World Cup 2026 fixtures: Full schedule, kick-off times and groups

The 2026 World Cup kicks off this week with a new format for Fifa’s giant 48-team tournament.

With the final squads being named, teams will now prepare for their first group stage games in the USA, Canada and Mexico.

Excitement is building and history will be made, as players carve out their own legacies to join some of the greatest footballers in Fifa World Cup history.

There will be 104 matches, up 40 since Qatar World Cup 2022, while Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo likely to play on this stage for the last time in their glittering careers.

Here’s how the tournament will unfold across 39 action-packed days

World Cup 2026 groups

Group A: Mexico, South Africa, South Korea, Czech Republic
Group B: Canada, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Qatar, Switzerland
Group C: Brazil, Morocco, Haiti, Scotland
Group D: United States, Paraguay, Australia, Turkey
Group E: Germany, Curacao, Ivory Coast, Ecuador
Group F: Netherlands, Japan, Sweden, Tunisia
Group G: Belgium, Egypt, Iran, New Zealand
Group H: Spain, Cape Verde, Saudi Arabia, Uruguay
Group I: France, Senegal, Iraq, Norway
Group J: Argentina, Algeria, Austria, Jordan
Group K: Portugal, Congo DR, Uzbekistan, Colombia
Group L: England, Croatia, Ghana, Panama

The World Cup will begin in Mexico City’s Azteca Stadium, the site of Diego Maradona’s most famous and infamous goals against England at the 1986 World Cup.

It was also the venue for two classic World Cup finals: Brazil’s win over Italy in 1970 which included Carlos Alberto’s iconic team goal to cap a 4-1 win; and Argentina’s 3-2 win over West Germany in 1986, where Jorge Burruchaga grabbed an 84th-minute winner.

Mexico and Canada will host 13 games in each, and the United States will host 78.

From the quarter-finals onwards, the US will host all of the remaining matches, with the final in New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium.