The schedule for the World Cup 2026 finals to be held in the United States, Canada, and Mexico consists of a group stage, a round of 32, a round of 16, quarterfinals, semifinals, 3rd and 4th place matches, and finals. In Round 1 of the Group Stage, 48 countries will be divided into 12 groups of 4 teams each.
World Cup 2026 Rounds:
In each group, each country will play three round-robin matches against the other three countries in that group. There is always a winner if the final score is tied, as penalties apply (no overtime).
The two countries with the most points in each group advance to the playoffs. At this stage, the men’s soccer global final is played according to the familiar and well-known knockout system. From the Round of 16, only the winners advance to knockout matches without overtime and penalties.
READ MORE: FIFA World Cup 2026: Country, Venue, Dates, Tickets
The FIFA World Cup 2026 schedule already indicates that the opening match will be held at the Rose Bowl Stadium in Los Angeles or will be held in Mexico City at the Rose Bowl Stadium, Azteca Stadium, BID United, an alliance of the United States, Canada, and Mexico, the host country, also proposed Atlanta (Mercedes-Benz Stadium) and Dallas (AT&T Stadium) as backgrounds for the semifinals.
The 2026 World Cup Finals will be held in New York/New Jersey (MetLife Stadium). This information is taken from BID and is subject to change by definition.
The final dates and times match World Cup 2026:
The dates venues and starting times of the games during the World Cup 2026 finals, together with the actual schedule, will be updated at a later stage.
