World Cup 2026 schedule and dates
The 2026 World Cup runs from 11 June to 19 July 2026 — 39 days, 104 matches, 48 teams. Here is how the calendar breaks down, and the simplest way to follow it from wherever you are.
Start, finish and the big dates
The tournament opens on 11 June 2026 with the first match at the Estadio Azteca in Mexico City, and closes with the final on 19 July 2026 in the New York/New Jersey area. In between, the group stage, a new round of 32, and the rest of the knockout rounds play out over five and a half weeks.
The group stage takes up roughly the first two weeks, with matches most days. The knockouts then run from the round of 32 through the round of 16, quarter-finals, semi-finals, the third-place play-off and the final.
How the 104 matches are spread
Forty-eight teams are drawn into 12 groups of four, and each team plays three group games — that is 72 group matches. The knockout stage adds 32 more: a round of 32, round of 16, quarter-finals, semi-finals, a third-place match and the final, for 104 in total, up from 64 at previous tournaments.
Because games are played across three countries and several time zones, two matches on the same calendar day can kick off many hours apart in your local time. The schedule reads very differently depending on where you live.
Following it in your timezone
kickoff26 converts every kick-off to your own timezone automatically, daylight-saving included, so you never have to do the maths. You can filter the schedule by team, by venue or by stage, and export any match — or your team’s whole run, or the entire tournament — to your calendar with one tap.
Once matches are played, the schedule marks results and links through to each match page, where the group table and the bracket update live.
FAQ
When does the World Cup 2026 start and finish?
It runs from 11 June to 19 July 2026 — the opening match is on 11 June in Mexico City, and the final is on 19 July in the New York/New Jersey area.
How many matches are in the 2026 World Cup?
104 matches — 72 in the group stage and 32 in the knockout rounds, up from 64 at previous World Cups.