The World Cup Final will be played at 3:00 p.m. local time in New Jersey. Spain vs. Uruguay in Guadalajara
The World Cup final will begin at 3:00 p.m. local time at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
FIFA announced on Saturday the schedules for all 104 matches, the day after the group-stage draw for the expanded tournament to 48 teams, the largest field in World Cup history.
An early-afternoon final on the East Coast of the United States is ideal for European countries, as it lands in a prime-time time slot for the nocturnal audience: 9:00 p.m. on the continent and 8:00 p.m. in the United Kingdom.
The opening match on June 11 at the Azteca Stadium in Mexico City between the host nation Mexico and South Africa will kick off at 1:00 p.m. local time (3:00 p.m. on the East Coast).
Both semifinals will be played in the afternoon. The July 14 match at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas will begin at 2:00 p.m. local time (3:00 p.m. on the East Coast) and the following day from 3:00 p.m. local time at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. Both venues have retractable roofs.
During an event at the Capital Hilton hotel, FIFA finished assigning the venues for the 54 group-stage matches that had not been set in Friday’s draw. Only the venues for Groups A, B, and D — those areas involving co-hosts Mexico, Canada, and the United States — had been established previously.
Defending champion Argentina will make its debut on June 16 against Algeria at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, followed by two matches at AT&T Stadium in Arlington — on June 22 against Austria and on June 27 against Jordan.
Spain, the reigning European champion, will close its group stage with a meeting against Uruguay on June 26 at the Akron Stadium in Guadalajara. Spain’s first two group matches — against Cape Verde and Saudi Arabia — will be held in Atlanta.
Colombia will play two matches in Mexico, the first against Uzbekistan on June 17 at the Azteca and then against the winner of an intercontinental playoff on June 23. They will finish the group stage with a match against Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal on June 27 at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami.
Brazil will make its debut on June 13 against Morocco in New Jersey, followed by a match against Haiti on June 19 in Philadelphia and a clash with Scotland on June 24 in Miami.
The FIFA World Cup 26™ draw took place on Friday and the groups are set
Developing story, more to come
Group Stage of the FIFA World Cup 26™
Thursday, June 11, 2026
Match 1 – Group A (Mexico #1) – Mexico City Stadium Match 2 – Group A – Guadalajara Stadium
Friday, June 12, 2026
Match 3 – Group B (Canada #1) – Toronto Stadium
Match 4 – Group D (USA #1) – Los Angeles Stadium
Saturday, June 13, 2026
Match 5 – Group C – Boston Stadium
Match 6 – Group D – BC Place Vancouver
Match 7 – Group C – New York/New Jersey Stadium
Match 8 – Group B – San Francisco Bay Area Stadium
Sunday, June 14, 2026
Match 9 – Group E – Philadelphia Stadium
Match 10 – Group E – Houston Stadium
Match 11 – Group F – Dallas Stadium
Match 12 – Group F – Monterrey Stadium
Monday, June 15, 2026
Match 13 – Group H – Miami Stadium
Match 14 – Group H – Atlanta Stadium
Match 15 – Group G – Los Angeles Stadium
Match 16 – Group G – Seattle Stadium
Tuesday, June 16, 2026
Match 17 – Group I – New York/New Jersey Stadium
Match 18 – Group I – Boston Stadium
Match 19 – Group J – Kansas City Stadium
Match 20 – Group J – San Francisco Bay Area Stadium
Wednesday, June 17, 2026
Match 21 – Group L – Toronto Stadium
Match 22 – Group L – Dallas Stadium
Match 23 – Group K – Houston Stadium
Match 24 – Group K – Mexico City Stadium
Thursday, June 18, 2026
Match 25 – Group A – Atlanta Stadium
Match 26 – Group B – Los Angeles Stadium
Match 27 – Group B (Canada #2) – BC Place Vancouver
Match 28 – Group A (Mexico #2) – Guadalajara Stadium
Friday, June 19, 2026
Match 29 – Group C – Philadelphia Stadium
Match 30 – Group C – Boston Stadium
Match 31 – Group D – San Francisco Bay Area Stadium
Match 32 – Group D (USA #2) – Seattle Stadium
Saturday, June 20, 2026
Match 33 – Group E – Toronto Stadium
Match 34 – Group E – Kansas City Stadium
Match 35 – Group F – Houston Stadium
Match 36 – Group F – Monterrey Stadium
Sunday, June 21, 2026
Match 37 – Group H – Miami Stadium
Match 38 – Group H – Atlanta Stadium
Match 39 – Group G – Los Angeles Stadium
Match 40 – Group G – BC Place Vancouver
Monday, June 22, 2026
Match 41 – Group I – New York/New Jersey Stadium
Match 42 – Group I – Philadelphia Stadium
Match 43 – Group J – Dallas Stadium
Match 44 – Group J – San Francisco Bay Area Stadium
Tuesday, June 23, 2026
Match 45 – Group L – Boston Stadium
Match 46 – Group L – Toronto Stadium
Match 47 – Group K – Houston Stadium
Match 48 – Group K – Mexico City Stadium
Wednesday, June 24, 2026
Match 49 – Group C – Miami Stadium
Match 50 – Group C – Atlanta Stadium
Match 51 – Group B (Canada #3) – BC Place Vancouver
Match 52 – Group B – Seattle Stadium
Match 53 – Group A (Mexico #3) – Mexico City Stadium
Match 54 – Group A – Monterrey Stadium
Thursday, June 25, 2026
Match 55 – Group E – Philadelphia Stadium
Match 56 – Group E – New York/New Jersey Stadium
Match 57 – Group F – Dallas Stadium
Match 58 – Group F – Kansas City Stadium
Match 59 – Group D (USA #3) – Los Angeles Stadium
Match 60 – Group D – San Francisco Bay Area Stadium
Friday, June 26, 2026
Match 61 – Group I – Boston Stadium
Match 62 – Group I – Toronto Stadium
Match 63 – Group G – Seattle Stadium
Match 64 – Group G – BC Place Vancouver
Match 65 – Group H – Houston Stadium
Match 66 – Group H – Guadalajara Stadium
Saturday, June 27, 2026
Match 67 – Group L – New York/New Jersey Stadium
Match 68 – Group L – Philadelphia Stadium
Match 69 – Group J – Kansas City Stadium
Match 70 – Group J – Dallas Stadium
Match 71 – Group K – Miami Stadium
Match 72 – Group K – Atlanta Stadium
FIFA World Cup 26™ – Round of 16
Sunday, June 28, 2026
Match 73 – 2nd Group A v 2nd Group B – Los Angeles Stadium
Monday, June 29, 2026
Match 74 – 1st Group E v 3rd Group A/B/C/D/F – Boston Stadium
Match 75 – 1st Group F v 2nd Group C – Monterrey Stadium
Match 76 – 1st Group E v 2nd Group F – Houston Stadium
Tuesday, June 30, 2026
Match 77 – 1st Group I v 3rd Group C/D/F/G/H – New York/New Jersey Stadium
Match 78 – 2nd Group E v 2nd Group I – Dallas Stadium
Match 79 – 1st Group A v 3rd Group C/E/F/H/I – Mexico City Stadium
Wednesday, July 1, 2026
Match 80 – 1st Group L v 3rd Group E/H/I/J/K – Atlanta Stadium
Match 81 – 1st Group D v 3rd Group B/E/F/I/J – San Francisco Bay Area Stadium
Match 82 – 1st Group G v 3rd Group A/E/H/I/J – Seattle Stadium
Thursday, July 2, 2026 Match 83 – 2nd Group K v 2nd Group L – Toronto Stadium
Match 84 – 1st Group H v 2nd Group J – Los Angeles Stadium
Match 85 – 1st Group B v 3rd Group E/F/G/I/J – BC Place Vancouver
Friday, July 3, 2026
Match 86 – 1st Group J v 2nd Group H – Miami Stadium
Match 87 – 1st Group K v 3rd Group D/E/I/J/L – Kansas City Stadium
Match 88 – 2nd Group D v 2nd Group G – Dallas Stadium
FIFA World Cup 26™ – Quarterfinals
Thursday, July 9, 2026
Match 97 – Winner Match 89 v Winner Match 90 – Boston Stadium
Friday, July 10, 2026
Match 98 – Winner Match 93 v Winner Match 94 – Los Angeles Stadium
Saturday, July 11, 2026
Match 99 – Winner Match 91 v Winner Match 92 – Miami Stadium
Match 100 – Winner Match 95 v Winner Match 96 – Kansas City Stadium
FIFA World Cup 26™ – Semifinals
Tuesday, July 14, 2026
Match 101 – Winner Match 97 v Winner Match 98 – Dallas Stadium
Wednesday, July 15, 2026
Match 102 – Winner Match 99 v Winner Match 100 – Atlanta Stadium
FIFA World Cup 26™ – Third Place Match
Saturday, July 18, 2026
Match 103 – Loser Match 101 v Loser Match 102 – Miami Stadium
FIFA World Cup 26™ – Final
Sunday, July 19, 2026
Match 104 – Winner Match 101 v Winner Match 102 – New York/New Jersey Stadium
The decision to publish the calendar a day later reflects the logistical complexity of the upcoming World Cup: 104 matches, 16 venues, and three host countries — Mexico, the United States, and Canada — a puzzle that requires more time to analyze than in previous editions.
According to FIFA, adjusting dates, times, travel distances, and stadium assignments demands precision to ensure the smooth conduct of the largest football tournament in history.
