The FIFA World Cup is one of the most exciting soccer events that fans around the globe enjoy. The 2026 World Cup is shaping up to be one of the most exciting and fun editions of the tournament ever. Sports fans everywhere have questions they would like answered. Like, what is the World Cup starting date? What is the World Cup schedule?
The World Cup carries an aura around it that the NFL, NBA, NHL, and MLB just can’t match. For this reason, this tournament is a must-see TV for sports fans.
Here you will find the 2026 FIFA World Cup start date, the tournament’s full duration, the number of participating countries, and the full schedule for the group phase.
When is the World Cup? Who Are the Host Cities?
The FIFA World Cup takes place every four years. The 2026 World Cup will be held in 16 different cities in Canada, Mexico, and the USA:
- Mexico City
- Toronto
- Los Angeles
- Guadalajara
- San Francisco Bay Area
- New York
- Boston
- Vancouver
- Houston
- Dallas
- Philadelphia
- Monterrey
- Atlanta
- Seattle
- Miami
- Kansas City
2026 FIFA World Cup Starting Date
The 2026 World Cup will take place in June and July 2026. The World Cup starting date is June 11th, 2026. The final day of the Group phase fixtures is June 27th. The playoff/knock-out round continues until the Final on July 19th.
Full FIFA World Cup Schedule: Group Phase Fixtures
Here is the full fixture schedule for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. There are a record 48 teams participating in this year’s World Cup. Those teams are divided into 12 groups of four. Each team will play the three other teams in their group three times for the Group Phase.
*Please Note: All times listed are in Mountain Time
Thursday, June 11th Fixtures
- Mexico vs South Africa (1:00 PM)
- Korea Republic vs Czechia (8:00 PM)
Friday, June 12th Fixtures
- Canada vs Bosnia and Herzegovina (1:00 PM)
- USA vs Paraguay (7:00 PM)
Saturday, June 13th Fixtures
- Haiti vs Scotland (7:00 PM)
- Australia vs Turkiye (10:00 PM)
- Brazil vs Morocco (4:00 PM)
- Qatar vs Switzerland (1:00 PM)
Sunday, June 14th Fixtures
- Côte d’Ivoire vs Ecuador (5:00 PM)
- Germany vs Curacao (11:00 AM)
- Netherlands vs Japan (2:00 PM)
- Sweden vs Tunisia (8:00 PM)
Monday, June 15th Fixtures
- Saudi Arabia vs Uruguay (4:00 PM)
- Spain vs Cabo Verde (10:00 AM)
- IR Iran vs New Zealand (7:00 PM)
- Belgium vs Egypt (1:00 PM)
Tuesday, June 16th Fixtures
- France vs Senegal (1:00 PM)
- Iraq vs Norway (4:00 PM)
- Argentina vs Algeria (7:00 PM)
- Austria vs Jordan (10:00 PM)
Wednesday, June 17th Fixtures
- Ghana vs Panama (5:00 PM)
- England vs Croatia (2:00 PM)
- Portugal vs Congo DR (11:00 AM)
- Uzbekistan vs Columbia (8:00 PM)
Thursday, June 18th Fixtures
- Czechia vs South Africa (10:00 AM)
- Switzerland vs Bosnia and Herzegovina (1:00 PM)
- Canada vs Qatar (4:00 PM)
- Mexico vs Korea Republic (7:00 PM)
Friday, June 19th Fixtures
- Brazil vs Haiti (6:30 PM)
- Scotland vs Morocco (4:00 PM)
- Turkiye vs Paraguay (9:00 PM)
- USA vs Australia (1:00 PM)
Saturday, June 20th Fixtures
- Germany vs Côte d’Ivoire (2:00 PM)
- Ecuador vs Curacao (6:00 PM)
- Netherlands vs Sweden (11:00 AM)
- Tunisia vs Japan (10:00 PM)
Sunday, June 21st Fixtures
- Uruguay vs Cabo Verde (4:00 PM)
- Spain vs Saudi Arabia (10:00 AM)
- Belgium vs IR Iran (1:00 PM)
- New Zealand vs Egypt (7:00 PM)
Monday, June 22nd Fixtures
- Norway vs Senegal (6:00 PM)
- France vs Iraq (3:00 PM)
- Argentina vs Austria (11:00 AM)
- Jordan vs Algeria (9:00 PM)
Tuesday, June 23rd Fixtures
- England vs Ghana
- Panama vs Croatia
- Portugal vs Uzbekistan
- Columbia vs Congo DR
Wednesday, June 24th Fixtures
- Scotland vs Brazil
- Morocco vs Haiti
- Switzerland vs Canada
- Bosnia and Herzegovina vs Qatar
- Czechia vs Mexico
- South Africa vs Korea Republic
Thursday, June 25th Fixtures
- Curaçao vs Côte d’Ivoire
- Ecuador vs Germany
- Japan vs Sweden
- Tunisia vs Netherlands
- Turkiye vs USA
- Paraguay vs Australia
Friday, June 26th Fixtures
- Norway vs France
- Senegal vs Iraq
- Egypt vs IR Iran
- New Zealand vs Belgium
- Cabo Verde vs Saudi Arabia
- Uruguay vs Spain
Saturday, June 27th Fixtures
- Panama vs England
- Croatia vs Ghana
- Algeria vs Austria
- Jordan vs Argentina
- Columbia vs Portugal
- Congo DR vs Uzbekistan
World Cup Schedule 2026: Full Group Phase Schedule