FIFA World Cup 2026: full schedule and results as tournament gets under way

The FIFA World Cup 2026 is under way, staged across three host countries the United States, Canada and Mexico in the competition’s first triple-host edition. The tournament runs from 11 June to 19 July 2026, features 48 teams and a record 104 matches played over 39 days.

New format and route to the final

The 2026 edition introduces an expanded group stage made up of 12 groups of four teams. From each group, the top two teams advance, joined by the eight best third-placed sides to form a newly introduced Round of 32. From there the competition proceeds through the Round of 16, quarter-finals, semi-finals and final.

Key tournament dates

FIFA’s schedule lists the main phases of the tournament as follows:

• Group stage: June 11–27
• Round of 32: June 28–July 3
• Round of 16: July 4–7
• Quarter-finals: July 9–11
• Semi-finals: July 14–15
• Third-place playoff: July 18
• Final: July 19

Early match results and fixtures (selected)

Below are selected match results and fixtures from the group stage as listed in the tournament schedule and results log.

Matchday 1 (11–18 June)

• June 11 Group A: Mexico 2-0 South Africa (Mexico City, Mexico)
• June 12 Group A: South Korea 2-1 Czech Republic (Guadalajara, Mexico)
• June 12 Group B: Canada 1-1 Bosnia & Herzegovina (Toronto, Canada)
• June 13 Group D: USA 4-1 Paraguay (Los Angeles, USA)
• June 13 Group B: Qatar 1-1 Switzerland (Santa Clara / San Francisco, USA)
• June 14 Group C: Brazil 1-1 Morocco (New Jersey, USA)
• June 14 Group C: Haiti 0-1 Scotland (Foxborough / Boston, USA)
• June 14 Group D: Australia 2-0 Turkey (Vancouver, Canada)
• June 14 Group E: Germany 7-1 Curaçao (Houston, USA)
• June 14 Group F: Netherlands 2-2 Japan (Arlington / Dallas, USA)
• June 15 Group E: Ivory Coast 1-0 Ecuador (Philadelphia, USA)
• June 15 Group F: Sweden 5-1 Tunisia (Guadalupe / Monterrey, Mexico)

Selected fixtures and remaining early matches

The schedule also listed fixtures without results at the time of publication, including matches such as:

• Group H: Spain vs Cape Verde (Atlanta, USA)
• Group G: Belgium vs Egypt (Seattle, USA)
• Group I: France vs Senegal (New Jersey, USA)
• Group L: England vs Croatia (Arlington / Dallas, USA)

Matchdays 2 and 3 and start of knockouts

The published schedule sets out the full group-stage calendar through to June 28 and the detailed Round of 32 and knockout match listings, with specific match slots, venues and times across cities in the United States, Canada and Mexico. The Round of 32 begins on June 28, immediately after the group stage concludes, and the final is scheduled for 19 July in New York, USA.

What to expect

The expansion to 48 teams and a Round of 32 means teams reaching the final will navigate an additional knockout round compared with previous World Cups. The competition’s calendar leaves only a handful of match-free days during the 39-day tournament.

For readers: the schedule and results above are drawn from the published World Cup match list and results log.