When does the 2026 World Cup start and finish?
The opening match is on Thursday, June 11, 2026, in Mexico City. The final is on Sunday, July 19, 2026, at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. 39 days total, 104 matches.
The tournament runs from June 11 to July 19, 2026 — 39 days end to end. The opening match is the Mexico vs Switzerland Group A fixture at Estadio Azteca (Mexico City), the curtain-raiser for the host that already wrote World Cup history in 1970 and 1986.
Group stage: June 11 to June 27. Each of the 48 teams plays three matches over the two-week stretch, with most days having 4-6 matches at staggered kick-off times so fans can follow more than one team.
Round of 32: June 28 to July 3. Round of 16: July 4 to July 7. Quarter-finals: July 9 to July 11. Semi-finals: July 14 and July 15. Third-place playoff: July 18. Final: Sunday, July 19, at MetLife Stadium, kickoff at 3 PM ET (19:00 UTC).
Two extra days of rest before the semi-finals and final compared to Qatar 2022. FIFA's response to the heavy schedule in the expanded format — eight extra knockout matches need eight more rest days somewhere.
Related questions
- How does the FIFA World Cup 2026 format work?48 teams, 12 groups of 4, group stage of 72 matches, then a 32-team knockout round, all the way to the final on July 19, 2026.
- Which cities are hosting the 2026 World Cup?16 cities across the US, Mexico, and Canada — 11 in the US (Atlanta, Boston, Dallas, Houston, Kansas City, LA, Miami, NY/NJ, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Seattle), 3 in Mexico (Mexico City, Guadalajara, Monterrey), 2 in Canada (Toronto, Vancouver).
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