The highest governing body in world football has released the detailed table with the dates and times of the 2026 World Cup matches. The tournament, which innovates by featuring 48 teams for the first time in history, will take place between June 11th and July 19th. Fans watching from the national territory will be able to watch the clashes based on the Brasília time zone, which makes daily planning easier. The competition promises a marathon of games spread across several countries in North America.
Official opening and first steps of the host countries
The championship kick-off takes place on June 11th, a Thursday, with the ball rolling for Group A. Mexico, which shares the hosting role with the United States and Canada, will play the opening match against South Africa, at 4pm. Expectations for the Mexican team are high, as the team plays in front of their fans on the first day of the event. Soon after, at 11 pm, South Korea measures forces with the Czech Republic to end the key’s activities.
The following day, June 12, the other two organizing countries enter the field in brackets B and D. Canada has a scheduled match against Bosnia at 4pm, seeking to start the campaign well at home. During the night, at 10 pm, the United States team hosts Paraguay. The predominance of night matches occurs precisely to adapt the broadcasts to the local time zones of the North American host cities.
Debut of the Brazilian team and Group C disputes
The five-time world champion team will make its first appearance at the tournament during the first weekend of competitions. Brazil takes the field on Saturday, June 13th, at 7pm, to face the strong Morocco team, which reached the semi-finals in the last edition of the tournament. The clash demands the full attention of the Brazilian team to secure the initial three points in Group C.
The Brazilian bracket has two other teams that also play on the same day to define the initial classification. Haiti faces Scotland at 10pm, in a duel that ends the first round of this specific group. The result of this night match will define the provisional leadership alongside the winner of the Brazilian game.
Complete table of matches for the first round of the World Cup
To facilitate daily monitoring, the organization structured the first days of competition with up to four daily matches. The list below details the Brasília schedules for the clashes that open the group stage of the international tournament.
- June 11: Mexico x South Africa (4pm) and South Korea x Czech Republic (11pm).
- June 12: Canada x Bosnia (4pm) and United States x Paraguay (10pm).
- June 13: Qatar x Switzerland (4pm), Brazil x Morocco (7pm) and Haiti x Scotland (10pm).
- June 14: Australia x Turkey (01h), Germany x Curaçao (2pm), Netherlands x Japan (17h), Ivory Coast (20h) and Sweden x Tunisia (23h).
- June 15: Spain x Cape Verde (1pm), Belgium x Egypt (4pm), Uruguay x Saudi Arabia (7pm) and Iran x New Zealand (10pm).
- June 16: France x Senegal (4pm), Iraq x Norway (7pm), Argentina x Algeria (10pm) and Austria x Jordan (1am).
- June 17: Portugal x DR Congo (2pm), England x Croatia (5pm), Ghana x Panama (8pm) and Uzbekistan x Colombia (11pm).
- June 18: Czech Republic x South Africa (1pm), opening the second round.
Path of European and South American powers
The traditional teams from the European continent start playing on Sunday, June 14th. Germany begins its search for another title against Curaçao, at 2pm, in Group E. Shortly afterwards, at 5pm, the Netherlands steps onto the pitch for a duel against Japan, valid for Group F. The day’s agenda also includes the clash between Sweden and Tunisia, scheduled for 11pm.
Monday, June 15th, brings to the field important teams from Groups G and H. Spain plays in the early afternoon, at 1 pm, against the Cape Verde team. Belgium plays next, at 4pm, competing for victory against Egypt. Representing South America, Uruguay has a scheduled match against Saudi Arabia at 7pm, while Iran ends the date by playing against New Zealand at 10pm.
Historical reunions and closure of the initial phase
June 16th holds a moment of nostalgia for sports fans, with France facing Senegal at 4pm. The game recreates the famous opening match of 2002, when the Africans surprised the then world champions. On the same day, Iraq plays against Norway at 7pm. Argentina, current holder of the trophy, begins the defense of its title against Algeria, at 10pm, in Group J.
The first round approaches its end on June 17th, when Portugal takes the field at 2pm against the Democratic Republic of Congo. England plays one of the most anticipated games of the group stage against Croatia, at 5pm, repeating the semi-final of the 2018 World Cup. Ghana and Panama play at 8pm, and Colombia ends the opening round against Uzbekistan at 11pm. The tournament does not allow for breaks, and the second round begins on June 18th with the game between the Czech Republic and South Africa.