The 2026 FIFA World Cup is coming to North America, and with the tournament expanding to 48 teams, the old-school World Cup format is officially a thing of the past. It’s huge news for us, especially with matches hitting the pitch right here in Toronto and Vancouver.
If you’re following Jesse Marsch’s CanMNT, you’ll want to get a handle on the new structure, the key dates for the squad, and the full tournament schedule. We’ve laid everything out below in Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) so you don’t miss a second of the action.
The CanMNT Spotlight: Group B
Canada is drawn into Group B alongside Qatar, Switzerland, and Bosnia and Herzegovina. Coach Jesse Marsch’s 26-man roster includes a mix of Qatar 2022 veterans and dual-national talent. Key figures include Alphonso Davies (currently managing a hamstring concern), Jonathan David, and Cyle Larin. Canada will play all their group stage matches on home soil:
- June 12, 3:00 PM EDT: Canada vs. Bosnia and Herzegovina (Toronto Stadium)
- June 18, 6:00 PM EDT: Canada vs. Qatar (BC Place, Vancouver)
- June 24, 3:00 PM EDT: Switzerland vs. Canada (BC Place, Vancouver)
The 48-Team Format
To accommodate 48 nations, FIFA has updated the progression rules. The eventual champions will now need to play a total of eight matches.
- Group Stage Structure: The 48 teams are divided into 12 groups of four. Each team plays three group matches.
- Automatic Qualification: The top two teams from each group advance directly to the knockout rounds.
- Wildcard Spots: The eight best third-place teams overall will also advance, determined by points and goal differential.
- The Round of 32: This is a newly introduced single-elimination knockout phase. The 32 advancing teams enter this round before progressing to the Round of 16.
Complete Group Stage Schedule (EDT)
Note: All kick-off times are listed in Eastern Daylight Time (EDT – Montreal local time).
Matchweek 1
Thursday, June 11
- 3:00 PM: Mexico vs. South Africa (Mexico City)
- 10:00 PM: South Korea vs. Czechia (Guadalajara)
Friday, June 12
- 3:00 PM: Canada vs. Bosnia and Herzegovina (Toronto)
- 9:00 PM: United States vs. Paraguay (Los Angeles)
Saturday, June 13
- 12:00 AM (Midnight): Australia vs. Türkiye (Vancouver)
- 3:00 PM: Qatar vs. Switzerland (San Francisco)
- 6:00 PM: Brazil vs. Morocco (New York/New Jersey)
- 9:00 PM: Haiti vs. Scotland (Boston)
Sunday, June 14
- 1:00 PM: Germany vs. Curaçao (Houston)
- 4:00 PM: Netherlands vs. Japan (Dallas)
- 7:00 PM: Ivory Coast vs. Ecuador (Philadelphia)
- 10:00 PM: Sweden vs. Tunisia (Monterrey)
Monday, June 15
- 12:00 PM (Noon): Spain vs. Cape Verde (Atlanta)
- 3:00 PM: Belgium vs. Egypt (Seattle)
- 6:00 PM: Saudi Arabia vs. Uruguay (Miami)
- 9:00 PM: Iran vs. New Zealand (Los Angeles)
Tuesday, June 16
- 3:00 PM: France vs. Senegal (New York/New Jersey)
- 6:00 PM: Iraq vs. Norway (Boston)
- 9:00 PM: Argentina vs. Algeria (Kansas City)
Matchweek 2
Wednesday, June 17
- 12:00 AM (Midnight): Austria vs. Jordan (San Francisco)
- 1:00 PM: Portugal vs. DR Congo (Houston)
- 4:00 PM: England vs. Croatia (Dallas)
- 7:00 PM: Ghana vs. Panama (Toronto)
- 10:00 PM: Uzbekistan vs. Colombia (Mexico City)
Thursday, June 18
- 12:00 PM (Noon): Czechia vs. South Africa (Atlanta)
- 3:00 PM: Switzerland vs. Bosnia and Herzegovina (Los Angeles)
- 6:00 PM: Canada vs. Qatar (Vancouver)
- 9:00 PM: Mexico vs. South Korea (Guadalajara)
Friday, June 19
- 12:00 AM (Midnight): Türkiye vs. Paraguay (San Francisco)
- 3:00 PM: United States vs. Australia (Seattle)
- 6:00 PM: Scotland vs. Morocco (Boston)
- 9:00 PM: Brazil vs. Haiti (Philadelphia)
Saturday, June 20
- 1:00 PM: Netherlands vs. Sweden (Houston)
- 4:00 PM: Germany vs. Ivory Coast (Toronto)
- 8:00 PM: Ecuador vs. Curaçao (Kansas City)
Sunday, June 21
- 12:00 AM (Midnight): Tunisia vs. Japan (Monterrey)
- 12:00 PM (Noon): Spain vs. Saudi Arabia (Atlanta)
- 3:00 PM: Belgium vs. Iran (Los Angeles)
- 6:00 PM: Uruguay vs. Cape Verde (Miami)
- 9:00 PM: New Zealand vs. Egypt (Vancouver)
Monday, June 22
- 1:00 PM: Argentina vs. Austria (Dallas)
- 5:00 PM: France vs. Iraq (Philadelphia)
- 8:00 PM: Norway vs. Senegal (New York/New Jersey)
- 11:00 PM: Jordan vs. Algeria (San Francisco)
Matchweek 3
Tuesday, June 23
- 1:00 PM: Portugal vs. Uzbekistan (Houston)
- 4:00 PM: England vs. Ghana (Boston)
- 7:00 PM: Panama vs. Croatia (Toronto)
- 10:00 PM: Colombia vs. DR Congo (Guadalajara)
Wednesday, June 24
- 3:00 PM: Switzerland vs. Canada (Vancouver)
- 3:00 PM: Bosnia and Herzegovina vs. Qatar (Seattle)
- 6:00 PM: Scotland vs. Brazil (Miami)
- 6:00 PM: Morocco vs. Haiti (Atlanta)
- 9:00 PM: Czechia vs. Mexico (Mexico City)
- 9:00 PM: South Africa vs. South Korea (Monterrey)
Thursday, June 25
- 4:00 PM: Ecuador vs. Germany (New York/New Jersey)
- 4:00 PM: Curaçao vs. Ivory Coast (Philadelphia)
- 7:00 PM: Tunisia vs. Netherlands (Kansas City)
- 7:00 PM: Japan vs. Sweden (Dallas)
- 10:00 PM: Türkiye vs. United States (Los Angeles)
- 10:00 PM: Paraguay vs. Australia (San Francisco)
- 11:00 PM: Egypt vs. Iran (Seattle)
- 11:00 PM: New Zealand vs. Belgium (Vancouver)
Friday, June 26
- 3:00 PM: Norway vs. France (Boston)
- 3:00 PM: Senegal vs. Iraq (Toronto)
- 8:00 PM: Uruguay vs. Spain (Guadalajara)
- 8:00 PM: Cape Verde vs. Saudi Arabia (Houston)
Saturday, June 27
- 5:00 PM: Panama vs. England (New York/New Jersey)
- 5:00 PM: Croatia vs. Ghana (Philadelphia)
- 7:30 PM: Colombia vs. Portugal (Miami)
- 7:30 PM: DR Congo vs. Uzbekistan (Atlanta)
- 10:00 PM: Jordan vs. Argentina (Dallas)
- 10:00 PM: Algeria vs. Austria (Kansas City)
Knockout Stage Schedule (EDT)
Canada will host several knockout fixtures in both Toronto and Vancouver. Once the group stages conclude, the single-elimination matchups begin.
| Phase | Dates | Key Details & Kick-off Times (EDT) |
| Round of 32 | June 28 – July 3 | Spread across the continent, including Toronto and Vancouver. Kick-offs mostly land in the 3:00 PM, 6:00 PM, and 9:30 PM windows. |
| Round of 16 | July 4 – July 7 | Hosted in Vancouver, Seattle, Houston, Philadelphia, New York/New Jersey, Mexico City, Dallas, and Atlanta. Kick-offs mostly at 1:00 PM, 5:00 PM, and 9:00 PM. |
Quarter-finals
- July 9 (4:00 PM): Boston
- July 10 (3:00 PM): Los Angeles
- July 11 (5:00 PM): Miami
- July 11 (9:00 PM): Kansas City
Semi-finals
- July 14 (3:00 PM): Dallas
- July 15 (3:00 PM): Atlanta
Bronze Medal Match
- Saturday, July 18 (5:00 PM): Hard Rock Stadium, Miami
The 2026 World Cup Final
- Sunday, July 19 (3:00 PM): MetLife Stadium, New York/New Jersey
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