2026 FIFA World Cup match schedule announcement: as it happened

So, now we know.... we have some very important key dates for the 2026 diaries. 

The qualifying rounds are already underway in the CONMEBOL region and will roll out in the other confederations later this year and next. It won't be long before we know the names of the 48 participating nations at the 2026 tournament. 

Thanks for joining us this evening.

Who plays at Metlife Stadium?

The sporting arena in East Rutherford is home to two NFL sides.... NY Giants and NY Jets. 

It boasts a capacity of 82,500 and can hold the highest amount of fans in the 11 US stadiums.

The venue has also hosted a series of concerts, Wrestlemania events and has over 25 high profile soccer games played at the venue.

Texan fans in for a treat

With nine games in Dallas and a further seven in Houston, fans in the Lone Star State are in for a treat.

Biga Apple final on 19.07.2026

MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey (capacity: 82,500) will open its doors in July 2026 to host the final and crown the successor to Argentina.

The FIFA event is over but don't go away as we'll take a look at the event, the talking points and key takeaways as the journey to the 2026 World Cup does feel a little closer than it did an hour ago.

WC 2026: schedule

Here it is...

the World Cup 2026 tournament schedule.

....MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, NY/New Jersey (capacity: 82,500)

and the final .... 

where will the 2026 World Cup be staged?

So, now ... the reveal for the final games...

First up ... 3/4 place game will be hosted in Miami

Dallas will host 9 games in 2026... The Texan capital will get to host the highest number of matches at the tournament.

2026 WC format

12 groups of 4.... top 2 advance with four x best third played sides advancing to Round of 32.

Then direct head-to-head knockouts through to the final.

Infantino confirms that each team will play in mini-zones or hubs to avoid large travel distances.

I imagine this will be revealed by FIFA.

Gianni Infantino is ... how do I put this ... an 'interesting' character ....

Host nations opening games

Mexico City, Toronto and Los Angeles, the host cities for the three co-host nations.

The US will also play in Seattle ... all three games will be hosted on the West Coast.

SoFi Stadium, Inglewood, California start for USMNT at WC 2026 on 12 June

Kim Kardashian announces that the US will start their campaign in Los Angeles.

Her child sporting a Real Madrid (away) jersey !

Now, the focus falls on the USA.

Where will the USMNT kick off ?

Drake is a major ambassador for the city, Canada and will be a big driver for the 2026 event.

Drake time...

Drizzy talks to Infantino and the rapper talks about how amazing a city his native Toronto is.

El Tri matchdates in 2026

Mexico open on 11 June at the Estadio Azteca.

18 June in Estadio Akron in Guadalajara will be the host city for game two and the final group game will be played back in CDMX at the Azteca on 24 June

Canada will play their first game in Toronto with match two and three being staged in Vancouver.

Now we join the Canadian delegation with Mauro Biello who is the current temporary boss of Les Rouges

Canada will open their tournament on 12 June 2026.

Toronto and Vancouver will both host five games apiece.

We find out that Canada will open their campaign in Toronto 

Now with some focus on Canada.

Jenny asks Infantino on how it was to watch Pele play at the 1970 World Cup and the Fifa chief is quick to remind her that he is not that old...

A light hearted moment between host and Fifa boss.

Mexico will play all their games in home soil which implies a game in Guadalajara and Monterrey.

Lozano adds that playing at home in front of the traditionally passionate Mexico fans will be incredible.

He concludes that co-hosting the World Cup again will be a wonderful experience for the nation and for all visiting supporters. 

It looks like Monterrey will host three games and Guadalajara four.

Not sure how many more games the Azteca will host. 

Jaime Lozano (Mexico manager) now talking about what it means for the nation and El Tri to open the 2026 competition.

So, there we go.... Estadio Azteca will be the focus as Mexico will play at the newly revamped stadium in the Santa Ursula district in CDMX. 

First announcement coming up....

When is the opening game ....

Infantino confirms that it will be 11 June in Mexico City 

Infantino now offering some insight on what fans can expect in the three nations in Canada, US and Mexico and promises the biggest spectacle ever in history.

Fifa have finally managed to resolve their audio issues.

My word... Gianni Infantino is on the coach in the Miami studio and rocking a very casual look.... beige hoodie, beige trousers and the trademark white trainers !

No comment you honour !

The audio coming from Miami is well ropey ...

A quick look now at the cities where the 2026 competition will be staged.

2 in Canada, 3 in Mexico and 11 in the USA

Kevin Hart and Jenny Taft are our hosts tonight.

We're live in Miami !

Argentina set to defend title in 2026

Argentina are the current World Cup holders after their 2022 Lusail win over France. 

Will Messi be in the US to help the Albiceleste defend their title?

 Apart from Drake, it looks like Kim Kardashian and actor Kevin Hart will also play some role in the FIFA event in Miami.

104 games is a heck of a lot of games !

Will this create a new challenge for fans to try and 'do the 104' in 2026?

Just 10 minutes before we're live in Miami and the start of the event.

Once again, FIFA have given very little away in what format the event will hold.

Will it be a series of bowls and balls? Once again, all will be revealed in a short while.

Drake to be involved

We're not quite sure in what capacity the Canadian rapper will be involved in tonight's event  but FIFA have announced that Drizzy will be involved... performing ? ball picking ? we're not sure ....but we'll have a better idea in a matter of 20-30 minutes.

US to become FIFA testing ground

The United States will host two major international tournaments as testing grounds ahead of the 2026 World Cup.

Next Summer (2024) the US will host the Copa America with Argentina looking to retain their crown and the following summer, the nation will host the first ever 32 team expanded Club World Cup.

A 48 team World Cup ?

Expansion, more games ...a bigger competition but will it be better?

Time will tell if more teams equals more drama and excitement but the initial feedback from fans of the global game is not exactly overwhelming with many fearing that there will be too manu one sided contests and that the possibility of jeopardy and upsets will be diminished.

Time will tell, but there certainly seems to be a thirst from FIFA (Infantio) to expand... see also 2025 32 team FIFA Club World Cup. 

That would in turn mean that Mexico will open the competition with this being the third time in history the Aztec nation hosts a World Cup (1970 and 1986) being the previous two instances.

Estadio Azteca to open WC2026?

The word on the street, at least via our AS Mexico colleagues is that the Estadio Azteca in the capital is set to host the opening game of the competition.

The ground is currently undergoing significant renovation works with regular tennants Club America and Cruz Azul playing their Liga MX games at the Estadio Azul along with second tier side Atlante.

We will never ever tire of watching this ...

One of the iconic goals ever in World Cup history and the follow-up to the infamous 'Hand of God' goal that opened the scoring for Argentina in this 1986 World Cup clash against England.

So what will we discover tonight?

Despite no teams actually qualified apart from the three host nations, we will learn the opening date of the tournament, where the final game will be staged and an assuming in which cities the host nations get to play their group stage games in.

We'll also learn that if you live, say in Seattle, you will have the likes of B2 vs B3 at Lumen Field on x date.... 

When is the 2026 World Cup and who has qualified?

The 23rd edition of FIFA’s global soccer tournament, the 2026 World Cup is to be played in June and July 2026. The world game’s governing body has confirmed that the final will take place on 19 July, but the date of the opening game has not been announced.

Which stadiums will host 2026 World Cup games?

Canada

BMO Field, Toronto, Ontario (capacity: 45,000)

BC Place, Vancouver, British Columbia (capacity: 54,000)

Mexico

Estadio Azteca, Mexico City (capacity: 83,000)

Estadio Akron, Zapopan (capacity: 48,000)

Estadio BBVA, Guadalupe (capacity: 53,500)

United States

Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, Georgia (capacity: 75,000)

Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, Massachusetts (capacity: 65,000)

AT&T Stadium, Arlington, Texas (capacity: 65,000)

NRG Stadium, Houston, Texas (capacity: 72,000)

Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri (capacity: 73,000)

SoFi Stadium, Inglewood, California (capacity: 70,000)

Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens, Florida (capacity: 65,000)

MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey (capacity: 82,500)

Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (capacity: 69,000)

Levi's Stadium, Santa Clara, California (capacity: 71,000)

Lumen Field, Seattle, Washington (capacity: 69,000)

All set on the ....set

The Miami studios are ready for the event that gets underway in approximately an hour.

How long will the event last ? A wonderful question but I'd like to think that it's wrapped up in roughly an hour.... 

In recent times, the likes of UEFA, Spanish FA etc have discovered that less means more when it comes to draws.

Jenny Tft will be tuning in !

A reminder that the 2026 World Cup will be the first time the tournament has featured 48 teams and will see a match calender of 104 matches across the 6 weeks that the competition is expected to run for.

The FIFA event will be broadcast in Miami and we can expect to discover which host cities will stage the 104 matches. What games will open the tournament in Canada, Mexico and the USA and what the date of the opening game will be.

What time is the World Cup schedule reveal?

The 2026 World Cup schedule will be announced from 3pm ET/12 noon PT on Sunday 4 February 2024.

Hello and welcome to our live coverage as the road to the 2026 World Cup begins in earnest as we will discover the match schedule for the tournament.