for the rest of the knockout phase

1/8 finals

• July 4th – Zw. gr. E/3. gr. ABCDF – Zw. gr. I/3. gr. CDFGH (Lincoln Financial Field, Filadelfia)
• July 4th – 2. gr. A/2. gr. B – Zw. gr. F/2. gr. C (NRG Stadium, Houston)
• July 5 – Zw. gr. C/2. gr. F – 2. gr. E/2. gr. I (MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford)
• July 5 – Zv. gr. A/3. gr. CEFHI – Gr. L/3. gr. EHIJK (Estadio Azteca, Mexico)
• July 6 – 2. gr. K/2. gr. L – Zw. gr. H/2. gr. J (AT&T Stadium, Arlington)
• July 6 – Zw. gr. D/3. gr. BEFIJ – Zw. gr. G/3. gr. AEHIJ (Lumen Field, Seattle)
• July 7 – Zw. gr. J/2. gr. H – 2. gr. D/2. gr. G (Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta)
• July 7 – Sw. gr. B/3. gr. EFGIJ – Zw. gr. K/3. gr. DEIJL (BC Place, Vancouver)

The new format means that even the first-place teams in the groups immediately enter the do-it-all mode – the schedule is more demanding than in previous editions.

Quarterfinals

• July 9 – Winner of Game 1/8 (Philadelphia) – Winner of Game 1/8 (Houston) (Gillette Stadium, Foxborough)
• July 10 – Winner of Game 1/8 (Arlington) – Winner of Game 1/8 (Seattle) (SoFi Stadium, Inglewood)
• July 11 – Winner of Match 1/8 (East Rutherford) – Winner of Match 1/8 (Mexico) (Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens)
• July 11 – Winner of Match 1/8 (Atlanta) – Winner of Match 1/8 (Vancouver) (Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City)

Semi-finals

• July 14 – Quarterfinal Winner (Foxborough) – Quarterfinal Winner (Inglewood) (AT&T Stadium, Arlington)
• July 15 – Quarterfinal Winner (Miami) – Quarterfinal Winner (Kansas City) (Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta)

Match for 3rd place

• July 18 – Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens

Final

• July 19, at 9:00 p.m – MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford (Nowy Jork/New Jersey)

This is what the full 2026 World Cup schedule looks like – from the opening whistle at Estadio Azteca to the grand final in New Jersey.