The 2026 FIFA World Cup kicks off on June 11, 2026, with the opening match between Mexico and South Africa (Game 1) at Estadio Azteca in Mexico City. The tournament will span 39 days, concluding on July 19, 2026, with the World Cup Final (Game 104) at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. Both matches will kick off at 3:00 p.m. ET / 7:00 p.m. UTC.
How many teams are competing, and how does that change the format?
For the first time in history, 48 nations will compete in a FIFA World Cup, up from 32 in previous editions. This has led to meaningful knock-on effects, with the number of matches that will be played and broadcast globally increasing from 64 to 104.
The duration of the overall tournament and the group stage increases by a few days as well, and a whole new round has been introduced (the Round of 32) immediately after the group stage. This represents a minimum of an additional 3,600 minutes of live World Cup match broadcasting, for a total of at least 9,360 minutes of international soccer broadcast globally to over 200 countries and territories.
When is the 2026 FIFA World Cup group stage?
The group stage features 12 groups of four nations each. Each team plays three matches, facing every other team in their group once. The group stage will run for about two weeks from June 11 to June 27, 2026. In total, this represents 72 matches that will be played and broadcast live globally for a total broadcast time of at least 6,480 minutes. Below is the schedule for each group stage matchday:
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Matchday 1: June 1-17, 2026
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Matchday 2: June 18-23, 2026
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Matchday 3: June 24-27, 2026
What is the round of 32, and when will it take place?
The round of 32 is a brand-new phase introduced for the new 48-team FIFA World Cup tournament, making its debut in the 2026 edition being co-hosted by USA, Mexico, and Canada. It marks the first knockout round following the group stage.
The round of 32 will feature the two highest-ranked teams from each of the 12 groups (24 nations) plus the eight best third-ranked sides. The round of 32 at the 2026 FIFA World Cup will run for about 1 week, starting on June 28 to July 3, 2026, with the first game scheduled at 3:00 p.m. ET / 7:00 p.m. UTC on June 28. In total, this phase will have 16 games for a total of 1,440 minutes of World Cup broadcast time. Viewers can broadcast on TV and live stream across the globe, including in the USA (FOX and Telemundo), the UK (ITV and BBC), and Canada (CTV, TSN, and RDS). For a complete list of broadcasters, please visit the World Cup competition page.
When does the 2026 FIFA World Cup round of 16 start?
The round of 16 takes place over the span of four days, kicking off on July 4 and ending on July 7, 2026. This round features the winners of the round of 32, kicking off with the first round of 16 fixture at 1:00 p.m. ET / 5:00 p.m. UTC. In total, there will be 8 matches played in this phase, for a minimum of 720 minutes of World Cup live broadcasts and streaming globally.
When are the 2026 FIFA World Cup quarter-finals and semi-finals?
The 2026 FIFA World Cup quarter-finals take place over the span of three days (July 9-11, 2026), while the semi-finals are scheduled over two days (July 14 and 15, 2026).
The quarter-final stage kicks off with its opening fixture at 4:00 p.m. ET / 7:00 p.m. UTC, while the penultimate round commences with the first semi-final tie at 3:00 p.m. ET / 7:00 p.m. UTC. In total, there will be four quarter-final matches and two semi-final matches played and broadcast on TV and streamed in over 200 countries. These phases represent an additional 540 total minutes of World Cup live broadcasts and streaming globally.
When is the 2026 FIFA World Cup Final?
The 2026 FIFA World Cup Final kicks off at 3:00 p.m. ET / 7:00 p.m. UTC on July 19, 2026, at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. This title-decider wraps up the 39-day long summer tournament, set to be the longest World Cup event in history.
The 2026 FIFA World Cup third-place playoff takes place a day before, on July 18, at 5:00 p.m. ET / 9:00 p.m. UTC
The broadcast of the World Cup Final will wrap up this historic edition of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. In total, we anticipate the 2026 FIFA World Cup Final to be available to watch on television and digital coverage (streaming) everywhere, covering over 219 countries and territories worldwide.
How many rest days are there between the different 2026 FIFA World Cup rounds?
Trying to plan your schedule around the 2026 FIFA World Cup? Unfortunately—or fortunately, if you want non-stop action!—the first three rounds of the 2026 FIFA World Cup in the USA, Canada, and Mexico (the group stage, round of 32, and round of 16) have no breaks in between. This means one round starts the day after the previous round ends.
However, between the round of 16 and quarter-finals, there is a day of break with no matches on July 8. Between the quarter-finals (which end on July 11) and the semi-finals (which begin on July 14), there are two days of no matches.
After the semi-finals, which end on July 15, there are two days off (July 16 and 17) before the third-place playoff on July 18, and three days off (July 16, 17, and 18) between the semi-finals and the all-important final on July 19, 2026.
In summary, here are the days with no scheduled World Cup games: July 8, 12, 13, 16, 17.
How many games per day will be played at the 2026 FIFA World Cup?
The group stage at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar went down in folklore as four games per day were held throughout most of the group stage.
Things will change even further for the 2026 FIFA World Cup in the USA, Canada, and Mexico. While the first two days of the summer tournament will see two group-stage fixtures per day, this will eventually increase to four per day, and top out at six group-stage games per day for the final four days of the group stage.
How many days will each round at the 2026 FIFA World Cup take?
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Group stage: 17 days - 72 games (June 11-27, 2026)
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Round of 32: 6 days - 16 games (June 28-July 3, 2026)
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Round of 16: 4 days - 8 games (July 4-7, 2026)
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Quarter-finals: 3 days - 4 games (July 9-11, 2026)
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Semi-finals: 2 days - 2 games (July 14-15, 2026)
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Third-place playoff: 1 day - 1 game (July 18, 2026)
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Final: 1 day - 1 game (July 19, 2026)