Source: https://www.fifa.com/en/home
The 2026 FIFA World Cup will take place from Thursday, June 11 to Sunday, July 19, 2026
Mapping the Road to the Round of 32: Full 2026 World Cup Standings & Group Scenarios
Live Results
Here is the phase-by-phase schedule breakdown for the 37-day tournament:
Tournament Schedule Breakdown
| Tournament Phase | Dates | Details |
| Group Stage | June 11 – June 27 | 72 matches across 12 groups. The opening match (Mexico vs. South Africa) kicks off June 11 in Mexico City. |
| Round of 32 | June 28 – July 3 | The debut of the new knockout stage phase for the expanded 48-team format. |
| Round of 16 | July 4 – July 7 | 8 matches to decide the quarterfinalists. |
| Quarterfinals | July 9 – July 11 | 4 matches played across host cities. |
| Semifinals | July 14 – July 15 | The final four battle for a spot in the final. |
| Third-Place Match | July 18 | The “Bronze Final” match. |
| World Cup Final | July 19 | Hosted at MetLife Stadium (New York/New Jersey Stadium) in East Rutherford, New Jersey. |
Navigating a 48-team tournament spread across three massive countries and five different time zones is no joke. To make life easy for European football fans, here is your definitive guide to the FIFA World Cup 2026 Group Stage, with all dates and kickoff times fully converted to Central European Time (CET).
🕐 The 13 Core Kickoff Slots in CET
Because matches are played from Vancouver to Miami, games are spread across 13 distinct kickoff times. For fans in Europe, they generally fall into three categories:
- Prime Time Viewing (The Best Slots): 17:00, 18:00, 19:00, 20:00, and 21:00 CET.
- Late Night Matches: 22:00, 23:00, and 00:00 (Midnight) CET.
- The “Insomniac” Slots: 01:00, 02:00, 03:00, 04:00, and 06:00 CET.
Live Results
* In sports and football (soccer) statistics, FT stands for Full Time.
livescores.proThe full knockout stage schedule for the FIFA World Cup 2026 runs from the newly introduced Round of 32 all the way to the final showpiece in New York/New Jersey.
FIFA World Cup 2026: Round of 32 (CET/CEST)
| Match | European Date | Fixture | Score | Venue / Host City | Kick-off Time (CET/CEST) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Match 73 | Sunday, June 28 | South Africa vs. Canada | 0-1 | Los Angeles Stadium | 21:00 (9:00 PM) |
| Match 76 | Monday, June 29 | Brazil vs. Japan | 2-1 | Houston Stadium | 19:00 (7:00 PM) |
| Match 74 | Monday, June 29 | Germany vs. Paraguay | 1-1 (PSO 3-4) | Boston Stadium | 22:30 (10:30 PM) |
| Match 75 | Tuesday, June 30 | Netherlands vs. Morocco | 1-1 (PSO 2-3) | Estadio Monterrey | 03:00 (3:00 AM) |
| Match 78 | Tuesday, June 30 | Côte d’Ivoire vs. Norway | 1-2 | Dallas Stadium | 19:00 (7:00 PM) |
| Match 77 | Tuesday, June 30 | France vs. Sweden | 3-0 | New York New Jersey Stadium | 23:00 (11:00 PM) |
| Match 79 | Wednesday, July 1 | Mexico vs. Ecuador | 2-0 | Mexico City Stadium | 03:00 (3:00 AM) |
| Match 80 | Wednesday, July 1 | England vs. Congo DR | 2-1 | Atlanta Stadium | 18:00 (6:00 PM) |
| Match 82 | Wednesday, July 1 | Belgium vs. Senegal | 3-2 | Seattle Stadium | 22:00 (10:00 PM) |
| Match 81 | Thursday, July 2 | USA vs. Bosnia and Herzegovina | 2-0 | San Francisco Bay Area Stadium | 02:00 (2:00 AM) |
| Match 84 | Thursday, July 2 | Spain vs. Austria | 3-0 | Los Angeles Stadium | 21:00 (9:00 PM) |
| Match 83 | Friday, July 3 | Portugal vs. Croatia | 2-1 | Toronto Stadium | 01:00 (1:00 AM) |
| Match 85 | Friday, July 3 | Switzerland vs. Algeria | 2-0 | BC Place Vancouver | 05:00 (5:00 AM) |
| Match 88 | Friday, July 3 | Australia vs. Egypt | 1-1 (PSO 2-4) | Dallas Stadium | 20:00 (8:00 PM) |
| Match 86 | Friday, July 3 | Argentina vs. Cabo Verde | 3-2 (ET) | Miami Stadium | 24:00 (12:00 PM) |
| Match 87 | Saturday, July 4 | Colombia vs. Ghana | 1-0 | Kansas City Stadium | 03:30 (3:30 AM) |
Round of 16
The FIFA World Cup 2026 Round of 16 matches are scheduled to take place from July 4 to July 7, 2026.
Here is the complete schedule formatted in both Local Venue Time and Central European Summer Time (CEST / MESZ) so you can track them easily depending on where you are watching:
Saturday, July 4, 2026
- Canada vs. Morocco ## 0-3 ##
- Time: 12:00 PM Local (CDT) / 19:00 CEST
- Venue: Houston Stadium (Houston, Texas)
- Paraguay vs. France ## 0-1 ##
- Time: 5:00 PM Local (EDT) / 23:00 CEST
- Venue: Philadelphia Stadium (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)
Sunday, July 5, 2026
- Brazil vs. Norway ## 1-2 ##
- Time: 4:00 PM Local (EDT) / 22:00 CEST
- Venue: New York New Jersey Stadium (East Rutherford, New Jersey)
- Mexico vs. England ## 2-3 ##
- Time: 5:00 PM Local (CST) / 01:00 CEST (Monday morning)
- Venue: Mexico City Stadium / Estadio Azteca (Mexico City, Mexico)
Monday, July 6, 2026
- Portugal vs. Spain ## 0-1 ##
- Time: 2:00 PM Local (CDT) / 21:00 CEST
- Venue: Dallas Stadium (Arlington, Texas)
- USA vs. Belgium ## 1-4 ##
- Time: 5:00 PM Local (PDT) / 02:00 CEST (Tuesday morning)
- Venue: Seattle Stadium (Seattle, Washington)
Tuesday, July 7, 2026
- Argentina vs. Egypt ## 3-2 ##
- Time: 12:00 PM Local (EDT) / 18:00 CEST
- Venue: Atlanta Stadium (Atlanta, Georgia)
- Switzerland vs. Colombia ## 0-0 ## (AET 0-0; PSO 4-3)
- Time: 1:00 PM Local (PDT) / 22:00 CEST
- Venue: BC Place (Vancouver, Canada)
AET = After Extra Time; PSO = Penalty Shout Out
Source: https://www.olympics.com/en/
Quarterfinals
Schedule for the 2026 FIFA World Cup Quarterfinals in both Local Time and Central European Summer Time (CEST):
| Date | Match | Score | Venue | Local Time | CEST Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thursday, July 9 | Match 97: France vs. Morocco | 2 – 0 | Boston Stadium (Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, MA) | 4:00 PM EDT (UTC-4) | 10:00 PM CEST |
| Friday, July 10 | Match 98: Spain vs. Belgium | 2 – 1 | Los Angeles Stadium (SoFi Stadium, Inglewood, CA) | 12:00 PM (Noon) PDT (UTC-7) | 9:00 PM CEST |
| Saturday, July 11 | Match 99: Norway vs. England | 1 – 1 AET 1 – 2 | Miami Stadium (Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens, FL) | 5:00 PM EDT (UTC-4) | 11:00 PM CEST |
| Saturday, July 11 | Match 100: Argentina vs. Switzerland | 1 – 1 AET 3 – 1 | Kansas City Stadium (Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, MO) | 8:00 PM CDT (UTC-5) | 3:00 AM CEST (Sunday, July 12) |
AET = After Extra Time; PSO = Penalty Shout Out
Semifinals
- Tuesday, July 14
- Match 101: France vs. Spain (Dallas Stadium)
- Wednesday, July 15
- Match 102: England vs. Argentina (Atlanta Stadium)
Third-Place Play-Off
- Saturday, July 18
- Match 103: Loser Match 101 v Loser Match 102 (Miami Stadium)
FIFA World Cup Final
The details for the final match of the tournament are:
- Date: Sunday, July 19, 2026
- Venue: MetLife Stadium (referred to as the New York New Jersey Stadium for the tournament)
- Location: East Rutherford, New Jersey (near New York City)
The history
The “Make Of” (Creation) of the 2026 Tournament
The FIFA World Cup 2026 is a historic edition, representing the largest and most ambitious tournament ever staged.
- A Historic Three-Nation Bid: The tournament was awarded to the “United 2026” joint bid by Canada, Mexico, and the United States on June 13, 2018, beating out a competing bid from Morocco. It marks the first time three nations have co-hosted a World Cup.
- The Massive 48-Team Expansion: This tournament marks the first major format change since 1998, expanding from 32 teams to an unprecedented 48 nations. To accommodate this, the tournament features 12 groups of four teams, with a brand-new Round of 32 knockout stage.
- The 104-Match Logistics: Because of the expansion, the number of matches skyrocketed from 64 to 104. It is spread across 16 host cities (11 in the US, 3 in Mexico, and 2 in Canada). To prevent player burnout, all quarterfinals, semifinals, and the final (set for MetLife Stadium in New York/New Jersey) are held in the US to reduce cross-continental travel in the final weeks.
Brief History of the FIFA World Cup
To understand how massive 2026 is, it helps to see how the tournament has evolved since its inception:
| Era / Year | Teams | Key Milestone / Evolution |
| 1930 | 13 | The inaugural tournament is held in Uruguay. Only 13 teams accept the invitation due to the long sea travel required for European teams. |
| 1934–1978 | 16 | The tournament standardizes primarily to 16 teams. This era sees the rise of legends like Pelé (winning three titles) and Diego Maradona. |
| 1982 | 24 | Expanded to 24 teams in Spain to allow more representation from Africa, Asia, and North America. |
| 1998 | 32 | Expanded to 32 teams in France, introducing the eight-groups-of-four format used up until Qatar 2022. |
| 2026 | 48 | The North American tournament opens the floodgates to 48 nations, making it the most globally inclusive tournament in sports history. |
History-Making Milestones of the 2026 Edition
Because the tournament is currently underway, several historic milestones have already been written into the record books:
- The Smallest Giant-Killers: The tiny island nation of Curaçao became the smallest country by population (around 150,000) to ever qualify and score in a men’s World Cup, doing so against Germany. Cape Verde also captured global headlines with an incredible underdog run.
- The Sixth-Timers Club: Legends Lionel Messi (Argentina), Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal), and Guillermo Ochoa (Mexico) officially became the first players in football history to be named to six separate World Cup squads. Ronaldo also became the first player to score in six different editions, while Messi became the tournament’s all-time top goalscorer.
- The Iconic Azteca: Mexico City’s stadium became the first venue in history to host matches in three separate World Cups (1970, 1986, and 2026).
- Attendance Records Shattered: The tournament officially broke the 32-year-old all-time total attendance record previously held by the 1994 USA World Cup, drawing well over 3.6 million fans into stadiums.
