FIFA has released the full schedule for the 2026 World Cup. Argentina begins its title defence on June 16 against Algeria. The final will be held at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey on July 19. The tournament opener is Mexico vs South Africa.
FIFA unveiled the full World Cup 2026 schedule on Saturday, a day after the groups for the 48-team tournament were put together, with defending champions Argentina set to start their title defence against Algeria on June 16. The title clash, which will take place at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, will kick off at 3 PM ET on July 19, as per ESPN. This will also mean that the clash will be a prime-time viewing affair in Europe, where it will start at 9 PM, and Britain, where it will start at 8 PM. The tournament opening clash between Mexico and South Africa in Mexico City will start at 3 PM ET.
Key Dates and Star Players
The group stage will conclude on June 27, with teams like Argentina and Portugal, featuring stalwarts Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, respectively, and the 2022 WC third-placed side Croatia, and a star-studded England featuring captain Harry Kane, Bukayo Saka, Declan Rice, Marcus Rashford and Phil Foden amongst the ones in the action on the final day of the group stage. https://x.com/FIFAWorldCup/status/1997364625562542268 (Photo courtesy: FIFA)
Knockout Stage Breakdown
The round of 32 will start from June 28 and go on till July 3, following which the round of 16 (July 4-7), quarterfinals (July 9-11) and semifinals (July 14-15) will take place.
Host Venues and Game Distribution
78 games in total will be held in the USA, and 13 each in Canada and Mexico. The quarterfinal-final stretch will be held entirely in the USA, with Los Angeles, Boston, Kansas City, Miami (quarterfinals), Dallas and Atlanta (semifinals) and New Jersey (finals) being the venues. South Korea, besides Canada and Mexico, is one of only three teams with no games in the US.
USMNT Group Stage Fixtures
Also, the US first-round clashes will have a 9 PM ET start time against Paraguay at Inglewood on June 12, a 3 PM ET kickoff vs. Australia at Seattle a week later, and then a 7 PM start on June 25 against Turkiye, Romania, Slovakia or Kosovo at SoFi in Inglewood. (ANI)
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