2026 FIFA World Cup: Full match timetable, team matchups for the football competition

The World Cup is going big for the 2026 edition of soccer's most illustrious tournament.

FIFA has opted to enlarge the World Cup roster and will bring the tournament back to North America for its inaugural staging across three nations.

The 2026 World Cup, hosted across the United States, Canada, and Mexico, will feature 48 nations, marking it as the largest tournament to date. The U.S. And Mexico are co-hosting for a second time; the U.S. Previously hosted in 1994, and Mexico hosted the finals in both 1970 and 1986. Canada will be experiencing the World Cup for the first time as a host nation.

The draw for the group stage is held on December 5, after which all eligible countries will discover their adversaries and the possible route to the championship match. The exact schedule and kickoff times for every fixture will be revealed on the subsequent day.

AllSportsPeople will provide a schedule overview, including results, kickoff times, locations, and key moments from all games as they happen.

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The format for the 2026 World Cup competition

The 2026 World Cup marks the debut of the competition's newly expanded format. It will include a 48-team field, and every participating country will commence their journey in the group stage.

During the draw, teams are divided into 12 groups of four, and the top two from each group will automatically move on to the knockout phase. Furthermore, the best eight third-place teams will also qualify for the knockouts.

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Following that, the 32-team knockout stage commences, adhering to the standard single-elimination structure. Teams that secured third place in their groups will compete against group winners, with a stipulation preventing any repeat matchups from the group stage in the Round of 32.

The final four teams will each compete in eight games: three during the group phase, and five in the elimination rounds (Round of 32, Round of 16, quarterfinals, semifinals, and either the championship game or the third-place contest).

Full schedule for the 2026 World Cup

The FIFA World Cup draw will be held on December 5, 2025 at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.

There, the teams will be allocated to the 12 groups, and their routes to a possible final will be defined.

Mexico has been assigned to Group A for the group stage, Canada to Group B, and the USA to Group D. Furthermore, new regulations stipulate that the top four teams globally, based on FIFA rankings, which include Spain, Argentina, France, and England, will be positioned on separate halves of the tournament bracket, preventing them from competing against each other until the later rounds.

World Cup 2026 group stage

Group A table

Group A fixtures

Group B table

Group B fixtures

Group C table

Group C fixtures

Group D table

Group D fixtures

Group E table

Group E fixtures

Group F table

Group F fixtures

Group G table

Group G fixtures

Group H table

Group H fixtures

Group I table

Group I fixtures

Group J table

Group J fixtures

Group K table

Group K fixtures

Group L table

Group L fixtures

Ranking of third-place finishers

The eight best third-place teams will advance to the next round, with the remaining four being sent home.

World Cup 2026 knockout stage

Round of 32

Round of 16

Quarterfinals

Semifinals

Third place match

Final