World Cup groups 2026: Draw results, teams, pairings, times, match schedule and fixtures

World Cup groups 2026: Draw results, teams, pairings, times, match schedule and fixtures

As shades of Argentina’s triumph in Qatar remain firmly entrenched in the memory, the 2026 World Cup is right around the corner.

Hosted across North America, 48 teams will descend upon the United States, Canada, and Mexico as the tournament expands the field for the first time in decades.

While Argentina look to defend their title, some of the world’s best teams will hope to dethrone the South American giants and keep them from being the first country to repeat as World Cup champions since Brazil over 60 years ago.

The likes of England, France, and Spain will have their eyes on the famous FIFA trophy, while hosts USA will bid to deliver their best ever performance in the tournament’s modern format.

The Sporting News brings you a look at how the group stage will shape up, and the wider bracket heading into the expanded knockout phase.

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World Cup 2026 groups

World Cup groups 2026

We knew before the draw that Mexico will be in Group A, Canada in Group B, and USA in Group D.

The remaining layout of the group stage was determined at the final draw on December 5.

Group Pot 1 Pot 2 Pot 3 Pot 4
A Mexico South Korea South Africa UEFA Playoff D
B Canada Switzerland Qatar UEFA Playoff A
C Brazil Morocco Scotland Haiti
D USA Australia Paraguay UEFA Playoff D
E Germany Ecuador Ivory Coast Curacao
F Netherlands Japan Tunisia UEFA Playoff B
G Belgium Iran Egypt New Zealand
H Spain Uruguay Saudi Arabia Cape Verde
I France Senegal Norway FIFA Playoff 2
J Argentina Austria Algeria Jordan
K Portugal Colombia Uzbekistan FIFA Playoff 1
L England Croatia Panama Ghana

WORLD CUP DRAW BREAKDOWNS:

Group A | Group B | Group C | Group D | Group E | Group F
Group G | Group H | Group I | Group J | Group K | Group L

World Cup 2026 kickoff times

FIFA World Cup matches feature regular kickoff times. On the FIFA schedule, as well as below, you will see all times listed in Eastern Time.

Here is a helpful table to help translate some of the most common kickoff times for World Cup matches into many of the major territories around the world.

USA & Canada
(ET)
USA & Canada
(PT: -3 hrs)
UK
(BST: +5 hrs)
Australia
(AEDT: +14 hrs)
India
(IST: +9.5 hrs)
12 p.m. 9 a.m. 5 p.m. 4 a.m.* 9:30 p.m.*
1 p.m. 10 a.m. 6 p.m. 5 a.m.* 10:30 p.m.
3 p.m. 12 p.m. 8 p.m. 7 a.m.* 12:30 a.m.*
4 p.m. 1 p.m. 9 p.m. 8 a.m.* 1:30 a.m.*
5 p.m. 2 p.m. 10 p.m. 9 a.m.* 2:30 a.m.*
7 p.m. 4 p.m. 12 a.m.* 11 a.m.* 4:30 a.m.*
9 p.m. 6 p.m. 2 a.m.* 1 p.m.* 6:30 a.m.*
10 p.m. 7 p.m. 3 a.m.* 2 p.m.* 7:30 a.m.*
11 p.m. 8 p.m. 4 a.m.* 3 p.m.* 8:30 a.m.*
12 a.m. 9 p.m.** 5 a.m. 4 p.m. 9:30 a.m.

* On the following day
** On the previous day

Complete World Cup 2026 match schedule

The World Cup draw was held on December 5 at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.

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World Cup 2026 group stage

All venues and kickoff times for each group stage match were officially announced by FIFA one day after the draw, on December 6, 2025.

Group A table

Pos Team PTS GP W L D GF GA GD
1. Mexico 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2. South Africa 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
3. South Korea 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
4. Czechia 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Date Time (ET) Match Location
Thu, Jun. 11 3 p.m. Mexico vs. South Africa Mexico City Stadium (Mexico City, MEX)
Thu, Jun. 11 10 p.m. South Korea vs. Czechia Estadio Guadalajara (Guadalajara, MEX)
Thu, Jun. 18 12 p.m. Czechia vs. South Africa Mercedes-Benz Stadium (Atlanta, GA)
Thu, Jun. 18 9 p.m. Mexico vs. South Korea Estadio Guadalajara (Guadalajara, MEX)
Wed, Jun. 24 9 p.m. Czechia vs. Mexico Mexico City Stadium (Mexico City, MEX)
Wed, Jun. 24 9 p.m. South Africa vs. South Korea Estadio Monterrey (Monterrey, MEX)

STADIUM GUIDES: Estadio Azteca | Estadio Akron | Mercedes-Benz Stadium | Estadio BBVA

Group B table

Pos Team PTS GP W L D GF GA GD
1. Canada 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2. Bosnia and Herzegovina 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
3. Qatar 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
4. Switzerland 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Group B fixtures

Date Time (ET) Match Location
Fri, Jun. 12 3 p.m. Canada vs. Bosnia and Herzegovina BMO Field (Toronto, CAN)
Sat, Jun. 13 3 p.m. Qatar vs. Switzerland Levi’s Stadium (San Francisco, CA)
Thu, Jun. 18 3 p.m. Bosnia and Herzegovina vs. Switzerland SoFi Stadium (Inglewood, CA)
Thu, Jun. 18 6 p.m. Canada vs. Qatar BC Place (Vancouver, CAN)
Wed, Jun. 24 3 p.m. Switzerland vs. Canada BC Place (Vancouver, CAN)
Wed, Jun. 24 3 p.m. Bosnia and Herzegovina vs. Qatar Lumen Field (Seattle, WA)

STADIUM GUIDES: BMO Field | Levi’s Stadium | SoFi Stadium | BC Place | Lumen Field

Group C table

Pos Team PTS GP W L D GF GA GD
1. Brazil 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2. Morocco 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
3. Haiti 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
4. Scotland 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Group C fixtures

Date Time (ET) Match Location
Fri, Jun. 13 6 p.m. Brazil vs. Morocco MetLife Stadium (East Rutherford, NJ)
Sat, Jun. 13 9 p.m. Haiti vs. Scotland Gillette Stadium (Boston, MA)
Thu, Jun. 19 6 p.m. Scotland vs. Morocco Lincoln Financial Field (Philadelphia, PA)
Thu, Jun. 19 9 p.m. Brazil vs. Haiti Gillette Stadium (Boston, MA)
Wed, Jun. 24 6 p.m. Scotland vs. Brazil Hard Rock Stadium (Miami Gardens, FL)
Wed, Jun. 24 6 p.m. Morocco vs. Haiti Mercedes-Benz Stadium (Atlanta, GA)

Group D table

Pos Team PTS GP W L D GF GA GD
1. United States 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2. Paraguay 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
3. Australia 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
4. Turkey 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Group D fixtures

Date Time (ET) Match Location
Fri, Jun. 12 9 p.m. United States vs. Paraguay SoFi Stadium (Inglewood, CA)
Sat, Jun. 13 12 a.m. Australia vs. Turkey BC Place (Vancouver, CAN)
Sat, Jun. 20 12 a.m. Turkey vs. Paraguay Levi’s Stadium (Santa Clara, CA)
Fri, Jun. 19 3 p.m. United States vs. Australia Lumen Field (Seattle, WA)
Thu, Jun. 25 10 p.m. Turkey vs. United States SoFi Stadium (Inglewood, CA)
Thu, Jun. 25 10 p.m. Paraguay vs. Australia Levi’s Stadium (Santa Clara, CA)

STADIUM GUIDES: SoFi Stadium | BC Place | Levi’s Stadium | Lumen Field

Group E table

Pos Team PTS GP W L D GF GA GD
1. Germany 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2. Curacao 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
3. Ivory Coast 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
4. Ecuador 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Group E fixtures

Date Time (ET) Match Location
Sun, Jun. 14 1 p.m. Germany vs. Curacao NRG Stadium (Houston, TX)
Sun, Jun. 14 7 p.m. Ivory Coast vs. Ecuador Lincoln Financial Field (Philadelphia, PA)
Sat, Jun. 20 4 p.m. Germany vs. Ivory Coast BMO Field (Toronto, CAN)
Sat, Jun. 20 8 p.m. Ecuador vs. Curacao Arrowhead Stadium (Kansas City, MO)
Thu, Jun. 25 4 p.m. Ecuador vs. Germany MetLife Stadium (East Rutherford, NJ)
Thu, Jun. 25 4 p.m. Curacao vs. Ivory Coast Lincoln Financial Field (Philadelphia, PA)

Group F table

Pos Team PTS GP W L D GF GA GD
1. Netherlands 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2. Japan 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
3. Sweden 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
4. Tunisia 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Group F fixtures

Date Time (ET) Match Location
Sun, Jun. 14 4 p.m. Netherlands vs. Japan AT&T Stadium (Arlington, TX)
Sun, Jun. 14 10 p.m. Sweden vs. Tunisia Estadio BBVA (Monterrey, MEX)
Sat, Jun. 20 1 p.m. Tunisia vs. Japan Estadio BBVA (Monterrey, MEX)
Sat, Jun. 20 12 a.m. Netherlands vs. Sweden NRG Stadium (Houston, TX)
Thu, Jun. 25 7 p.m. Tunisia vs. Netherlands AT&T Stadium (Arlington, TX)
Thu, Jun. 25 7 p.m. Japan vs. Sweden Arrowhead Stadium (Kansas City, MO)

Group G table

Pos Team PTS GP W L D GF GA GD
1. Belgium 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2. Egypt 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
3. Iran 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
4. New Zealand 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Group G fixtures

Date Time (ET) Match Location
Mon, June 15 3 p.m. Belgium vs. Egypt SoFi Stadium (Inglewood, CA)
Mon, June 15 9 p.m. Iran vs. New Zealand Lumen Field (Seattle, WA)
Sun, June 21 3 p.m. Belgium vs. Iran SoFi Stadium (Inglewood, CA)
Sun, June 21 9 p.m. New Zealand vs. Egypt BC Place (Vancouver, CAN)
Fri, June 26 8 p.m. New Zealand vs. Belgium Lumen Field (Seattle, WA)
Fri, June 26 8 p.m. Egypt vs. Iran BC Place (Vancouver, CAN)

Group H table

Pos Team PTS GP W L D GF GA GD
1. Spain 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2. Cape Verde 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
3. Saudi Arabia 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
4. Uruguay 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Group H fixtures

Date Time (ET) Match Location
Mon, Jun. 15 12 p.m. Spain vs. Cape Verde Mercedes-Benz Stadium (Atlanta, GA)
Mon, Jun. 15 6 p.m. Saudi Arabia vs. Uruguay Hard Rock Stadium (Miami, FL)
Sun, Jun. 21 12 p.m. Spain vs. Saudi Arabia Mercedes-Benz Stadium (Atlanta, GA)
Sun, Jun. 21 6 p.m. Uruguay vs. Cape Verde Hard Rock Stadium (Miami, FL)
Fri, Jun. 26 8 p.m. Uruguay vs. Spain NRG Stadium (Houston, TX)
Fri, Jun. 26 8 p.m. Cape Verde vs. Saudi Arabia Estadio Akron (Guadalajara, MEX)

Group I table

Pos Team PTS GP W L D GF GA GD
1. France 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2. Senegal 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
3. Iraq 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
4. Norway 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Group I fixtures

Date Time (ET) Match Location
Tue, Jun. 16 3 p.m. France vs. Senegal MetLife Stadium (East Rutherford, NJ)
Tue, Jun. 16 6 p.m. Iraq vs. Norway Gillette Stadium (Foxborough, MA)
Mon, Jun. 22 5 p.m. France vs. Iraq Lincoln Financial Field (Philadelphia, PA)
Mon, Jun. 22 8 p.m. Norway vs. Senegal MetLife Stadium (East Rutherford, NJ)
Fri, Jun. 26 3 p.m. Norway vs. France Gillette Stadium (Foxborough, MA)
Fri, Jun. 26 3 p.m. Senegal vs. Iraq BMO Field (Toronto, CAN)

Group J table

Pos Team PTS GP W L D GF GA GD
1. Argentina 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2. Algeria 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
3. Austria 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
4. Jordan 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Group J fixtures

Date Time (ET) Match Location
Tue, Jun. 16 9 p.m. Argentina vs. Algeria Arrowhead Stadium (Kansas City, MO)
Tue, Jun. 17 12 a.m. Austria vs. Jordan Levi’s Stadium (Santa Clara, CA)
Mon, Jun. 22 1 p.m. Argentina vs. Austria AT&T Stadium (Arlington, TX)
Mon, Jun. 22 11 p.m. Jordan vs. Algeria Levi’s Stadium (Santa Clara, CA)
Sat, Jun. 27 10 p.m. Jordan vs. Argentina Arrowhead Stadium (Kansas City, MO)
Sat, Jun. 27 10 p.m. Algeria vs. Austria AT&T Stadium (Arlington, TX)

Group K table

Pos Team PTS GP W L D GF GA GD
1. Portugal 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2. DR Congo 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
3. Uzbekistan 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
4. Colombia 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Group K fixtures

Date Time (ET) Match Location
Fri, Jun. 17 1 p.m. Portugal vs. DR Congo NRG Stadium (Houston, TX)
Fri, Jun. 17 10 p.m. Uzbekistan vs. Colombia Estadio Azteca (Mexico City, MEX)
Tue, Jun. 23 1 p.m. Portugal vs. Uzbekistan NRG Stadium (Houston, TX)
Tue, Jun. 23 10 p.m. Colombia vs. DR Congo Estadio Akron (Guadalajara, MEX)
Sat, Jun. 27 7:30 p.m. Colombia vs. Portugal Hard Rock Stadium (Miami, FL)
Sat, Jun. 27 7:30 p.m. DR Congo vs. Uzbekistan Mercedes-Benz Stadium (Atlanta, GA)

Group L table

Pos Team PTS GP W L D GF GA GD
1. England 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2. Croatia 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
3. Ghana 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
4. Panama 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Group L fixtures

Date Time (ET) Match Location
Fri, Jun. 17 4 p.m. England vs. Croatia AT&T Stadium (Arlington, TX)
Fri, Jun. 17 7 p.m. Ghana vs. Panama BMO Field (Toronto, CAN)
Tue, Jun. 23 4 p.m. England vs. Ghana Gillette Stadium (Foxborough, MA)
Tue, Jun. 23 7 p.m. Panama vs. Croatia BMO Field (Toronto, CAN)
Sat, Jun. 27 5 p.m. Panama vs. England MetLife Stadium (East Rutherford, NJ)
Sat, Jun. 27 5 p.m. Croatia vs. Ghana Lincoln Financial Field (Philadelphia, PA)

Ranking of third-place finishers

The top eight third-place finishers will qualify for the knockout stage, while the bottom four will be eliminated.

Pos Team PTS GP W D L GF GA GD
1. TBD 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2. TBD 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
3. TBD 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
4. TBD 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
5. TBD 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
6. TBD 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
7. TBD 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
8. TBD 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
9. TBD 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
10. TBD 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
11. TBD 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
12. TBD 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

World Cup 2026 knockout stage

Round of 32

Date Time (ET) Match Location
Sun, Jun. 28 3 p.m. M1: 2nd, Group A vs. 2nd, Group B SoFi Stadium (Inglewood, CA)
Mon, Jun. 29 4:30 p.m. M2: 1st, Group E vs. 3rd place finisher Gillette Stadium (Foxboro, MA)
Mon, Jun. 29 9 p.m. M3: 1st, Group F vs. 2nd, Group C Estadio BBVA (Guadalupe, MEX)
Mon, Jun. 29 1 p.m. M4: 1st, Group C vs. 2nd, Group F NRG Stadium (Houston, TX)
Tue, Jun. 30 5 p.m. M5: 1st, Group I vs. 3rd place finisher MetLife Stadium (East Rutherford, NJ)
Tue, Jun. 30 1 p.m. M6: 2nd, Group E vs. 2nd, Group I AT&T Stadium (Arlington, TX)
Tue, Jun. 30 9 p.m. M7: 1st, Group A vs. 3rd place finisher Estadio Azteca (Mexico City, MEX)
Wed, Jul. 1 12 p.m. M8: 1st, Group L vs. 3rd place finisher Mercedes-Benz Stadium (Atlanta, GA)
Wed, Jul. 1 8 p.m. M9: 1st, Group D vs. 3rd place finisher Levi’s Stadium (Santa Clara, CA)
Wed, Jul. 1 4 p.m. M10: 1st, Group G vs. 3rd place finisher Lumen Field (Seattle, WA)
Thu, Jul. 2 7 p.m. M11: 2nd, Group K vs. 2nd, Group L BMO Field (Toronto, CAN)
Thu, Jul. 2 3 p.m. M12: 1st, Group H vs. 2nd, Group J SoFi Stadium (Inglewood, CA)
Thu, Jul. 2 11 p.m. M13: 1st, Group B vs. 3rd place finisher BC Place (Vancouver, CAN)
Fri, Jul. 3 6 p.m. M14: 1st, Group J vs. 2nd, Group H Hard Rock Stadium (Miami, FL)
Fri, Jul. 3 9:30 p.m. M15: 1st, Group K vs. 3rd place finisher Arrowhead Stadium (Kansas City, MO)
Fr, Jul. 3 2 p.m. M16: 2nd, Group D vs. 2nd, Group G AT&T Stadium (Arlington, TX)

Round of 16

Date Time (ET) Match Location
Sat, Jul. 4 1 p.m. M2: Winner, R32 M1 vs. Winner, R32 M3 NRG Stadium (Houston, TX)
Sat, Jul. 4 5 p.m. M1: Winner, R32 M2 vs. Winner, R32 M5 Lincoln Financial Field (Philadelphia, PA)
Sun, Jul. 5 4 p.m. M3: Winner, R32 M4 vs. Winner, R32 M6 MetLife Stadium (East Rutherford, NJ)
Sun, Jul. 5 8 p.m. M4: Winner, R32 M7 vs. Winner, R32 M8 Estadio Azteca (Mexico City, MEX)
Mon, Jul. 6 3 p.m. M5: Winner, R32 M11 vs. Winner, R32 M12 AT&T Stadium (Arlington, TX)
Mon, Jul. 6 8 p.m. M6: Winner, R32 M9 vs. Winner, R32 M10 Lumen Field (Seattle, WA)
Tue, Jul. 7 12 p.m. M7: Winner, R32 M14 vs. Winner, R32 M16 Mercedes-Benz Stadium (Atlanta, GA)
Tue, Jul. 7 4 p.m. M8: Winner, R32 M13 vs. Winner, R32 M15 BC Place (Vancouver, CAN)

Quarterfinals

Date Time (ET) Match Location
Thu, Jul. 9 4 p.m. QF1: Winner, R16 M1 vs. Winner, R16 M2 Gillette Stadium (Foxboro, MA)
Fri, Jul. 10 3 p.m. QF2: Winner, R16 M5 vs. Winner, R16 M6 SoFi Stadium (Inglewood, CA)
Sat, Jul. 11 5 p.m. QF3: Winner, R16 M3 vs. Winner, R16 M4 Hard Rock Stadium (Miami, FL)
Sat, Jul. 11 9 p.m. QF4: Winner, R16 M7 vs. Winner, R16 M8 Arrowhead Stadium (Kansas City, MO)

Semifinals

Date Time (ET) Match Location
Tue, Jul. 14 3 p.m. SF1: Winner, QF1 vs. Winner, QF2 AT&T Stadium (Arlington, TX)
Wed, Jul. 15 3 p.m. SF2: Winner, QF3 vs. Winner, QF4 Mercedes-Benz Stadium (Atlanta, GA)

Third-place match

Date Time (ET) Match Location
Sat, Jul. 18 5 p.m. Loser, SF1 vs. Loser, SF2 Hard Rock Stadium (Miami, FL)

Final

Date Time (ET) Match Location
Sun, Jul. 19 3 p.m. Winner, SF1 vs. Winner, SF2 MetLife Stadium (East Rutherford, NJ)

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