The 2026 World Cup will feature an expanded 48-team format, significantly altering the traditional tournament structure.
For UK fans following teams like Thomas Tuchel’s England or Steve Clarke’s Scotland, understanding the new progression rules and navigating the time differences is essential. Below is a comprehensive guide to how the 2026 World Cup will work, complete with the full fixture list converted to British Summer Time (BST).
🏆 The New 48-Team Format Explained
To accommodate the expansion to 48 teams, FIFA has restructured the group and knockout stages. The eventual champions will now have to play eight matches instead of seven.
- The Group Stage: The 48 nations are divided into 12 groups of four. Every team plays three matches.
- Automatic Qualification: The top two teams from each group advance directly to the knockout rounds.
- The Third-Place Lifeline: The eight best third-placed sides across all 12 groups will also progress based on their overall points and goal difference.
- The Round of 32: This is a brand-new knockout round. The 32 remaining teams will enter a single-elimination phase, bringing sudden-death matches into the schedule earlier than in previous tournaments.
- Path to the Final: From the Round of 32 onwards, the tournament follows a straight knockout format through the Last 16, Quarter-finals, and Semi-finals, culminating in the Final at the MetLife Stadium in New York.
🗓️ Group Stage Fixtures (UK Time)
Note: All kick-off times are listed in British Summer Time (BST).
Thursday, 11th June
- 20:00: Mexico v South Africa (Mexico City)
Friday, 12th June
- 03:00: South Korea v Czechia (Guadalajara)
- 20:00: Canada v Bosnia & Herzegovina (Toronto)
Saturday, 13th June
- 02:00: USA v Paraguay (Los Angeles)
- 05:00: Australia v Türkiye (Vancouver)
- 20:00: Qatar v Switzerland (San Francisco)
- 23:00: Brazil v Morocco (New York)
Sunday, 14th June
- 02:00: Haiti v Scotland (Boston)
- 18:00: Germany v Curaçao (Houston)
- 21:00: Netherlands v Japan (Dallas)
Monday, 15th June
- 00:00: Ivory Coast v Ecuador (Philadelphia)
- 03:00: Sweden v Tunisia (Monterrey)
- 17:00: Spain v Cape Verde (Atlanta)
- 20:00: Belgium v Egypt (Seattle)
- 23:00: Saudi Arabia v Uruguay (Miami)
Tuesday, 16th June
- 02:00: Iran v New Zealand (Los Angeles)
- 20:00: France v Senegal (New York)
- 23:00: Iraq v Norway (Boston)
Wednesday, 17th June
- 02:00: Argentina v Algeria (Kansas City)
- 05:00: Austria v Jordan (San Francisco)
- 18:00: Portugal v DR Congo (Houston)
- 21:00: England v Croatia (Dallas)
Thursday, 18th June
- 00:00: Ghana v Panama (Toronto)
- 03:00: Uzbekistan v Colombia (Mexico City)
- 17:00: Czechia v South Africa (Atlanta)
- 20:00: Switzerland v Bosnia & Herzegovina (Los Angeles)
- 23:00: Canada v Qatar (Vancouver)
Friday, 19th June
- 02:00: Mexico v South Korea (Guadalajara)
- 05:00: Türkiye v Paraguay (San Francisco)
- 20:00: USA v Australia (Seattle)
- 23:00: Scotland v Morocco (Boston)
Saturday, 20th June
- 02:00: Brazil v Haiti (Philadelphia)
- 18:00: Netherlands v Sweden (Houston)
- 21:00: Germany v Ivory Coast (Toronto)
Sunday, 21st June
- 01:00: Ecuador v Curaçao (Kansas City)
- 05:00: Tunisia v Japan (Monterrey)
- 17:00: Spain v Saudi Arabia (Atlanta)
- 20:00: Belgium v Iran (Los Angeles)
- 23:00: Uruguay v Cape Verde (Miami)
Monday, 22nd June
- 02:00: New Zealand v Egypt (Vancouver)
- 18:00: Argentina v Austria (Dallas)
- 22:00: France v Iraq (Philadelphia)
Tuesday, 23rd June
- 01:00: Norway v Senegal (New York)
- 04:00: Jordan v Algeria (San Francisco)
- 18:00: Portugal v Uzbekistan (Houston)
- 21:00: England v Ghana (Boston)
Wednesday, 24th June
- 00:00: Panama v Croatia (Toronto)
- 03:00: Colombia v DR Congo (Guadalajara)
- 20:00: Switzerland v Canada (Vancouver)
- 20:00: Bosnia & Herzegovina v Qatar (Seattle)
- 23:00: Scotland v Brazil (Miami)
- 23:00: Morocco v Haiti (Atlanta)
Thursday, 25th June
- 02:00: Czechia v Mexico (Mexico City)
- 02:00: South Africa v South Korea (Monterrey)
- 21:00: Ecuador v Germany (New York)
- 21:00: Curaçao v Ivory Coast (Philadelphia)
Friday, 26th June
- 00:00: Tunisia v Netherlands (Kansas City)
- 00:00: Japan v Sweden (Dallas)
- 03:00: Türkiye v USA (Los Angeles)
- 03:00: Paraguay v Australia (San Francisco)
- 04:00: Egypt v Iran (Seattle)
- 04:00: New Zealand v Belgium (Vancouver)
- 20:00: Norway v France (Boston)
- 20:00: Senegal v Iraq (Toronto)
Saturday, 27th June
- 01:00: Uruguay v Spain (Guadalajara)
- 01:00: Cape Verde v Saudi Arabia (Houston)
- 22:00: Panama v England (New York)
- 22:00: Croatia v Ghana (Philadelphia)
Sunday, 28th June
- 00:30: Colombia v Portugal (Miami)
- 00:30: DR Congo v Uzbekistan (Atlanta)
- 03:00: Jordan v Argentina (Dallas)
- 03:00: Algeria v Austria (Kansas City)
⚔️ Knockout Stage Schedule (BST)
Round of 32
Ties will be played between 28th June and 4th July. Kick-off times vary across 14 different cities, mostly falling in the 20:00 slot or between 01:00 and 03:00 BST.
Round of 16
Played between 4th July and 8th July. Matches will kick off at either 18:00, 21:00, or 02:00 BST across host cities such as Houston, Philadelphia, New York, and Seattle.
Quarter-finals
- 9th July (21:00): Boston
- 10th July (20:00): Los Angeles
- 11th July (22:00): Miami
- 12th July (02:00): Kansas City
Semi-finals
- 14th July (20:00): Dallas
- 15th July (20:00): Atlanta
Third-Place Play-off
- Saturday, 18th July (22:00): Miami
The 2026 World Cup Final
- Sunday, 19th July (20:00): MetLife Stadium, New York
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