The FIFA World Cup 2026 is here. The tournament kicks off on Thursday, June 11, 2026, and wraps up with the final on Sunday, July 19, 2026. If you are in the UAE and trying to plan your viewing schedule, this is the only guide you need. Everything from the format and groups to match timings in the UAE and the road to the final is right here.
Three things set 2026 apart from every previous edition. First, this is the first 48-team World Cup, up from 32. Second, it is the first tournament hosted by three countries — Canada, Mexico, and the United States. Third, the new Round of 32 changes the tournament structure entirely, giving more teams a path forward even after the group stage. A total of 104 matches will be played, up from 64 at the 2022 edition. More matches, more drama, more football.
Sixteen cities spread across three countries host the tournament. Eleven cities in the United States include Atlanta, Boston, Dallas, Houston, Kansas City, Los Angeles, Miami, New York/New Jersey, Philadelphia, Seattle, and the San Francisco Bay Area. Canada hosts in Toronto and Vancouver. Mexico hosts in Monterrey, Guadalajara, and Mexico City.
The majority of the 104 matches, 78 games, take place in the United States. Canada and Mexico each host 13 matches. The opening match takes place at Estadio Azteca in Mexico City. The final is at MetLife Stadium in New York/New Jersey. AT&T Stadium in Dallas and Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta host the two semifinals, while Hard Rock Stadium in Miami hosts the third-place match.
The 48 teams are split into 12 groups of four. The top two from each group advance automatically to the knockout stage, joined by the eight best third-placed finishers — meaning 32 of the 48 teams will progress into a new Round of 32. From the Round of 32 onward, every match is a winner-take-all knockout. If a match is level after 90 minutes, 30 minutes of extra time are played. If scores remain tied, the match goes to a penalty shootout. The tiebreaker order in the group stage works like this, per FIFA rules:
Points in head-to-head matches between tied teams
Goal difference in those head-to-head matches
Goals scored in those head-to-head matches
If teams are still level after applying those, FIFA moves to overall goal difference, then overall goals scored, then fair play record, and finally a drawing of lots.
Here are all 12 groups:
Group A: Mexico, South Africa, South Korea, Czech Republic
Group B: Canada, Switzerland, Qatar, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Group C: Brazil, Morocco, Haiti, Scotland
Group D: USA, Paraguay, Australia, Türkiye
Group E: Germany, Côte d’Ivoire, Ecuador, Curaçao
Group F: Netherlands, Japan, Sweden, Tunisia
Group G: Belgium, Egypt, Iran, New Zealand
Group H: Spain, Saudi Arabia, Uruguay, Cabo Verde
Group I: France, Senegal, Norway, Iraq
Group J: Argentina, Algeria, Austria, Jordan
Group K: Portugal, DR Congo, Uzbekistan, Colombia
Group L: England, Croatia, Ghana, Panama
Argentina enters as the defending World Cup champion. France, Spain, England, Brazil, Germany, Portugal, and the Netherlands are among the strongest contenders. FIFA has structured the knockout bracket with two separate pathways designed to keep the highest-ranked teams apart until the semifinals. Spain, ranked first, and defending champion Argentina, ranked second, are in opposite pathways.
The same applies to France, ranked third, and England, ranked fourth — none of these four sides could meet before the semis if all four advance from their groups. Morocco, which reached the semifinals in 2022, Japan as a consistent knockout threat, and countries like the United States, Mexico, Senegal, Uruguay, Colombia, and Croatia all carry enough quality to make deep runs.
The UAE is in Gulf Standard Time (GST), which is UTC+4. Since the matches take place in North America, the time difference means some games fall in the early hours of the morning, and others land in the late evening. Plan accordingly. Below are all group stage matches converted to UAE time.
Thursday, June 11
Group A: Mexico vs South Africa — 11:00 PM
Friday, June 12
Group A: South Korea vs Czech Republic — 6:00 AM
Group B: Canada vs Bosnia & Herzegovina — 11:00 PM
Saturday, June 13
Group D: USA vs Paraguay — 5:00 AM
Group B: Qatar vs Switzerland — 11:00 PM
Sunday, June 14
Group C: Brazil vs Morocco — 2:00 AM
Group C: Haiti vs Scotland — 5:00 AM
Group D: Australia vs Turkey — 8:00 AM
Group E: Germany vs Curacao — 9:00 PM
Monday, June 15
Group F: Netherlands vs Japan — 12:00 AM
Group E: Ivory Coast vs Ecuador — 3:00 AM
Group F: Sweden vs Tunisia — 6:00 AM
Group H: Spain vs Cape Verde — 8:00 PM
Group G: Belgium vs Egypt — 11:00 PM
Tuesday, June 16 Group H: Saudi Arabia vs Uruguay — 2:00 AM
Group G: Iran vs New Zealand — 5:00 AM
Group I: France vs Senegal — 11:00 PM
Wednesday, June 17
Group I: Iraq vs Norway — 2:00 AM
Group J: Argentina vs Algeria — 5:00 AM
Group J: Austria vs Jordan — 8:00 AM
Group K: Portugal vs DR Congo — 9:00 PM
Thursday, June 18
Group L: England vs Croatia — 12:00 AM
Group L: Ghana vs Panama — 3:00 AM
Group K: Uzbekistan vs Colombia — 6:00 AM
Group A: Czech Republic vs South Africa — 8:00 PM
Group B: Switzerland vs Bosnia & Herzegovina — 11:00 PM
Friday, June 19
Group B: Canada vs Qatar — 2:00 AM
Group A: Mexico vs South Korea — 5:00 AM
Group D: USA vs Australia — 11:00 PM
Saturday, June 20
Group C: Scotland vs Morocco — 2:00 AM
Group C: Brazil vs Haiti — 4:30 AM
Group D: Turkey vs Paraguay — 7:00 AM
Group E: Netherlands vs Sweden — 9:00 PM
Sunday, June 21
Group E: Germany vs Ivory Coast — 12:00 AM
Group E: Ecuador vs Curacao — 4:00 AM
Group F: Tunisia vs Japan — 8:00 AM
Group H: Spain vs Saudi Arabia — 8:00 PM
Group G: Belgium vs Iran — 11:00 PM
Monday, June 22
Group H: Uruguay vs Cape Verde — 2:00 AM
Group G: New Zealand vs Egypt — 5:00 AM
Group J: Argentina vs Austria — 9:00 PM
Tuesday, June 23
Group I: France vs Iraq — 1:00 AM
Group I: Norway vs Senegal — 4:00 AM
Group J: Jordan vs Algeria — 7:00 AM
Group K: Portugal vs Uzbekistan — 9:00 PM
Wednesday, June 24
Group L: England vs Ghana — 12:00 AM
Group L: Panama vs Croatia — 3:00 AM
Group K: Colombia vs DR Congo — 6:00 AM
Group B: Switzerland vs Canada — 11:00 PM
Group B: Bosnia & Herzegovina vs Qatar — 11:00 PM
In the final match day, all matches within each group kick off simultaneously.
Thursday, June 25
Group C: Morocco vs Haiti — 2:00 AM
Group C: Scotland vs Brazil — 2:00 AM
Group A: South Africa vs South Korea — 5:00 AM
Group A: Czech Republic vs Mexico — 5:00 AM
Friday, June 26
Group E: Curacao vs Ivory Coast — 12:00 AM
Group E: Ecuador vs Germany — 12:00 AM
Group F: Tunisia vs Netherlands — 3:00 AM
Group F: Japan vs Sweden — 3:00 AM
Group D: Turkey vs USA — 6:00 AM
Group D: Paraguay vs Australia — 6:00 AM
Group I: Norway vs France — 11:00 PM
Group I: Senegal vs Iraq — 11:00 PM
Saturday, June 27
Group H: Cape Verde vs Saudi Arabia — 4:00 AM
Group H: Uruguay vs Spain — 4:00 AM
Group G: New Zealand vs Belgium — 7:00 AM
Group G: Egypt vs Iran — 7:00 AM
Sunday, June 28
Group L: Panama vs England — 1:00 AM
Group L: Croatia vs Ghana — 1:00 AM
Group K: Colombia vs Portugal — 3:30 AM
Group K: DR Congo vs Uzbekistan — 3:30 AM
Group J: Algeria vs Austria — 6:00 AM
Group J: Jordan vs Argentina — 6:00 AM
The knockout stage runs as follows:
Round of 32: June 28 – July 3
Round of 16: July 4 – July 7
Quarterfinals: July 9 – July 12
Semifinals: July 14 – July 15
Third Place Match: July 18
Final: July 19
FIFA's last-minute sales phase began in April 2026, with tickets available for all 104 matches on a first-come, first-served basis through FIFA's official ticketing platform. FIFA has confirmed that tickets will continue to be released through the end of the tournament. Fans should use FIFA's official ticketing channels or official hospitality options rather than unofficial sellers.
Visit FIFA to access the official ticketing portal.
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