What’s the full match schedule, groups and format for World Cup 2026?

The 23rd edition of the FIFA World Cup — the biggest ever — will see 48 nations compete for the prize in a 39-day tournament in Canada, Mexico, and the United States. Sixteen venues across the three nations will host 104 matches as the tournament returns to North America after 32 years. Argentina will look to defend the trophy they lifted under their iconic captain, Lionel Messi, at Qatar 2022, while Cape Verde, Curacao, Jordan, and Uzbekistan will make their debut at the finals.

The tournament will begin in Mexico and conclude in the US. Here’s everything you need to know about its teams, groups, format and schedule. What are the groups and teams for the FIFA World Cup 2026?

⚽ Group A: Mexico, South Africa, Korea Republic, Czechia ⚽ Group B: Canada, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Qatar, Switzerland ⚽ Group C: Brazil, Morocco, Haiti, Scotland ⚽ Group D: United States, Paraguay, Australia, Turkiye ⚽ Group E: Germany, Curacao, Ivory Coast, Ecuador ⚽ Group F: Netherlands, Japan, Sweden, Tunisia ⚽ Group G: Belgium, Egypt, Iran, New Zealand ⚽ Group H: Spain, Cape Verde, Saudi Arabia, Uruguay ⚽ Group I: France, Senegal, Iraq, Norway ⚽ Group J: Argentina, Algeria, Austria, Jordan ⚽ Group K: Portugal, DR Congo, Uzbekistan, Colombia ⚽ Group L: England, Croatia, Ghana, Panama When and where is the opening match of the FIFA World Cup 2026? The tournament will open on June 11 at 3pm (21:00 GMT) at the Mexico City Stadium in Mexico. When and where is the final of the FIFA World Cup 2026?

The MetLife Stadium, which will be called the New York New Jersey Stadium during the tournament, will host the final on July 19 at 3pm (20:00 GMT). Why has FIFA changed the names of the stadiums hosting World Cup matches? In a move to restrict ambush marketing for brands not associated with FIFA, the governing body has changed stadium names for all venues to match the host city.