FIFA has released groups and schedules for FIFA Football World 2026 via a group stage draw on Friday, December 05, 2025. This time, the apex sporting tournament includes 48 teams, inflated from 32 in 2022, playing their heart out across different venues in the US, Canada, and Mexico. There is also a possibility of a blockbuster showdown of Messi vs. Cristiano Ronaldo this time. Keep reading.
Table of contents
FIFA Football World Cup 2026 Groups
The FIFA Football World Cup 2026 has 12 groups from Group ‘A’ to Group ‘L’. As usual, there are four nations in each group. However, six countries will be finalized by March 2026, with their qualifiers remaining. So, that leaves Group ‘A’, Group ‘B’, Group ‘D’, Group ‘F’, Group ‘I’, and Group ‘K’ to find their final participants. Also, bear in mind that the kick-off times will be announced on December 06.
The defending champion Argentina is in Group ‘J’ with Algeria, Austria, and Jordan. Brazil, the five-time winners, is in Group ‘C’ with Morocco, Haiti, and Scotland. Four-time winner Germany is placed in Group ‘E’. Portugal is in Group ‘K’. It is likely to be the last World Cup of Lionel Messi (Arg.) and Cristiano Ronaldo (Port.), the two most decorated Footballers of the generation—there’s more to the duo down the passages. Don’t miss it.
Here is the full list of Groups for the FIFA Men’s Football World Cup 2026:
- Group A: Mexico, South Africa, Korea Republic, Czechia/Denmark/North Macedonia /Republic of Ireland
- Group B: Canada, Bosnia and Herzegovina/Italy/Northern Ireland /Wales, Qatar, Switzerland
- Group C: Brazil, Morocco, Haiti, Scotland
- Group D: USA, Paraguay, Australia, Kosovo/Romania/Slovakia/Türkiye
- Group E: Germany, Curaçao, Côte d’Ivoire, Ecuador
- Group F: Netherlands, Japan, Albania/Poland/Sweden/Ukraine, Tunisia
- Group G: Belgium, Egypt, IR Iran, New Zealand
- Group H: Spain, Cabo Verde, Saudi Arabia, Uruguay
- Group I: France, Senegal, Bolivia/Iraq/Suriname, Norway
- Group J: Argentina, Algeria, Austria, Jordan
- Group K: Portugal, Congo DR/Jamaica/New Caledonia, Uzbekistan, Colombia
- Group L: England, Croatia, Ghana, Panama
FIFA Football World Cup 2026 Kick-Off, League, Knockout, and Final Match Map
FIFA Football World Cup 2026 kicks off on June 11, 2026, with the co-host Mexico playing their opener in Mexico City. The other co-hosts USA and Canada, will take to the field on June 12 in Los Angeles and Toronto, respectively.
The top two teams from each group and the eight best third-place finishing nations reach the knockout stage, which begins on June 28 with the Round of 32. The next knockout stage the Round of 16, begins on July 4, while the quarterfinals kick off on July 9 and the semifinals on July 14-15. The grand finale of the FIFA Football World Cup 2026 will be hosted at the iconic MetLife Stadium, USA on July 19.
Also, check out: ICC T20 World Cup 2026 fixtures, tickets, TV channel details
FIFA Football World Cup 2026 Fixtures/Schedules
Here is the full list of schedules/fixtures for the FIFA Football World Cup 2026:
June 11, 2026
- Mexico vs. South Africa (Group A) – Mexico City
- South Korea vs. UEFA playoff D (Group A) – Guadalajara
June 12
- Canada vs. UEFA playoff A (Group B) – Toronto
- USA vs. Paraguay (Group D) – Los Angeles
June 13
- Brazil vs. Morocco (Group C) – Boston or New York/New Jersey
- Australia vs. UEFA playoff C (Group D) – Vancouver
- Haiti vs. Scotland (Group C) – Boston or New York/New Jersey
- Qatar vs. Switzerland (Group B) – San Francisco Bay Area
June 14
- Germany vs. Curaçao (Group E) – Philadelphia or Houston
- Ivory Coast vs. Ecuador (Group E) – Philadelphia or Houston
- Netherlands vs. Japan (Group F) – Dallas or Monterrey
- UEFA playoff B vs. Tunisia (Group F) – Dallas or Monterrey
June 15
- Spain vs. Cape Verde (Group H) – Miami or Atlanta
- Saudi Arabia vs. Uruguay (Group H) – Miami or Atlanta
- Belgium vs. Egypt (Group G) – Los Angeles or Seattle
- Iran vs. New Zealand (Group G) – Los Angeles or Seattle
June 16
- France vs. Senegal (Group I) – New York/New Jersey or Boston
- FIFA playoff 2 vs. Norway (Group I) – New York/New Jersey or Boston
- Argentina vs. Algeria (Group J) – Kansas City or San Francisco Bay Area
- Austria vs. Jordan (Group J) – Kansas City or San Francisco Bay Area
June 17
- England vs. Croatia (Group L) – Toronto or Dallas
- Ghana vs. Panama (Group L) – Toronto or Dallas
- Portugal vs. FIFA playoff 1 (Group K) – Houston or Mexico City
- Uzbekistan vs. Colombia (Group K) – Houston or Mexico City
June 18
- UEFA playoff D vs. South Africa (Group A) – Atlanta
- Switzerland vs. UEFA playoff A (Group A) – Los Angeles
- Canada vs. Qatar (Group B) – Vancouver
- Mexico vs. South Korea (Group A) – Guadalajara
June 19
- Brazil vs. Haiti (Group C) – Philadelphia or New York/New Jersey
- Scotland vs. Morocco (Group C) – Philadelphia or New York/New Jersey
- UEFA playoff C vs. Paraguay (Group D) – San Francisco Bay Area
- USA vs. Australia (Group D) – Seattle
June 20
- Germany vs. Ivory Coast (Group E) – Toronto or Kansas City
- Ecuador vs. Curaçao (Group E) – Toronto or Kansas City
- Netherlands vs. UEFA playoff B (Group F) – Houston or Monterrey
- Tunisia vs. Japan (Group F) – Houston or Monterrey
June 21
- Spain vs. Saudi Arabia (Group H) – Miami or Atlanta
- Uruguay vs. Cape Verde (Group H) – Miami or Atlanta
- Belgium vs. Iran (Group G) – Los Angeles or Vancouver
- New Zealand vs. Egypt (Group G) – Los Angeles or Vancouver
June 22
- France vs. FIFA playoff 2 (Group I) – New York/New Jersey or Philadelphia
- Norway vs. Senegal (Group I) – New York/New Jersey or Philadelphia
- Argentina vs. Austria (Group J) – Dallas or San Francisco Bay Area
- Jordan vs. Algeria (Group J) – Dallas or San Francisco Bay Area
June 23
- England vs. Ghana (Group L) – Boston or Toronto
- Panama vs. Croatia (Group L) – Boston or Toronto
- Portugal vs. Uzbekistan (Group K) – Houston or Guadalajara
- Colombia vs. FIFA playoff 1 (Group K) – Houston or Guadalajara
June 24
- Scotland vs. Brazil (Group C) – Miami or Atlanta
- Morocco vs. Haiti (Group C) – Miami or Atlanta
- Canada vs. Switzerland (Group B) – Vancouver
- UEFA playoff A vs. Qatar (Group B) – Seattle
- Mexico vs. UEFA playoff D (Group A) – Mexico City
- South Korea vs. South Africa (Group A) – Monterrey
June 25
- Ecuador vs. Germany (Group E) – Philadelphia or New York/New Jersey
- Curaçao vs. Ivory Coast (Group E) – Philadelphia or New York/New Jersey
- Tunisia vs. Netherlands (Group F) – Dallas or Kansas City
- Japan vs. UEFA playoff B (Group F) – Dallas or Kansas City
- USA vs. UEFA playoff C (Group D) – Los Angeles
- Paraguay vs. Australia (Group D) – San Francisco Bay Area
June 26
- Norway vs. France (Group I) – Boston or Toronto
- Senegal vs. FIFA playoff 2 (Group I) – Boston or Toronto
- New Zealand vs. Belgium (Group G) – Seattle or Vancouver
- Egypt vs. Iran (Group G) – Seattle or Vancouver
- Uruguay vs. Spain (Group H) – Houston or Guadalajara
- Cape Verde vs. Saudi Arabia (Group H) – Houston or Guadalajara
June 27
- Panama vs. England (Group L) – New York/New Jersey or Philadelphia
- Croatia vs. Ghana (Group L) – New York/New Jersey or Philadelphia
- Jordan vs. Argentina (Group J) – Kansas City or Dallas
- Algeria vs. Austria (Group J) – Kansas City or Dallas
- Colombia vs. Portugal (Group K) – Miami or Atlanta
- FIFA playoff 1 vs. Uzbekistan (Group K) – Miami or Atlanta
Round of 32:
Match 1 — June 28
- Grp. A runner-up vs. Grp. B runner-up- SoFi Stadium, Inglewood
Match 2 — June 29
- Grp. E winner vs. Grp. A/B/C/D/F third place- Gillette Stadium, Foxborough
Match 3 — June 29
- Grp. F winner vs. Grp. C runner-up- Estadio BBVA, Guadalupe
Match 4 — June 29
- Grp. C winner vs. Grp. F runner-up- NRG Stadium, Houston
Match 5 — June 30
- Grp. I winner vs. Grp. C/D/F/G/H third place- MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford
Match 6 — June 30
- Grp. E runner-up vs. Grp. I, runner-up- AT&T Stadium, Arlington
Match 7 — June 30
- Grp. A winner vs. Grp. C/E/F/H/I third place- Estadio Azteca, Mexico City
Match 8 — July 1
- Grp. L winner vs. Grp. E/H/I/J/K third place- Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta
Match 9 — July 1
- Grp. D winner vs. Grp. B/E/F/I/J third place- Levi’s Stadium, Santa Clara
Match 10 — July 1
- Grp. G winner vs. Grp. A/E/H/I/J third place- Lumen Field, Seattle
Match 11 — July 2
- Grp. K runner-up vs. Grp. L runner-up- BMO Field, Toronto
Match 12 — July 2
- Grp. H winner vs. Grp. J runner-up- SoFi Stadium, Inglewood
Match 13 — July 2
- Grp. B winner vs. Grp. E/F/G/I/J third place- BC Place, Vancouver
Match 14 — July 3
- Grp. J winner vs. Grp. H runner-up- Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens
Match 15 — July 3
- Grp. K winner vs. Grp. D/E/I/J/L third place- Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City
Match 16 — July 3
- Grp. D runner-up vs. Grp. G runner-up- AT&T Stadium, Arlington
Round of 16
Match 1 — July 4
- R32 match 2 winner vs. R32 match 5 winner- Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia
Match 2 — July 4
- R32 match 1 winner vs. R32 match 3 winner- NRG Stadium, Houston
Match 3 — July 5
- R32 match 4 winner vs. R32 match 6 winner- MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford
Match 4 — July 5
- R32 match 7 winner vs. R32 match 8 winner- Estadio Azteca, Mexico City
Match 5 — July 6
- R32 match 11 winner vs. R32 match 12 winner- AT&T Stadium, Arlington
Match 6 — July 6
- R32 match 9 winner vs. R32 match 10 winner- Lumen Field, Seattle
Match 7 — July 7
- R32 match 14 winner vs. R32 match 16 winner- Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta
Match 8 — July 7
- R32 match 13 winner vs. R32 match 15 winner- BC Place, Vancouver
Quarterfinals
- QF 1 — July 9
- R16 match 1 winner vs. R16 match 2 winner- Gillette Stadium, Foxborough
- QF 2 — July 10
- R16 match 5 winner vs. R16 match 6 winner- SoFi Stadium, Inglewood
- QF 3 — July 11
- R16 match 3 winner vs. R16 match 4 winner- Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens
- QF 4 — July 11
- R16 match 7 winner vs. R16 match 8 winner- Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City
Semifinals
- July 14
- QF match 1 winner vs. QF match 2 winner- AT&T Stadium, Arlington
- July 15
- QF match 3 winner vs. QF match 4 winner- Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta
Third-Place Playoff
- July 18
- SF match 1 loser vs. SF match 2 loser- Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens
Final
- July 19
- SF match 1 winner vs. SF match 2 winner- MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford
A possible Messi vs Ronaldo face-off in Football World Cup 2026
The FIFA Football World Cup 2026 could also bring Messi and Ronaldo face-to-face. The scenario is- If both Argentina and Portugal win their Groups and advance to the round of 32 and round of 16, they will play each other in the Quarter Final in Kansas City on July 11, 2026. If the conditions are met, it will make dreams a reality for millions around the world. The two have met against each other numerously in club matches, especially during their Barcelona vs. Real Madrid days, but barely during their national duties. At the twilight of their careers, facing each other would be a great swan song to the millions, but if it’s in the stars.
FIFA Football World Cup 2026 Venues
A total of 11 US cities will host the FIFA Football World Cup 2026, while three in Mexico and two in Canada will also host their respective fixtures. Here is the venues list:
- USA: Atlanta, Boston, Dallas, Houston, Kansas City, Los Angeles, Miami, New York New Jersey, Philadelphia, Seattle, San Francisco Bay Area
- Canada: Toronto, Vancouver
- Mexico: Guadalajara, Mexico City, Monterrey
FIFA Football World Cup 2026 Tickets
You can register for your ticket and hospitality for the FIFA FWC 2026 here. They shall be available at a later date on the very platform for online booking.
We will update the page when the full list of groups with final nations is complete. Keep visiting the page for more details as they emerge via FIFA in the coming days.
Tell us what, for you, is the best group here, and is there really “The Group of Death” this time? The comment section down below is open for your excitement and expectation sharing.
