The 2026 World Cup schedule is a soccer lover’s dream, with a total of 104 matches over the course of the tournament. Whatever your ideal World Cup experience looks like, we’d love to help design the perfect itinerary for you. We’ve detailed the 2026 World Cup schedule below to assist you with your planning for this thrilling tournament. Here are some key details about the 2026 World Cup schedule.

When is the Next World Cup?

The next World Cup will take place from Thursday, June 11 to Sunday, July 19, 2026. The tournament will be hosted across the United States, Canada, and Mexico, featuring 48 teams and 104 matches over 39 days.

• The 2026 World Cup will be the first to take place with 48 teams, expanded from 32 in 2022.
• For the group stage, teams will be divided into twelve groups of four teams.
• The top two teams from each group plus the eight best third place teams will proceed to the (new) Round of 32.
• All matches after the group stage will be knockout format.
• A total of 104 matches will be played, up from 64 at the 2022 edition.
• The games will take place in 16 venues throughout Canada, Mexico, and the USA.
• The 2026 World Cup Final will take place on July 19, 2026
• National teams around the world will play qualifying matches until March 2026.

What was the outcome of the Draw for the 2026 World Cup​?

The 2026 World Cup draw took place on December 5th, 2025. The draw determined the twelve groups of four teams, as well as where and when they will play in the group stage:

What are the 2026 World Cup Groups:

Group A: Mexico, South Africa, Korea Republic, UEFA Winner D (Czech Republic/Republic of Ireland/Denmark/North Macedonia
Group B: Canada, Switzerland, Qatar, UEFA Winner A (Wales/Bosnia and Herzegovina/Italy/Northern Ireland)
Group C: Brazil, Morocco, Haiti, Scotland
Group D: United States, Paraguay, Australia, UEFA Winner C (Slovakia/Kosovo/Turkey/Romania)
Group E: Germany, Curaçao, Côte d’Ivoire, Ecuador
Group F: Netherlands, Japan, Tunisia, UEFA Winner B (Ukraine/Sweden/Poland/Albania)
Group G: Belgium, Egypt, Iran, New Zealand
Group H: Spain, Cabo Verde, Saudi Arabia, Uruguay
Group I: France, Senegal, Norway, IC Winner 2 (Iraq/Bolivia/Suriname)
Group J: Argentina, Algeria, Austria, Jordan
Group K: Portugal, Uzbekistan, Colombia, IC Winner 1 (DR Congo/New Caledonia/Jamaica)
Group L: England, Croatia, Ghana, Panama

To choose your hotel(s), please visit and review our World Cup 2026 Hotels page.

To help know which cities you’ll need hotels in, please review our 2026 World Cup Host Cities and Venues in USA, Mexico, and Canada.

You can also get an overview of what World Cup Packages to help you decide.

To see Match Dates & Locations, see our World Cup 2026 Schedule page.

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