FIFA World Cup 2026 Schedule Announced: Argentina Begin Title Defense In...

Last Updated:December 07, 2025, 08:11 IST

FIFA has announced the 2026 World Cup schedule, with 48 teams playing across USA, Mexico, and Canada.

FIFA President Gianni Infantino (right) greets Argentina's coach Lionel Scaloni during the match schedule reveal for the 2026 soccer World Cup in Washington. (AP Photo)

The path to glory for the 2026 World Cup has been outlined, with FIFA confirming the complete match schedule for the first 48-team tournament on Saturday, following a star-studded draw ceremony in Washington dominated by Donald Trump. At the event, hosted by FIFA president Gianni Infantino, Lionel Messi’s Argentina, the reigning champions, learned they will begin their title defense against Algeria in Group J in Kansas City on June 16. They will then face Austria and Jordan in Dallas.

European champions Spain will play their initial two Group H fixtures against debutants Cape Verde and Saudi Arabia in the covered and air-conditioned Atlanta stadium, followed by a match against Uruguay in Guadalajara, Mexico. England will commence their campaign against Croatia in the covered Dallas stadium on June 17, before moving to the northeastern United States for their remaining Group L matches.

The 1966 winners will compete against Ghana in Boston on June 23 and then face Panama at MetLife Stadium near New York City on June 27. Should they top their group, they will head to Atlanta for a last-32 tie on July 1.

France, winners in 2018 and runners-up in 2022, will play all three Group I matches in the northeastern US, facing Senegal at MetLife Stadium and Norway in Boston, with a fixture against an intercontinental play-off winner in Philadelphia in between.

Brazil, champions in the last World Cup held in the United States in 1994, will play Morocco at MetLife Stadium in their first Group C match on June 13. Carlo Ancelotti’s team will then face Haiti in Philadelphia on June 19, followed by a clash with Scotland in Miami on June 24—marking the fifth World Cup encounter between the nations.

For the first time, the draw ensured that the four highest-ranked nations—Spain, Argentina, France, and England—were kept apart, preventing them from meeting before the semi-finals if they all top their groups.

However, the path to the semi-finals appears challenging, with an additional knockout round following the group phase. If the top seeds win their groups, England may face co-hosts Mexico in Mexico City in the last 16, then Brazil in the quarter-finals, and potentially Argentina in the semi-finals.

Other potential match-ups include a last-16 collision between France and Germany and a possible quarter-final showdown between Messi’s Argentina and Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal.

“You cannot get carried away with building your way with who you are going to meet if you win the group, if you are second or whatever," said Tuchel on Friday. “You just focus on the group, this is what you do."

The tournament will take place across the USA, Mexico, and Canada from June 11 to July 19, with the number of teams increased from 32 to 48. The US will host most matches, including the final at MetLife Stadium, with three venues in Mexico and two in Canada.

The opening game will see Mexico face South Africa at Estadio Azteca in Mexico City, a repeat of the 2010 inaugural match. Host nations have had turbulent relations since Trump came to power, but he dismissed these concerns on Friday.

“We’ve worked closely with those two countries, and the coordination and friendship and relationship has been outstanding," Trump said on stage after receiving the first FIFA peace prize from Infantino.

Germany will face Ivory Coast, Ecuador, and Caribbean minnows Curacao in Group E, playing their first match in Houston. Portugal will compete against Uzbekistan, Colombia, and a play-off winner. The United States received a manageable draw in Group D, facing Paraguay, Australia, and a European play-off winner.

“Our first game is the final of the World Cup. And the second needs to be the final of the World Cup. That is the mentality, the mindset that we want to build," said USA coach Mauricio Pochettino.

The top two teams from each group will advance to the last 32, joined by the eight best third-placed teams.

“It will be the greatest World Cup ever," Infantino claimed. “This is like 104 Super Bowls in one month—this is the magnitude of what we are organising."

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