When does the 2026 World Cup start and finish?

The 2026 FIFA World Cup opens on 11 June 2026 with Mexico playing in Mexico City, and the final is on 19 July 2026 in New York / New Jersey. In between there are 104 matches across 16 host cities in the United States, Canada and Mexico.

What time are the World Cup matches in my time zone?

This page reads your device's time zone and converts every kickoff automatically, so the times you see are already in your local time, using your region's 12-hour or 24-hour clock format. You can also pick any other time zone from the dropdown.

Does it ask for my location?

No. It only uses your browser's reported time zone (for example Europe/London or America/New_York) to convert the kickoff times. There is no location permission prompt, no GPS, and nothing is sent to any server - the conversion happens entirely in your browser.

How many teams and matches are in the 2026 World Cup?

For the first time the tournament has 48 teams, drawn into 12 groups of four. That produces 104 matches: 72 in the group stage, then a Round of 32, Round of 16, quarter-finals, semi-finals, a third-place match and the final.

World Cup 2026 Schedule

All 104 matches, automatically in your local time. USA, Canada & Mexico · 11 June–19 July 2026.

Every World Cup 2026 kickoff, in your local time

The 2026 FIFA World Cup is the biggest ever — 48 teams, 104 matches and 16 host cities spread across three countries and four mainland time zones. That makes “what time is the match?” genuinely confusing, because a single matchday can have kickoffs in Vancouver, Mexico City and Miami all at once.

This schedule fixes that. It reads the time zone your device is already set to and converts all 104 kickoff times into your local clock automatically — no location permission, no sign-in, nothing sent anywhere. Each match also shows the kickoff in the stadium’s own local time so you can see the difference at a glance. Travelling, or planning a watch party abroad? Pick any time zone from the dropdown and the whole schedule re-converts instantly.

Key dates

Group stage: 11–27 June 2026 (72 matches, 12 groups of four)
Round of 32: 28 June – 3 July
Round of 16: 4–7 July
Quarter-finals: 9–11 July
Semi-finals: 14–15 July
Third-place play-off: 18 July (Miami)
Final: 19 July (New York / New Jersey)

The 16 host cities

🇺🇸 Los Angeles🇺🇸 San Francisco🇺🇸 Seattle🇺🇸 Dallas🇺🇸 Houston🇺🇸 Kansas City🇺🇸 Atlanta🇺🇸 Miami🇺🇸 Philadelphia🇺🇸 Boston🇺🇸 New York / New Jersey🇨🇦 Toronto🇨🇦 Vancouver🇲🇽 Mexico City🇲🇽 Guadalajara🇲🇽 Monterrey

Watching in the UK: what channel is each match on?

Every group-stage match is split between the BBC and ITV, and both broadcasters show their games free to air — on TV and online via BBC iPlayer and ITVX. If your device’s time zone is set to the UK (Europe/London), this page automatically tags every kickoff with its channel, and shows the times in BST. You can also pick “London” from the time-zone dropdown to see the channels from anywhere. Channel assignments for the knockout rounds are confirmed closer to the time, once the fixtures are known. UK broadcast data via worldcup.alasdairmonk.com.

Frequently asked questions

What time are the matches where I live?

Whatever time zone your phone or computer is set to, that’s the time you see, shown in your region’s 12-hour or 24-hour format automatically. The conversion is automatic, and you can override the zone with the dropdown.

Does it need my location?

No. It only uses the time zone your browser already reports (such as Europe/London or Asia/Tokyo). There is no GPS prompt and nothing leaves your device.

Why don’t the knockout matches show team names?

The Round of 32 onward depends on who finishes where in the groups, so those slots stay marked as “to be confirmed” until the group stage is complete — but the date, time and venue are already fixed and shown here.

Counting down to the tournament? Try our custom date countdown, convert kickoff times by hand with the time zone converter, or see how many time zones the host nations span.