The 2026 World Cup begins this Thursday (June 11) with the opening game between Mexico and South Africa, at the Azteca Stadium, in Mexico City. The biggest edition in the tournament’s history, with 48 teams and 104 games, will be played in 16 stadiums in the United States, Mexico and Canada until July 19.
The expanded format maintains the group stage with 12 brackets of four teams each. The two best teams in each group advance directly, in addition to the eight best third-placed teams, to the round of 16 that starts on June 28th.
Where to watch in the United States
English broadcasts are with Fox and FS1. In Spanish, Telemundo and Universo. Streaming is done by Fox One (English) and Peacock (Spanish). Games take place between 12pm and midnight Eastern Time (ET), adhering to the different time zones in North America.
Venues for the 2026 World Cup
United States
- Inglewood (SoFi Stadium)
- Santa Clara (Levi’s Stadium)
- East Rutherford (MetLife Stadium)
- Foxborough (Gillette Stadium)
- Houston (NRG Stadium)
- Arlington (AT&T Stadium)
- Philadelphia (Lincoln Financial Field)
- Atlanta (Mercedes-Benz Stadium)
- Seattle (Lumen Field)
- Miami (Hard Rock Stadium)
- Kansas City (Arrowhead Stadium)
Canada
- Toronto (BMO Field)
- Vancouver (BC Place)
Mexico
- Mexico City (Azteca Stadium)
- Zapopan (Akron Stadium)
- Guadalupe (BBVA Stadium)
Early stage groups
- Group A: Mexico, South Africa, South Korea, Czechia
- Group B: Canada, Switzerland, Qatar, Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Group C: Haiti, Morocco, Scotland, Brazil
- Group D: United States, Australia, Paraguay, Türkiye
- Group E: Germany, Ecuador, Ivory Coast, Curaçao
- Group F: Netherlands, Sweden, Tunisia, Japan
- Group G: Belgium, Iran, Egypt, New Zealand
- Group H: Spain, Saudi Arabia, Uruguay, Cape Verde
- Group I: France, Iraq, Norway, Senegal
- Group J: Algeria, Austria, Jordan, Argentina
- Group K: Democratic Republic of Congo, Uzbekistan, Colombia, Portugal
- Group L: England, Ghana, Croatia, Panama
Schedule of first games
Thursday, June 11th (Day 1)
- Mexico x South Africa (Group A) – 3pm (ET) – Fox / Telemundo
- South Korea x Czechia (Group A) – 10pm (ET) – FS1 / Telemundo
Friday, June 12th (Day 2)
- Canada x Bosnia and Herzegovina (Group B) – 3pm (ET) – Fox / Telemundo
- United States x Paraguay (Group D) – 9pm (ET) – Fox / Telemundo
Saturday, June 13th (Day 3)
- Qatar x Switzerland (Group B) – 3pm (ET) – Fox / Telemundo
- Brazil x Morocco (Group C) – 6pm (ET) – FS1 / Telemundo
- Haiti x Scotland (Group C) – 9pm (ET) – FS1 / Telemundo
Sunday, June 14th (Day 4)
- Australia x Türkiye (Group D) – 00h (ET) – FS1 / Telemundo
- Germany x Curaçao (Group E) – 1pm (ET) – Fox / Telemundo
- Netherlands x Japan (Group F) – 4pm (ET) – Fox / Telemundo
- Ivory Coast x Ecuador (Group E) – 7pm (ET) – FS1 / Telemundo
- Sweden x Tunisia (Group F) – 10pm (ET) – FS1 / Telemundo
Monday, June 15th (Day 5)
- Spain x Cape Verde (Group H) – 12pm (ET) – Fox / Telemundo
- Belgium x Egypt (Group G) – 3pm (ET) – Fox / Telemundo
- Saudi Arabia x Uruguay (Group H) – 6pm (ET) – FS1 / Telemundo
- Iran x New Zealand (Group G) – 9pm (ET) – FS1 / Telemundo
Tuesday, June 16th (Day 6)
- France x Senegal (Group I) – 3pm (ET) – Fox / Telemundo
- Iraq x Norway (Group I) – 6pm (ET) – Fox / Telemundo
- Argentina x Algeria (Group J) – 9pm (ET) – Fox / Telemundo
The complete group stage calendar continues to be released by FIFA as the competition progresses.
Why the opening game is special
The Mexico x South Africa clash repeats the opening game of the 2010 World Cup, in South Africa. The Azteca Stadium, which already hosted the 1970 and 1986 finals, will become the first stadium to open three editions of the World Cup.