The World Cup final will kick off at 3 p.m. EDT next July 19 at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
FIFA announced the start times for the tournament’s 104 matches on Saturday (December 6, 2025), a day after the draw for the expanded 48-nation tournament. The kickoff time allows for prime-time viewing in Europe, where it will be 9 p.m., and Britain, where it will be 8 p.m.
The average 3 p.m. temperature over the past 30 years in East Rutherford on July 19 is 83 degrees (28 Celsius) with a RealFeel index of 89 (32), according to AccuWeather.
The World Cup opener at Mexico City on June 11 between El Tri and South Africa will start at 1 p.m. local (3 p.m. EDT).
Semifinals will start at 2 p.m. (3 p.m. EDT) on July 14 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, and 3 p.m. the following day at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, both of which have retractable roofs.
FIFA announced on Feb. 4 last year that the final was scheduled for New Jersey and that June 12 revealed site-specific matchups for games in the new round of 32, round of 16, quarterfinals and semifinals.
Seventy-eight games will be in the U.S., including all from the quarterfinals on, and 13 apiece in Canada and Mexico.
During an event at the Capital Hilton, FIFA also announced sites of the 54 group stage games not finalized with Friday’s draw, which fixed venues for only Groups A, B and D — which include co-hosts Mexico, Canada and the United States.
South Korea is the only team other than Canada and Mexico with no games in the U.S., playing its opener in Guadalajara against the Czech Republic, Denmark, Ireland or North Macedonia, then facing El Tri at the same venue and finishing the round against South Africa in Monterrey.
The U.S. first-round games will be a 6 p.m. local start (9 p.m. EDT) against Paraguay at Inglewood on June 12, a noon kickoff (3 p.m. EDT) vs. Australia at Seattle seven days later and a 7 p.m. start on June 25 at SoFi against Turkey, Romania, Slovakia or Kosovo.
Here is the complete schedule for the mega tournament:
June 11, 2026
Mexico v South Africa – Group A – Mexico City Stadium
Korea Republic v Czechia/Denmark/North Macedonia/Republic of Ireland – Group A – Estadio Guadalajara
June 12, 2026
Canada v Bosnia and Herzegovina/Italy/Northern Ireland/Wales – Group B – Toronto Stadium
USA v Paraguay – Group D – Los Angeles Stadium
June 13, 2026
Haiti v Scotland – Group C – Boston Stadium
Australia v Kosovo/Romania/Slovakia/Türkiye – Group D – BC Place Vancouver
Brazil v Morocco – Group C – New York New Jersey Stadium
Qatar v Switzerland – Group B – San Francisco Bay Area Stadium
June 14, 2026
Côte d’Ivoire v Ecuador – Group E – Philadelphia Stadium
Germany v Curaçao – Group E – Houston Stadium
Netherlands v Japan – Group F – Dallas Stadium
Albania/Poland/Sweden/Ukraine v Tunisia – Group F – Estadio Monterrey
June 15, 2026
Saudi Arabia v Uruguay – Group H – Miami Stadium
Spain v Cabo Verde – Group H – Atlanta Stadium
IR Iran v New Zealand – Group G – Los Angeles Stadium
Belgium v Egypt – Group G – Seattle Stadium
June 16, 2026
France v Senegal – Group I – New York New Jersey Stadium
Bolivia/Iraq/Suriname v Norway – Group I – Boston Stadium
Argentina v Algeria – Group J – Kansas City Stadium
Austria v Jordan – Group J – San Francisco Bay Area Stadium
June 17, 2025
Ghana v Panama – Group L – Toronto Stadium
England v Croatia – Group L – Dallas Stadium
Portugal v Congo DR/Jamaica/New Caledonia – Group K – Houston Stadium
Uzbekistan v Colombia – Group K – Mexico City Stadium
June 18, 2026
Czechia/Denmark/North Macedonia/Republic of Ireland v South Africa – Group A – Atlanta Stadium
Switzerland v Bosnia and Herzegovina/Italy/Northern Ireland/Wales – Group B – Los Angeles Stadium
Canada v Qatar – Group B – BC Place Vancouver
Mexico v Korea Republic – Group A – Estadio Guadalajara
June 19, 2026
Brazil v Haiti – Group C – Philadelphia Stadium
Scotland v Morocco – Group C – Boston Stadium
Kosovo/Romania/Slovakia/Türkiye v Paraguay – Group D – San Francisco Bay Area Stadium
USA v Australia – Group D – Seattle Stadium
June 20, 2026
Germany v Côte d’Ivoire – Group E – Toronto Stadium
Ecuador v Curaçao – Group E – Kansas City Stadium
Netherlands v Albania/Poland/Sweden/Ukraine – Group F – Houston Stadium
Tunisia v Japan – Group F – Estadio Monterrey
June 21, 2026
Uruguay v Cabo Verde – Group H – Miami Stadium
Spain v Saudi Arabia – Group H – Atlanta Stadium
Belgium v IR Iran – Group G – Los Angeles Stadium
New Zealand v Egypt – Group G – BC Place Vancouver
June 22, 2026
Norway v Senegal – Group I – New York New Jersey Stadium
France v Bolivia/Iraq/Suriname – Group I – Philadelphia Stadium
Argentina v Austria – Group J – Dallas Stadium
Jordan v Algeria – Group J – San Francisco Bay Area Stadium
June 23, 2026
England v Ghana – Group L – Boston Stadium
Panama v Croatia – Group L – Toronto Stadium
Portugal v Uzbekistan – Group K – Houston Stadium
Colombia v Congo DR/Jamaica/New Caledonia – Group K – Estadio Guadalajara
June 24, 2026
Scotland v Brazil – Group C – Miami Stadium
Morocco v Haiti – Group C – Atlanta Stadium
Switzerland v Canada – Group B – BC Place Vancouver
Bosnia and Herzegovina/Italy/Northern Ireland/Wales v Qatar – Group B – Seattle Stadium
Czechia/Denmark/North Macedonia/Republic of Ireland v Mexico – Group A – Mexico City Stadium
South Africa v Korea Republic – Group A – Estadio Monterrey
June 25, 2026
Curaçao v Côte d’Ivoire – Group E – Philadelphia Stadium
Ecuador v Germany – Group E – New York New Jersey Stadium
Japan v Albania/Poland/Sweden/Ukraine – Group F – Dallas Stadium
Tunisia v Netherlands – Group F – Kansas City Stadium
Kosovo/Romania/Slovakia/Türkiye v USA – Group D – Los Angeles Stadium
Paraguay v Australia – Group D – San Francisco Bay Area Stadium
June 26, 2026
Norway v France – Group I – Boston Stadium
Senegal v Bolivia/Iraq/Suriname – Group I – Toronto Stadium
Egypt v IR Iran – Group G – Seattle Stadium
New Zealand v Belgium – Group G – BC Place Vancouver
Cabo Verde v Saudi Arabia – Group H – Houston Stadium
Uruguay v Spain – Group H – Estadio Guadalajara
June 27, 2026
Panama v England – Group L – New York New Jersey Stadium
Croatia v Ghana – Group L – Philadelphia Stadium
Algeria v Austria – Group J – Kansas City Stadium
Jordan v Argentina – Group J – Dallas Stadium
Colombia v Portugal – Group K – Miami Stadium
Congo DR/Jamaica/New Caledonia v Uzbekistan – Group K – Atlanta Stadium
World Cup knockout round
Round of 32: June 28-July 3
Round of 16: July 4-July 7
Quarterfinals: July 9-July 11
Semifinals: July 14-15 – AT&T Stadium (Arlington, Texas) and Mecedes-Benz Stadium (Atlanta)
Third-place match: July 18 – Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens
World Cup final: July 19 – MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey
