Get the complete 2026 World Cup schedule with EDT kickoff times, group stage fixtures, and details on the new 48-team tournament format.
Last Updated: June 10, 2026The 2026 World Cup, co-hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico, features an expanded 48-team format that significantly alters the tournament structure.
For American fans following Mauricio Pochettino’s squad—featuring players like Christian Pulisic, Weston McKennie, and Gio Reyna—understanding the new progression rules, the increased volume of games, and the Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) schedule is essential. Below is a comprehensive guide to the revised format and the complete fixture list.
🏆 The 48-Team Era: How the New Format Works
To accommodate the expansion to 48 teams, FIFA has restructured the group and knockout stages. The eventual champions will now need to play a total of eight matches.
- 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.
- Wildcard Spots: The eight best third-place teams overall will also progress based on their group stage performance and goal differential.
- The Round of 32: This newly introduced phase marks the beginning of the single-elimination knockout stage, expanding the sudden-death matches to 32 teams.
- Path to the Trophy: From the Round of 32 onwards, the tournament follows a straight knockout format through the Round of 16, Quarterfinals, and Semifinals, culminating in the Final at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.
🇺🇸 USMNT Group D Spotlight
The United States will compete in Group D against Paraguay, Australia, and Türkiye. Here is the schedule for the USMNT group stage matches:
- June 12, 9:00 PM EDT: USA vs. Paraguay (SoFi Stadium, Los Angeles)
- June 19, 3:00 PM EDT: USA vs. Australia (Lumen Field, Seattle)
- June 25, 10:00 PM EDT: Türkiye vs. USA (SoFi Stadium, Los Angeles)
🗓️ Complete Group Stage Schedule (EDT)
Note: All kickoff times are listed in Eastern Daylight Time (EDT).
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 Bay Area)
- 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)
Wednesday, June 17
- 12:00 AM (Midnight): Austria vs. Jordan (San Francisco Bay Area)
- 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 Bay Area)
- 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 Bay Area)
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 Bay Area)
- 11:00 PM: Egypt vs. Iran (Seattle) (Note: Played late-night EDT)
- 11:00 PM: New Zealand vs. Belgium (Vancouver) (Note: Played late-night EDT)
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)
⚔️ The Knockout Stage Bracket (EDT)
Once the group stages conclude, the single-elimination matchups begin.
| Phase | Dates | Key Details & Kickoff Times (EDT) |
| Round of 32 | June 28 – July 3 | Played across 14 host venues. Kickoff times mostly fall into the 3:00 PM, 6:00 PM, and 9:30 PM windows. |
| Round of 16 | July 4 – July 7 | Independence Day weekend matchups hosted in Houston, Philadelphia, New York/New Jersey, Mexico City, Dallas, Seattle, Atlanta, and Vancouver. |
Quarterfinals
- 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
Semifinals
- July 14 (3:00 PM): Dallas
- July 15 (3:00 PM): Atlanta
Third-Place 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
Author:
Lucas Portela
Owner, BoldGambler • Avanhandava/SP
Oddsmaker, affiliate and content creator in the iGaming industry.