World Cup 2026 Match Schedule: Dates, Kickoff Times & How to Watch Worldwide
The 2026 FIFA World Cup is the first 48-team edition, spread across Canada, Mexico, and the United States with 104 matches in 16 host cities. Whether you follow from the UK, the US, Thailand, Phuket, or anywhere else, the hard part is not finding football — it is lining up dates, kickoff times, and a streaming setup that will not fail on match night.
This guide summarises the confirmed tournament window, the biggest opening fixtures, knockout-phase dates, and timezone-friendly kickoff references so you can plan ahead with Monster Streams IPTV — a worldwide IPTV provider for homes, hotels, villas, sports bars, and restaurants.
Tournament Dates at a Glance
The tournament runs from the opening whistle on Thursday 11 June 2026 through the final on Sunday 19 July 2026 — 39 days of football across three countries.
| Phase | Dates (2026) | Matches |
|---|---|---|
| Group stage | 11 June – 27 June | 72 |
| Round of 32 | 28 June – 3 July | 16 |
| Round of 16 | 4 July – 7 July | 8 |
| Quarter-finals | 9 July – 11 July | 4 |
| Semi-finals | 14 July – 15 July | 2 |
| Bronze final (3rd place) | 18 July | 1 |
| Final | 19 July | 1 |
Opening match: Mexico vs South Africa at Estadio Azteca, Mexico City — 11 June 2026.
Final: MetLife Stadium, New York / New Jersey — 19 July 2026, 15:00 Eastern Time (ET).
Kickoff Times: US (ET), UK & Thailand
Host venues use local stadium time. For viewers abroad, convert from Eastern Time (ET) during the North American summer (EDT, UTC−4). Approximate offsets:
- UK (BST): typically +5 hours vs ET (e.g. 15:00 ET → 20:00 UK)
- Thailand / Phuket (ICT): typically +11 hours vs ET — often early morning the next calendar day (e.g. 15:00 ET Tue → 02:00 Wed ICT)
- US West Coast (PT): typically −3 hours vs ET
| ET (host reference) | UK (BST) | Thailand (ICT) |
|---|---|---|
| 12:00 | 17:00 | 23:00 same day |
| 15:00 | 20:00 | 02:00 next day |
| 18:00 | 23:00 | 05:00 next day |
| 21:00 | 02:00 next day | 08:00 next day |
Always double-check the day boundary for late ET kickoffs if you are in Asia or Europe — a “Saturday night” game in the US can be Sunday morning abroad.
Opening Group-Stage Matches (11–17 June)
The first week sets the tone for the tournament. Below are the opening fixtures with Eastern Time (ET) kickoffs and venues (group-stage match numbers 1–24).
| Date | ET | Match | Venue / city |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11 Jun | 15:00 | Mexico vs South Africa | Estadio Azteca, Mexico City |
| 11 Jun | 22:00 | South Korea vs Czechia | Estadio Akron, Guadalajara |
| 12 Jun | 15:00 | Canada vs Bosnia and Herzegovina | BMO Field, Toronto |
| 12 Jun | 21:00 | USA vs Paraguay | SoFi Stadium, Los Angeles |
| 13 Jun | 21:00 | Haiti vs Scotland | Gillette Stadium, Boston |
| 13 Jun | 21:00 | Australia vs Türkiye | BC Place, Vancouver |
| 13 Jun | 18:00 | Brazil vs Morocco | MetLife Stadium, NY/NJ |
| 13 Jun | 15:00 | Qatar vs Switzerland | Levi's Stadium, SF Bay Area |
| 14 Jun | 19:00 | Côte d'Ivoire vs Ecuador | Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia |
| 14 Jun | 13:00 | Germany vs Curaçao | NRG Stadium, Houston |
| 14 Jun | 16:00 | Netherlands vs Japan | AT&T Stadium, Dallas |
| 14 Jun | 22:00 | Sweden vs Tunisia | Estadio BBVA, Monterrey |
| 15 Jun | 18:00 | Saudi Arabia vs Uruguay | Hard Rock Stadium, Miami |
| 15 Jun | 12:00 | Spain vs Cape Verde | Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta |
| 15 Jun | 21:00 | Iran vs New Zealand | SoFi Stadium, Los Angeles |
| 15 Jun | 15:00 | Belgium vs Egypt | Lumen Field, Seattle |
| 16 Jun | 15:00 | France vs Senegal | MetLife Stadium, NY/NJ |
| 16 Jun | 18:00 | Iraq vs Norway | Gillette Stadium, Boston |
| 16 Jun | 21:00 | Argentina vs Algeria | Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City |
| 17 Jun | 19:00 | Ghana vs Panama | BMO Field, Toronto |
| 17 Jun | 16:00 | England vs Croatia | AT&T Stadium, Dallas |
| 17 Jun | 13:00 | Portugal vs DR Congo | NRG Stadium, Houston |
| 17 Jun | 22:00 | Uzbekistan vs Colombia | Estadio Azteca, Mexico City |
Group-stage play continues through 27 June 2026. The top two in each group plus the eight best third-placed teams advance to the new Round of 32.
Marquee Group Games Worth Diarising
- USA group stage: vs Paraguay (12 Jun, LA), vs Australia (19 Jun, Seattle), vs Türkiye (25 Jun, LA)
- England vs Croatia — 17 Jun, 16:00 ET, Dallas (Group L)
- Brazil vs Morocco — 13 Jun, 18:00 ET, New York / New Jersey (Group C)
- Germany vs Curaçao — 14 Jun, 12:00 ET, Houston (Group E) — Curaçao’s World Cup debut
- France vs Senegal — 16 Jun, 15:00 ET, NY/NJ (Group I)
- Argentina vs Algeria — 16 Jun, 21:00 ET, Kansas City (Group J)
- Monterrey milestone: Tunisia vs Japan on 20 Jun is the 1,000th FIFA World Cup match (22:00 local / Monterrey)
Knockout Schedule: Round of 32 to Final
From 28 June, every match is win-or-go-home. Key confirmed knockout slots (ET kickoffs):
| Round | Date | ET | Fixture | Venue / city |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Round of 32 | 28 Jun – 3 Jul | varies | 16 matches (48 → 32 teams) | Across host cities |
| Round of 16 | 4 Jul | 13:00 / 17:00 | Matches 89–90 | Houston, Philadelphia |
| Round of 16 | 5 Jul | 16:00 / 20:00 | Matches 91–92 | NY/NJ, Mexico City |
| Round of 16 | 6 Jul | 14:00 / 15:00 / 20:00 | Matches 93–94 | Dallas, Seattle |
| Round of 16 | 7 Jul | 12:00 / 16:00 | Matches 95–96 | Atlanta, Vancouver |
| Quarter-final | 9 Jul | 16:00 | Match 97 | Boston |
| Quarter-final | 10 Jul | 15:00 | Match 98 | Los Angeles |
| Quarter-final | 11 Jul | 17:00 / 21:00 | Matches 99–100 | Miami, Kansas City |
| Semi-final | 14 Jul | 15:00 | Match 101 | Dallas |
| Semi-final | 15 Jul | 15:00 | Match 102 | Atlanta |
| Bronze final | 18 Jul | 17:00 | Match 103 | Hard Rock Stadium, Miami |
| Final | 19 Jul | 15:00 | Match 104 | MetLife Stadium, NY/NJ |
For the complete list of all 104 fixtures with stadium-local times, use the official FIFA match hub: FIFA World Cup 2026 schedule.
Stream the World Cup Worldwide with Monster Streams
Forty-eight nations. Six confederations. Supporters in every timezone from Bangkok to Boston. If you are planning to follow the full tournament — or run screens in a hotel, villa, sports bar, or restaurant — you need IPTV-style setup that is stable before the first whistle.
Monster Streams is a worldwide IPTV provider with setup support for the UK, US, Thailand, Phuket, Southeast Asia, and beyond. We support Firestick, Android boxes, Smart TVs, phones, and tablets — with guides on our setup hub so you can be live quickly.
Kickoff is 11 June 2026. Sort your devices, test your network, and confirm your plan before the group-stage rush.
Get match-ready before 11 June.
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Match dates and Eastern Time kickoffs align with FIFA’s published World Cup 2026™ schedule and host-city fixtures. Times may be shown in local stadium time on official broadcasts; always confirm on the day of play. Use services only as permitted in your jurisdiction.