The 2026 FIFA World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico is fast approaching. Here's what to know about the tournament's format, groups and more.
What is the 2026 FIFA World Cup format?
The World Cup draw Friday separated 48 teams (and placeholders) into 12 groups of four teams each. Each team will play three games in the group stage, one against every team in its group.
The top two teams in each group advance to the knockout stage, as in previous years. But the expansion of the tournament from 32 teams will create an additional round of knockout matches. Instead of 16 teams advancing to the first knockout round, as has been the case since 1998, there will be 32 making it out of the group stage.
That means not only will all 12 group winners and 12 second-place teams advance, but also the eight best third-place teams. The specific matchups for the round of 32 will depend on which groups the eight third-place teams emerge from.
The knockout stage consists of a series of winner-take-all matches, all the way through to the final. If a match is tied after full time, 30 minutes of added extra time are played as two 15-minute halves, with a penalty shootout as the ultimate decider.
- How does the World Cup draw work?
What are the groups for the World Cup?
Click the arrows at the top to scroll through all of the World Cup groups.
What are the tiebreakers for the group stage?
If three or more teams finish equal on group stage points, the following tiebreakers are applied in order.
1. Most points obtained in the group matches played between the teams concerned
2. Superior goal difference in the group matches played between the teams concerned
3. Most goals scored in the group matches played between the teams concerned
If any teams remain tied, the same tiebreakers are applied again, exclusively to the matches between those teams.
From there, ties are broken by the following criteria. These tiebreakers are also the first ones applicable to ties between just two teams.
4. Superior goal difference in all group matches
5. Most goals scored in all group matches
6. Highest team conduct ("fair play") score in all group matches
7. FIFA world ranking
- World Cup 2026 qualifying: Who has qualified, and how the rest can make it
How will the best third-place teams be determined?
The third-place teams in the group stage will be ranked by these criteria, in order:
1. Points
2. Goal difference
3. Goals scored
4. Team conduct score
5. FIFA world ranking
What is the full match schedule?
Here is every match in the tournament, from the group stage to the final.
Group stage
Thursday, June 11:
Group A: Mexico vs. South Africa (Mexico City), 1 p.m. local / 3 p.m. ET
Group A: South Korea vs. UEFA playoff path 2 winner (Zapopan, Mexico), 8 p.m. local / 10 p.m. ET
Friday, June 12:
Group B: Canada vs. UEFA playoff path 1 winner (Toronto), 3 p.m. ET
Group D: United States vs. Paraguay (Inglewood, Calif.), 6 p.m. local / 9 p.m. ET
Saturday, June 13:
Group B: Qatar vs. Switzerland (Santa Clara, Calif.), noon local / 3 p.m. ET
Group C: Brazil vs. Morocco (East Rutherford, New Jersey), 6 p.m. ET
Group C: Haiti vs. Scotland (Foxborough, Mass.), 9 p.m. ET
Group D: Australia vs. UEFA playoff path 3 winner (Vancouver, Canada), 9 p.m. local / 12 a.m. ET (June 14)
Sunday, June 14:
Group E: Germany vs. Curaçao (Houston), noon local / 1 p.m. ET
Group F: Netherlands vs. Japan (Arlington, Texas), 3 p.m. local / 4 p.m. ET
Group E: Ivory Coast vs. Ecuador (Philadelphia), 7 p.m. ET
Group F: UEFA playoff path 2 winner vs. Tunisia (Guadalupe, Mexico), 8 p.m. local / 10 p.m. ET
Monday, June 15:
Group H: Spain vs. Cape Verde (Atlanta), noon local / 1 p.m. ET
Group G: Belgium vs. Egypt (Seattle), 3 p.m. local / 6 p.m. ET
Group H: Saudi Arabia vs. Uruguay (Miami Gardens, Fla.), 6 p.m. ET
Group G: Iran vs. New Zealand (Inglewood, Calif.), 9 p.m. local / 12 a.m. ET (June 16)
Tuesday, June 16:
Group I: France vs. Senegal (East Rutherford, N.J.), 3 p.m. ET
Group I: FIFA playoff winner 2 vs. Norway (Foxborough, Mass.), 6 p.m. ET
Group J: Argentina vs. Algeria (Kansas City, Mo.), 8 p.m. local / 9 p.m. ET
Group J: Austria vs. Jordan (Santa Clara, Calif.), 9 p.m. local / 12 a.m. ET (June 17)
Wednesday, June 17:
Group K: Portugal vs. FIFA playoff winner 1 (Houston), noon local / 1 p.m. ET
Group L: England vs. Croatia (Arlington, Texas), 3 p.m. local / 4 p.m. ET
Group L: Ghana vs. Panama (Toronto), 7 p.m. ET
Group K: Uzbekistan vs. Colombia (Mexico City), 8 p.m. local / 10 p.m. ET
Thursday, June 18:
Group A: UEFA playoff path 2 winner vs. South Africa (Atlanta), noon ET
Group B: Switzerland vs. UEFA playoff path 1 winner (Inglewood, Calif.), noon local / 3 p.m. ET
Group B: Canada vs. Qatar (Vancouver, Canada), 3 p.m. local / 6 p.m. ET
Group A: Mexico vs. South Korea (Zapopan, Mexico), 9 p.m. local / 11 p.m. ET
Friday, June 19:
Group D: United States vs. Australia (Seattle), noon local / 3 p.m. ET
Group C: Scotland vs. Morocco (Foxborough, Mass.), 6 p.m. ET
Group C: Brazil vs. Haiti (Philadelphia), 9 p.m. ET
Group D: UEFA playoff path 3 winner vs. Paraguay (Santa Clara, Calif.), 9 p.m. local / 12 a.m. ET (June 20)
Saturday, June 20:
Group F: Netherlands vs. UEFA playoff path 2 winner (Houston), noon local / 1 p.m. ET
Group E: Germany vs. Ivory Coast (Toronto), 4 p.m. ET
Group E: Ecuador vs. Curaçao (Kansas City, Mo.), 7 p.m. local / 8 p.m. ET
Group F: Tunisia vs. Japan (Guadalupe, Mexico), 10 p.m. local / 12 a.m. ET (June 21)
Sunday, June 21:
Group H: Spain vs. Saudi Arabia (Atlanta), noon ET
Group G: Belgium vs. Iran (Inglewood, Calif.), noon local / 3 p.m. ET
Group H: Uruguay vs. Cape Verde (Miami Gardens, Fla.), 6 p.m. ET
Group G: New Zealand vs. Egypt (Vancouver), 6 p.m. local / 9 p.m. ET
Monday, June 22:
Group J: Argentina vs. Austria (Arlington, Texas), noon local / 1 p.m. ET
Group I: France vs. FIFA playoff winner 2 (Philadelphia), 5 p.m. ET
Group I: Norway vs. Senegal (East Rutherford, N.J.), 8 p.m. ET
Group J: Jordan vs. Algeria (Santa Clara, Calif.), 8 p.m. local / 11 p.m. ET
Tuesday, June 23:
Group K: Portugal vs. Uzbekistan (Houston), noon local / 1 p.m. ET
Group L: England vs. Ghana (Foxborough, Mass.), 4 p.m. ET
Group L: Panama vs. Croatia (Toronto), 7 p.m. ET
Group K: Colombia vs. FIFA playoff winner 1 (Zapopan, Mexico), 8 p.m. local / 10 p.m. ET
Wednesday, June 24:
Group B: Switzerland vs. Canada (Vancouver, Canada), noon local / 3 p.m. ET
Group B: UEFA playoff path 1 winner vs. Qatar (Seattle), noon local / 3 p.m. ET
Group C: Scotland vs. Brazil (Miami Gardens, Fla.), 6 p.m. ET
Group C: Morocco vs. Haiti (Atlanta), 6 p.m. ET
Group A: UEFA playoff path 1 winner vs. Mexico (Mexico City), 7 p.m. local / 9 p.m. ET
Group A: South Africa vs. South Korea (Guadalupe, Mexico), 7 p.m. local / 9 p.m. ET
Thursday, June 25:
Group E: Ecuador vs. Germany (East Rutherford, N.J.), 4 p.m. ET
Group E: Curacao vs. Ivory Coast (Philadelphia), 4 p.m. ET
Group F: Japan vs. UEFA playoff path 2 winner (Arlington, Texas), 6 p.m. local / 7 p.m. ET
Group F: Tunisia vs. Netherlands (Kansas City, Mo.), 6 p.m. local / 7 p.m. ET
Group D: UEFA playoff path 3 winner vs. United States (Inglewood, Calif.), 7 p.m. local / 10 p.m. ET
Group D: Paraguay vs. Australia (Santa Clara, Calif.), 7 p.m. local / 10 p.m. ET
Friday, June 26:
Group I: Norway vs. France (Foxborough, Mass.), 3 p.m. ET
Group I: Senegal vs. FIFA playoff winner 2 (Toronto), 3 p.m. ET
Group H: Cape Verde vs. Saudi Arabia (Houston), 7 p.m. local / 8 p.m. ET
Group H: Uruguay vs. Spain (Zapopan, Mexico), 6 p.m. local / 8 p.m. ET
Group G: Egypt vs. Iran (Seattle), 8 p.m. local / 11 p.m. ET
Group G: New Zealand vs. Belgium (Vancouver, Canada), 8 p.m. local / 11 p.m. ET
Saturday, June 27:
Group L: Panama vs. England (East Rutherford, N.J.), 5 p.m. ET
Group L: Croatia vs. Ghana (Philadelphia), 5 p.m. ET
Group K: Colombia vs. Portugal (Miami Gardens, Fla.), 7:30 p.m. ET
Group K: FIFA playoff winner 1 vs. Uzbekistan (Atlanta Stadium), 7:30 p.m. ET
Group J: Algeria vs. Austria (Kansas City, Mo.), 9 p.m. local / 10 p.m. ET
Group J: Jordan vs. Argentina (Arlington, Texas), 9 p.m. local / 10 p.m. ET
Round of 32
Sunday, June 28:
Group A runners-up vs. Group B runners-up (Inglewood, Calif.), noon local / 3 p.m. ET
Monday, June 29:
Group C winners vs. Group F runners-up (Houston), noon local / 1 p.m. ET
Group E winners vs. Group A/B/C/D/F third place (Foxborough, Mass.), 4:30 p.m. ET
Group F winners vs. Group C runners-up (Guadalupe, Mexico), 7 p.m. local / 9 p.m. ET
Tuesday, June 30:
Group E runners-up vs. Group I runners-up (Arlington, Texas), noon local / 1 p.m. ET
Group I winners vs. Group C/D/F/G/H third place (East Rutherford, N.J.), 5 p.m. ET
Group A winners vs. Group C/E/F/H/I third place (Mexico City), 7 p.m. local / 9 p.m. ET
Wednesday, July 1:
Group L winners vs. Group E/H/I/J/K third place (Atlanta), noon ET
Group G winners vs. Group A/E/H/I/J third place (Seattle), 1 p.m. local / 4 p.m. ET
Group D winners vs. Group B/E/F/I/J third place (Santa Clara, Calif.), 5 p.m. local / 8 p.m. ET
Thursday, July 2:
Group H winners v. Group J runners-up (Inglewood, Calif.), noon local / 3 p.m. ET
Group K runners-up v. Group L runners-up (Toronto), 7 p.m. ET
Group B winners v. Group E/F/G/I/J third place (Vancouver, Canada), 8 p.m. local / 11 p.m. ET
Friday, July 3:
Group D runners-up vs. Group G runners-up (Arlington, Texas), noon local / 2 p.m. ET
Group J winners vs. Group H runners-up (Miami Gardens, Fla.), 6 p.m. ET
Group K winners vs. Group D/E/I/J/L third place (Kansas City, Mo.), 8:30 p.m. local / 9:30 p.m. ET
Round of 16
Saturday, July 4:
Round of 16 match 1 (Houston), noon local / 1 p.m. ET
Round of 16 match 2 (Philadelphia), 5 p.m. ET
Sunday, July 5:
Round of 16 match 3 (East Rutherford, N.J.), 4 p.m. ET
Round of 16 match 4 (Mexico City), 6 p.m. local / 8 p.m. ET
Monday, July 6:
Round of 16 match 5 (Arlington, Texas), 2 p.m. local / 3 p.m. ET
Round of 16 match 6 (Seattle), 2 p.m. local / 5 p.m. ET
Tuesday, July 7:
Round of 16 match 7 (Atlanta), noon ET
Round of 16 match 8 (Vancouver, Canada), 1 p.m. local / 4 p.m. ET
Quarterfinals
Thursday, July 9:
Quarterfinal 1 (Foxborough, Mass.), 4 p.m. ET
Friday, July 10:
Quarterfinal 2: (Inglewood, Calif.), noon local / 3 p.m. ET
Saturday, July 11:
Quarterfinal 3 (Miami Gardens, Fla.), 5 p.m. ET
Quarterfinal 4 (Kansas City, Mo.), 8 p.m. local / 9 p.m. ET
Semifinals
Tuesday, July 14:
Semifinal 1 (Arlington, Texas), 2 p.m. local / 3 p.m. ET
Wednesday, July 15:
Semifinal 2 (Atlanta), 3 p.m. ET
Third-place game -- Saturday, July 18 (Miami Gardens, Fla.), 5 p.m. ET
Final -- Sunday, July 19 (East Rutherford, N.J.), 3 p.m. ET