World Cup 2026 Schedule: Full Fixture List & UK Kick-Off Times

The 2026 World Cup schedule is unlike anything football supporters have experienced before. Across 39 days, 48 nations and 16 stadiums spread across three countries, the United States, Canada and Mexico, 104 matches will be played from 11 June to 19 July 2026. For UK viewers, the sheer geography of North America creates a fixture list with kick-off times ranging from early afternoon to the early hours of the morning, depending on which coast is hosting. The good news for England supporters is that all three of the Three Lions’ group fixtures fall in the evening in BST: 9pm, 9pm and 10pm. Scotland’s fans are less fortunate, with their opening fixture against Haiti kicking off at 2am BST. This guide gives you every fixture, all kick-off times converted to UK time, and everything you need to plan your viewing around the biggest World Cup in history. For an overview of every group and the draw outcome, see our World Cup 2026 groups guide.

The 2026 World Cup in Numbers

The scale of the 2026 tournament dwarfs every previous edition. The headline figures: 48 teams, 12 groups, 104 matches and 39 days, compared to 32 teams, 8 groups and 64 matches at Qatar 2022. Every team still plays three group-stage matches, but the expanded field means the top two from each group are joined by the eight best third-placed finishers in a brand-new Round of 32 (16 matches), before the tournament progresses through the Round of 16, quarter-finals, semi-finals, third-place play-off and final. Teams that reach the final will play eight matches in total, one more than in previous editions. The tournament opens at Estadio Azteca in Mexico City on 11 June and concludes at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, on 19 July. All kick-off times in this guide are listed in British Summer Time (BST), which runs throughout the tournament period. For details on which stadiums host which matches, see our dedicated World Cup 2026 stadiums guide.

World Cup 2026 Group Stage Fixtures: All 72 Matches with UK Times

The group stage runs from 11 June to 27 June. With four matches per day on most matchdays and kick-offs staggered across five time zones, the group stage will produce some very late nights for UK viewers. The bulk of the evening fixtures fall between 8pm and midnight BST; anything played on the US West Coast or in Mexico’s Pacific time zone can push into the early hours. The four standard US local kick-off slots translate to approximately 5pm, 8pm, 11pm and 2am BST during the tournament period.

Matchday 1: 11–14 June

Matchday 2: 19–22 June

Matchday 3: 24–27 June

All kick-off times are in BST. Late-night and early-hours fixtures reflect the Central and Pacific time zones of the US. For full TV listings of which matches are live on BBC or ITV, see our guide to watching the World Cup 2026 on TV.

England’s World Cup 2026 Fixtures: Three Manageable Evenings

England could hardly have asked for more viewer-friendly kick-off times. All three of the Three Lions’ group-stage fixtures fall in the evening in BST, a genuine rarity for a tournament held in North America, and the opposition in Group L presents a navigable path to the knockout rounds.

The opener against Croatia in Dallas carries obvious significance, it is a fixture England have faced twice at major tournaments and won both times (2018 World Cup group stage, 2021 European Championship final). A positive result there would effectively settle the group question before England have broken sweat against a serious opponent. The Ghana fixture in Boston comes six days later, and the final match-up against Panama in New Jersey on 27 June is at 5pm Eastern Time – 10