When and where is the 2026 FIFA World Cup?

The tournament runs from June 11 to July 19, 2026, across 16 cities in the United States, Mexico, and Canada — the first World Cup hosted by three nations.

How many teams are in the 2026 World Cup?

48 teams will compete, up from 32. They are divided into 12 groups of four, with the top two plus eight best third-placed teams advancing to a new Round of 32.

How many matches will be played?

A total of 104 matches will be played across the tournament, including 48 group-stage matches per round, a Round of 32, Round of 16, quarter-finals, semi-finals, and the final.

The final will be held on July 19, 2026, at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA.

Are all 48 teams confirmed?

Not yet. Several spots are still to be decided through intercontinental and confederation playoffs. Teams marked as 'Playoff' in the groups are yet to be determined.

WORLDCUPPER — FIFA World Cup 2026 Guide

Countdown to kickoff

75

Days

04

Hours

53

Minutes

02

Seconds

Opening match: Mexico vs South Africa · June 11, 2026 · Mexico City

All 12 World Cup 2026 groups

GROUP A

Team	Form	xG	Poss%
Mexico	–	–	–
South Africa	–	–	–
South Korea	–	–	–
Team will be confirmed	–	–	–

GROUP B

Team	Form	xG	Poss%
Switzerland	–	–	–
Canada	–	–	–
Qatar	–	–	–
Team will be confirmed	–	–	–

GROUP C

Team	Form	xG	Poss%
Scotland	–	–	–
Brazil	–	–	–
Haiti	–	–	–
Morocco	–	–	–

GROUP D

Team	Form	xG	Poss%
Paraguay	–	–	–
USA	–	–	–
Australia	–	–	–
Team will be confirmed	–	–	–

GROUP E

Team	Form	xG	Poss%
Germany	–	–	–
Ecuador	–	–	–
Ivory Coast	–	–	–
Curaçao	–	–	–

GROUP F

Team	Form	xG	Poss%
Netherlands	–	–	–
Tunisia	–	–	–
Japan	–	–	–
Team will be confirmed	–	–	–

GROUP G

Team	Form	xG	Poss%
Belgium	–	–	–
Egypt	–	–	–
Iran	–	–	–
New Zealand	–	–	–

GROUP H

Team	Form	xG	Poss%
Spain	–	–	–
Uruguay	–	–	–
Cape Verde Islands	–	–	–
Saudi Arabia	–	–	–

GROUP I

Team	Form	xG	Poss%
France	–	–	–
Norway	–	–	–
Senegal	–	–	–
Team will be confirmed	–	–	–

GROUP J

Team	Form	xG	Poss%
Austria	–	–	–
Argentina	–	–	–
Algeria	–	–	–
Jordan	–	–	–

GROUP K

Team	Form	xG	Poss%
Portugal	–	–	–
Colombia	–	–	–
Uzbekistan	–	–	–
Team will be confirmed	–	–	–

GROUP L

Team	Form	xG	Poss%
Croatia	–	–	–
England	–	–	–
Ghana	–	–	–
Panama	–	–	–

GROUP Ranking of third-placed teams

Team	Form	xG	Poss%
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View full group details →

Knockout bracket

The Round of 32 begins June 28. Bracket locks automatically once the group stage concludes on June 27.

Round of 32

June 28 — July 3, 2026

Round of 16

July 4 — July 7, 2026

Quarterfinals

July 9 — July 12, 2026

Semifinals

July 15 — July 16, 2026

Final

July 19, 2026

Semifinals

July 15 — July 16, 2026

Quarterfinals

July 9 — July 12, 2026

Round of 16

July 4 — July 7, 2026

Round of 32

June 28 — July 3, 2026

Final

July 19, 2026

MetLife Stadium, New Jersey

Upcoming matches

Date	Time	Match	Round	Venue	City	Stage
Jun 11	19:00	MexicovsSouth Africa	Gr. Stage - 1	Estadio Azteca	Mexico City	Group Stage
Jun 13	01:00	USAvsParaguay	Gr. Stage - 1	SoFi Stadium	TBD	Group Stage
Jun 13	19:00	QatarvsSwitzerland	Gr. Stage - 1	TBD	TBD	Group Stage
Jun 13	22:00	BrazilvsMorocco	Gr. Stage - 1	MetLife Stadium	TBD	Group Stage
Jun 14	01:00	HaitivsScotland	Gr. Stage - 1	Gillette Stadium	TBD	Group Stage
Jun 14	17:00	GermanyvsCuraçao	Gr. Stage - 1	NRG Stadium	TBD	Group Stage
Jun 14	20:00	NetherlandsvsJapan	Gr. Stage - 1	TBD	TBD	Group Stage
Jun 14	23:00	Ivory CoastvsEcuador	Gr. Stage - 1	Lincoln Financial Field	TBD	Group Stage
Jun 15	16:00	SpainvsCape Verde Islands	Gr. Stage - 1	Mercedes-Benz Stadium	TBD	Group Stage
Jun 15	19:00	BelgiumvsEgypt	Gr. Stage - 1	Lumen Field	TBD	Group Stage
Jun 15	22:00	Saudi ArabiavsUruguay	Gr. Stage - 1	Hard Rock Stadium	TBD	Group Stage
Jun 16	01:00	IranvsNew Zealand	Gr. Stage - 1	SoFi Stadium	TBD	Group Stage

World Cup 2026 teams

A record 48 national teams will compete at the 2026 World Cup — 16 more than the previous format. Teams represent all six FIFA confederations, with the tournament marking the first time every confederation has at least one guaranteed berth.

Teams by confederation

Confederation	Spots	Qualified Teams
UEFA (Europe)	16	SpainFranceEnglandPortugalNetherlandsBelgiumGermanyCroatiaSwitzerlandAustriaNorwayScotlandPlayoff Winner 1Playoff Winner 2Playoff Winner 3Playoff Winner 4
CAF (Africa)	9	MoroccoSenegalEgyptCôte d'IvoireAlgeriaSouth AfricaGhanaTunisiaCabo Verde
AFC (Asia)	8	JapanIranSouth KoreaAustraliaSaudi ArabiaQatarUzbekistanJordan
CONMEBOL (South America)	6	ArgentinaBrazilColombiaUruguayEcuadorParaguay
CONCACAF (N/C America)	6	USACanadaMexicoPanamaHaitiCuraçao
OFC (Oceania)	1	New Zealand
Intercontinental Playoffs	2	TBD — IC Playoff 1TBD — IC Playoff 2

Notable storylines

First-time qualifiers: Haiti, Cabo Verde, and Curaçao will each make their men's World Cup debut. New Zealand earned Oceania's first-ever guaranteed berth.

Bracket separation: FIFA placed Spain and Argentina on opposite sides of the knockout bracket, along with France and England — meaning these four teams cannot meet until the semifinals at earliest.

Host nations: All three hosts — USA, Canada and Mexico — qualified automatically and will play all their group matches within their own country.

Explore all 48 teams →

Team Comparison

Select two teams to compare stats head to head

Team A

VS

Team B

World Cup 2026 schedule

104 matches over 39 days across 16 stadiums. The group stage runs from June 11 to June 29, followed by the knockout rounds from June 30 to July 19.

Key dates

Date	Event	Venue
June 11	Opening Match: Mexico vs South Africa	Estadio Azteca, Mexico City
June 12	Canada's opener (Group B) / USA's opener (Group D)	BMO Field, Toronto / SoFi Stadium, Los Angeles
June 11–29	Group Stage (72 matches)	All 16 venues
June 30 – July 2	Round of 32 (16 matches)	Various
July 4–7	Round of 16 (8 matches)	Various
July 10–11	Quarterfinals (4 matches)	SoFi Stadium, Hard Rock Stadium, Gillette Stadium, Arrowhead Stadium
July 14–15	Semifinals (2 matches)	AT&T Stadium, MetLife Stadium
July 18	Third-Place Match	Hard Rock Stadium, Miami
July 19	Final	MetLife Stadium, New Jersey

View full match schedule →

World Cup 2026 venues

Sixteen stadiums across three countries will host World Cup matches. The venues are divided into three geographic regions — Western, Central and Eastern — to minimise travel for teams and fans.

All 16 host stadiums

City	Stadium (FIFA Name)	Country	Capacity	Altitude	Timezone	Matches
East Rutherford, NJ	MetLife Stadium (New York New Jersey Stadium)	🇺🇸 USA	82,500	5m	UTC-4	8 (incl. the Final)
Mexico City	Estadio Azteca (Mexico City Stadium)	🇲🇽 Mexico	72,766	2,200m	UTC-5	6 (incl. opening match)
Santa Clara, CA	Levi's Stadium (San Francisco Stadium)	🇺🇸 USA	70,909	11m	UTC-7	6
Arlington, TX	AT&T Stadium (Dallas Stadium)	🇺🇸 USA	70,122	183m	UTC-5	9 (incl. semifinal)
Inglewood, CA	SoFi Stadium (Los Angeles Stadium)	🇺🇸 USA	70,000	25m	UTC-7	8 (incl. quarterfinal)
Seattle, WA	Lumen Field (Seattle Stadium)	🇺🇸 USA	69,000	4m	UTC-7	6
Houston, TX	NRG Stadium (Houston Stadium)	🇺🇸 USA	68,311	15m	UTC-5	7
Philadelphia, PA	Lincoln Financial Field (Philadelphia Stadium)	🇺🇸 USA	67,594	12m	UTC-4	7
Kansas City, MO	Arrowhead Stadium (Kansas City Stadium)	🇺🇸 USA	67,513	274m	UTC-5	6 (incl. quarterfinal)
Atlanta, GA	Mercedes-Benz Stadium (Atlanta Stadium)	🇺🇸 USA	67,382	320m	UTC-4	7
Miami Gardens, FL	Hard Rock Stadium (Miami Stadium)	🇺🇸 USA	65,000	3m	UTC-4	7 (incl. third-place match)
Foxborough, MA	Gillette Stadium (Boston Stadium)	🇺🇸 USA	63,815	50m	UTC-4	7 (incl. quarterfinal)
Vancouver	BC Place (Vancouver Stadium)	🇨🇦 Canada	54,500	2m	UTC-7	7
Monterrey	Estadio BBVA (Monterrey Stadium)	🇲🇽 Mexico	50,113	540m	UTC-5	4
Toronto	BMO Field (Toronto Stadium)	🇨🇦 Canada	45,000	76m	UTC-4	6
Guadalajara	Estadio Akron (Guadalajara Stadium)	🇲🇽 Mexico	44,330	1,566m	UTC-5	3

Explore all stadiums & city guides →

World Cup 2026 standings

Group standings will update live once the tournament kicks off on June 11, 2026. All 12 group tables, the third-place ranking and the full knockout bracket will be tracked here throughout the tournament.

How qualification works

Top 2 in each group (24 teams) → advance to Round of 32

8 best third-placed teams (out of 12) → also advance to Round of 32

32 teams total → single-elimination knockout rounds through to the Final

Tiebreaker rules (group stage)

Points (3 for a win, 1 for a draw)
Goal difference
Goals scored
Head-to-head points
Head-to-head goal difference
Fair play points
Drawing of lots

Featured teams

Latest news

⚽

UEFA playoffs: the last 4 World Cup spots up for grabs

Italy, Turkey, Ukraine and Denmark among 16 teams fighting for the final European berths

📋

World Cup 2026 format explained: 48 teams, 12 groups, new Round of 32

Everything you need to know about the expanded tournament structure

🏟️

Your guide to the 16 World Cup 2026 host cities

From Mexico City's opener to the New Jersey final — a city-by-city look at the stadiums

📊

Group draw analysis: winners, losers and groups of death

Breaking down every group — which teams got lucky, who faces an uphill battle

All news →

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FIFA World Cup 2026