The 2026 FIFA World Cup takes place from June 11 to July 19 in the United States, Mexico and Canada, with a record 48 teams taking part. Find out the full schedule of the 2026 World Cup group stage matches, including dates, groups and times Central European Time (CEST)

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The 2026 FIFA World Cup kicks off on June 11 and runs until July 19. The tournament is being hosted by three countries – the USA, Mexico and Canada – and for the first time in the history of the World Cup, 48 teams will compete in the finals.

This is a record-breaking tournament: 104 matches, 16 cities and 39 days of football. The teams are divided into 12 groups of four teams. The top two teams from each group advance to the playoffs, as well as the eight best third-place teams – that is, 32 teams in total.

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2026 World Cup Format and Features

Previous championships – from 1998 to 2022 – featured 32 teams in 8 groups. The expanded format with 48 participants adds a new round – the round of 32, so the finalists will play only one more game than before.

The opening match will be held on June 11 in Mexico City (Mexico). The final is scheduled for July 19 at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, a suburb of New York.

The matches will be held in 16 cities: in the USA - New York (East Rutherford), Philadelphia, Los Angeles, Miami, Kansas City, San Francisco, Seattle, Houston, Dallas, Boston and Atlanta; in Canada - Toronto and Vancouver; in Mexico - Guadalajara, Mexico City and Monterrey.

The current world champion is the Argentina national team, which defeated France in the 2022 World Cup final in a penalty shootout (regular and extra time - 3:3).

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2026 World Cup Group Draw

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: USA, Australia, Paraguay, Turkey

Group E: Germany, Ecuador, Ivory Coast, Curacao

Group F: Netherlands, Sweden, Japan, Tunisia

Group G: Spain, Saudi Arabia, Uruguay, Cape Verde

Group H: France, Senegal, Iraq, Norway

Group I: Belgium, Egypt, Iran, New Zealand

Group J: Argentina, Austria, Algeria, Jordan

Group K: Portugal, Colombia, Uzbekistan, DR Congo

Group L: England, Croatia, Panama, Ghana

Mexico's colonial heritage is as much a draw for travelers as the beaches of Cancun and Tulum, and some of the country's historic centers are UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Read about Mexico's best historic destinations for a cultural trip here.

2026 FIFA World Cup Group Stage Schedule (Central European Time, CEST)

Times are in Central European Summer Time (CEST, UTC+2)

June 11

Group A: Mexico – South Africa, 21:00

June 12

Group A: South Korea – Czech Republic, 04:00

Group B: Canada – Bosnia and Herzegovina, 21:00

June 13

Group D: USA – Paraguay, 03:00

Group B: Qatar – Switzerland, 21:00

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June 14

Group C: Brazil – Morocco, 00:00

Group C: Haiti – Scotland, 03:00

Group D: Australia – Turkey, 06:00

Group E: Germany – Curacao, 19:00

Group F: Netherlands – Japan, 22:00

June 15

Group E: Ivory Coast – Ecuador, 01:00

Group F: Sweden – Tunisia, 04:00

Group G: Spain – Cape Verde, 18:00

Group I: Belgium – Egypt, 21:00

June 16

Group G: Saudi Arabia – Uruguay, 00:00

Group I: Iran – New Zealand, 03:00

Group H: France – Senegal, 21:00

June 17

Group H: Iraq – Norway, 00:00

Group J: Argentina – Algeria, 03:00

Group J: Austria – Jordan, 06:00

Group K: Portugal – DR Congo, 19:00

Group L: England – Croatia, 22:00

June 18

Group L: Ghana – Panama, 01:00

Group K: Uzbekistan – Colombia, 04:00

Group A: Czech Republic – South Africa, 18:00

Group B: Switzerland – Bosnia and Herzegovina, 21:00

June 19

Group B: Canada – Qatar, 00:00

Group A: Mexico – South Korea, 03:00

Group D: USA – Australia, 21:00

June 20

Group C: Scotland – Morocco, 00:00

Group C: Brazil – Haiti, 02:30

Group D: Turkey – Paraguay, 05:00

Group F: Netherlands – Sweden, 19:00

Group E: Germany – Ivory Coast, 22:00

June 21

Group E: Ecuador – Curacao, 02:00

Group F: Tunisia – Japan, 06:00

Group G: Spain – Saudi Arabia, 18:00

Group I: Belgium – Iran, 21:00

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June 22

Group G: Uruguay – Cape Verde, 00:00

Group I: New Zealand – Egypt, 03:00

Group J: Argentina – Austria, 19:00

Group H: France – Iraq, 23:00

June 23

Group H: Norway – Senegal, 02:00

Group J: Jordan – Algeria, 05:00

Group K: Portugal – Uzbekistan, 19:00

Group L: Ghana – England, 22:00

June 24

Group L: Panama – Croatia, 01:00

Group K: Colombia – DR Congo, 04:00

Group B: Bosnia and Herzegovina – Qatar, 21:00

Group B: Switzerland – Canada, 21:00

25 June

Group C: Morocco – Haiti, 00:00

Group C: Scotland – Brazil, 00:00

Group A: Czech Republic – Mexico, 03:00

Group A: South Africa – South Korea, 03:00

Group E: Ecuador – Germany, 22:00

Group E: Curacao – Ivory Coast, 22:00

June 26

Group F: Japan – Sweden, 01:00

Group F: Tunisia – Netherlands, 01:00

Group D: Turkey – USA, 04:00

Group D: Paraguay – Australia, 04:00

Group H: Senegal – Iraq, 21:00

Group H: Norway – France, 21:00

June 27

Group G: Uruguay – Spain, 02:00

Group G: Cape Verde – Saudi Arabia, 02:00

Group I: Egypt – Iran, 05:00

Group I: New Zealand – Belgium, 05:00

Group L: Croatia – Ghana, 23:00

Group L: Panama – England, 23:00

June 28

Group K: Colombia – Portugal, 01:30

Group K: DR Congo – Uzbekistan, 01:30

Group J: Algeria – Austria, 04:00

Group J: Jordan – Argentina, 04:00

What next after the group stage?

The group stage ends on June 28, and the playoffs begin on the same day.

The round of 16 matches continue until July 4.

Next up are the round of 16 (July 6–10), quarterfinals (July 12–13), semifinals (July 15–16) and, finally, the final on July 19 at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.

The 2026 World Cup season is not only about football emotions, but also thousands of kilometers of flights, unfamiliar cities and unforeseen situations on the road. Getting sick in a foreign country, a flight delay, a lost suitcase or a sudden cancellation of a trip – all this can happen even during the most well-planned trip.

Travel insurance from Visit World allows you to enjoy your trip without worries: the policy covers medical expenses, helps in force majeure situations and is issued online in a matter of minutes. You choose the level of coverage according to your route – whether it’s a single match in Miami or a tour of several cities at once. Visit World has made the process as simple as possible so that you can focus on the main thing – football.

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