The FIFA 2026 World Cup schedule is (mostly) set. Mexico will face South Africa in the opener on June 11 in Mexico City.
Why it matters: Saturday's schedule release triggers a logistical race as millions of fans scramble to book flights, secure match tickets and find accommodations across the U.S., Mexico and Canada.
- "The joy of today is every single team will leave dreaming about their pathway," Roger Bennett, founder of America's largest independent soccer media network, tells Axios.
The USMNT path
The U.S. Men's National Team will play its entire Group D stage on the West Coast along with Paraguay, Australia and the winners of the UEFA playoff C between Turkey, Slovakia, Kosovo and Romania.
- USA vs. Paraguay: June 12 at 9pm ET in Los Angeles
- USA vs. Australia: June 19 at 3pm ET in Seattle
- USA vs. UEFA playoff C winner (Turkey/Slovakia/Kosovo/Romania): June 25 at 10pm ET in Los Angeles
What they're saying: "None of them are decisively better than the United States," Bennett said of the team's group stage competitors.
- "Tonight, U.S. players will go to bed with excitement, feeling that everything is possible."
The big picture: Nearly 2 million tickets have already been sold for the tournament.
Yes, but: Six teams have yet to be determined through playoffs, meaning some matchups remain incomplete.
What we're watching: Bennett dubbed the star-studded Group I this tournament's "group of death." That group will play in the Northeast and Canada.
- France vs. Norway: June 26 at 3pm ET in Boston features Kylian Mbappé, who led France to the World Cup Final in 2022 and Manchester City's Norwegian star, Erling Haaland.
Other marquee matches
- Spain vs. Uruguay: June 26 at 8pm ET in Guadalajara, Mexico. The #1 ranked nation (Spain) faces the intense, high-pressing style of Marcelo Bielsa's Uruguay.
- Netherlands vs. Japan: June 14 at 4pm ET in Dallas. Japan pulled off stunners against Germany and Spain in 2022, while the Dutch aim to shed the title of greatest to never win the World Cup.
- England vs. Croatia: June 17 at 4pm ET in Dallas. The 2018 semifinal rematch pits the strong English team against a Croatian side that has finished in the top three in the last two World Cups.
- Portugal vs. Colombia: June 27 at 7:30pm ET in Miami. The aging Cristiano Ronaldo will face a Colombian team that beat both Argentina and Brazil in qualifying matches.
The road to the trophy
- Semi-finals: The tournament's final four will face off in Dallas at 3pm ET on July 14 and in Atlanta at 3pm ET on July 15.
- Bronze Final: The runners-up from those matches play for third place on July 18 at 5pm ET in Miami.
- The Final: The 2026 World Cup champion will be crowned Sunday, July 19, in New York/New Jersey at 3pm ET.
Here's where to catch FIFA's biggest names
- Lionel Messi (Argentina): Kansas City, Dallas.
- Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal): Houston, Miami.
- Kylian Mbappé (France): Boston, New York/New Jersey, Philadelphia.
- Erling Haaland (Norway): Boston, New York/New Jersey.
- Neymar (Brazil): New York/New Jersey, Philadelphia, Miami.
- Jude Bellingham (England): Dallas, Boston, New York/New Jersey.
- Lamine Yamal (Spain): Atlanta, Mexico's Guadalajara
The FIFA World Cup groups
Group A - Mexico, South Africa, South Korea, winner of UEFA playoff D between Denmark, Czechia, Republic of Ireland and North Macedonia.
Group B - Canada, Switzerland, Qatar, winner of UEFA Playoff A between Italy, Wales, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Northern Ireland.
Group C - Brazil, Morocco, Haiti, Scotland.
Group E - Germany, Curaçao, Ivory Coast, Ecuador.
Group F - Netherlands, Japan, Tunisia, winner of UEFA playoff B between Ukraine, Poland, Albania and Sweden.
Group G - Belgium, Egypt, Iran, New Zealand.
Group H - Spain, Cape Verde, Saudi Arabia, Uruguay.
Group I - France, Senegal, Norway, winner of FIFA playoff 2 between Iraq, Bolivia and Suriname.
Group J - Argentina, Algeria, Austria, Jordan.
Group K - Portugal, Uzbekistan, Colombia, winner of FIFA playoff 1 between DR Congo, Jamaica and New Caledonia.
Group L - England, Croatia, Ghana and Panama.
Full Group Stage Schedule
Group A
- June 11: Mexico vs. South Africa (Mexico City), 3pm ET
- June 11: South Korea vs. Playoff Winner (Guadalajara, Mexico), 10pm ET
- June 18: Playoff Winner vs. South Africa (Atlanta), 12pm ET
- June 18: Mexico vs. South Korea (Guadalajara, Mexico), 9pm ET
- June 24: Playoff Winner vs. Mexico (Mexico City), 9pm ET
- June 24: South Africa vs. South Korea (Monterrey, Mexico), 9pm ET
Group B
- June 12: Canada vs. Playoff Winner (Toronto), 3pm ET
- June 13: Qatar vs. Switzerland (San Francisco), 3pm ET
- June 18: Switzerland vs. Playoff Winner (Los Angeles), 3pm ET
- June 18: Canada vs. Qatar (Vancouver, Canada), 6pm ET
- June 24: Switzerland vs. Canada (Vancouver, Canada), 3pm ET
- June 24: Playoff Winner vs. Qatar (Seattle), 3pm ET
Group C
- June 13: Brazil vs. Morocco (New York/New Jersey), 6pm ET
- June 13: Haiti vs. Scotland (Boston), 9pm ET
- June 19: Scotland vs. Morocco (Boston), 6pm ET
- June 19: Brazil vs. Haiti (Philadelphia), 9pm ET
- June 24: Scotland vs. Brazil (Miami), 6pm ET
- June 24: Morocco vs. Haiti (Atlanta), 6pm ET
Group D
- June 12: USA vs. Paraguay (Los Angeles), 9pm ET
- June 13: Australia vs. Playoff Winner (Vancouver, Canada), 12am ET
- June 19: Playoff Winner vs. Paraguay (San Francisco), 12am ET
- June 19: USA vs. Australia (Seattle), 3pm ET
- June 25: Playoff Winner vs. USA (Los Angeles), 10pm ET
- June 25: Paraguay vs. Australia (San Francisco), 10pm ET
Group E
- June 14: Germany vs. Curaçao (Houston), 1pm ET
- June 14: Ivory Coast vs. Ecuador (Philadelphia), 7pm ET
- June 20: Germany vs. Ivory Coast (Toronto), 4pm ET
- June 20: Ecuador vs. Curaçao (Kansas City, Mo.), 8pm ET
- June 25: Ecuador vs. Germany (New York/New Jersey), 4pm ET
- June 25: Curaçao vs. Ivory Coast (Philadelphia), 4pm ET
Group F
- June 14: Netherlands vs. Japan (Dallas), 4pm ET
- June 14: Playoff Winner vs. Tunisia (Monterrey, Mexico), 10pm ET
- June 20: Netherlands vs. Playoff Winner (Houston), 1pm ET
- June 20: Tunisia vs. Japan (Monterrey, Mexico), 12am ET
- June 25: Japan vs. Playoff Winner (Dallas), 7pm ET
- June 25: Tunisia vs. Netherlands (Kansas City, Mo.), 7pm ET
Group G
- June 15: Iran vs. New Zealand (Los Angeles), 9pm ET
- June 15: Belgium vs. Egypt (Seattle), 3pm ET
- June 21: Belgium vs. Iran (Los Angeles), 3pm ET
- June 21: New Zealand vs. Egypt (Vancouver, Canada), 9pm ET
- June 26: Egypt vs. Iran (Seattle), 11pm ET
- June 26: New Zealand vs. Belgium (Vancouver, Canada), 11pm ET
Group H
- June 15: Spain vs. Cape Verde (Atlanta), 12pm ET
- June 15: Saudi Arabia vs. Uruguay (Miami), 6pm ET
- June 21: Spain vs. Saudi Arabia (Atlanta), 12pm ET
- June 21: Uruguay vs. Cape Verde (Miami), 6pm ET
- June 26: Cape Verde vs. Saudi Arabia (Houston), 8pm ET
- June 26: Uruguay vs. Spain (Guadalajara, Mexico), 8pm ET
Group I
- June 16: France vs. Senegal (New York/New Jersey), 3pm ET
- June 16: Playoff Winner vs. Norway (Boston), 6pm ET
- June 22: France vs. Playoff Winner (Philadelphia), 5pm ET
- June 22: Norway vs. Senegal (New York/New Jersey), 8pm ET
- June 26: Norway vs. France (Boston), 3pm ET
- June 26: Senegal vs. Playoff Winner (Toronto), 3pm ET
Group J
- June 16: Argentina vs. Algeria (Kansas City, Mo.), 9pm ET
- June 16: Austria vs. Jordan (San Francisco), 12am ET
- June 22: Argentina vs. Austria (Dallas), 1pm ET
- June 22: Jordan vs. Algeria (San Francisco), 11pm ET
- June 27: Algeria vs. Austria (Kansas City, Mo.), 10pm ET
- June 27: Jordan vs. Argentina (Dallas), 10pm ET
Group K
- June 17: Portugal vs. Playoff Winner (Houston), 1pm ET
- June 17: Uzbekistan vs. Colombia (Mexico City), 10pm ET
- June 23: Portugal vs. Uzbekistan (Houston), 1pm ET
- June 23: Colombia vs. Playoff Winner (Guadalajara, Mexico), 10pm ET
- June 27: Colombia vs. Portugal (Miami), 7:30pm ET
- June 27: Playoff Winner vs. Uzbekistan (Atlanta), 7:30pm ET
Group L
- June 17: England vs. Croatia (Dallas), 4pm ET
- June 17: Ghana vs. Panama (Toronto), 7pm ET
- June 23: England vs. Ghana (Boston), 4pm ET
- June 23: Panama vs. Croatia (Toronto), 7pm ET
- June 27: Panama vs. England (New York/New Jersey), 5pm ET
- June 27: Croatia vs. Ghana (Philadelphia), 5pm ET
