The 2026 FIFA World Cup schedule has been released. Here’s what you need to know

Krysyan Edler
·3 min read
Gillette Stadium prior to an NFL football game, Sunday, Jan. 7, 2024, in Foxborough, Mass. The 2026 World Cup final will be played at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J., on July 19. FIFA made the announcement Sunday, Feb. 4, 2024, at a Miami television studio, allocating the opener of the 39-day tournament to Mexico City’s Estadio Azteca on June 11.

FIFA released the schedule for the 2026 World Cup on Sunday. The international soccer tournament will be co-hosted by the U.S., Canada and Mexico.

The schedule revealed where all 104 matches — from the group stage, round of 32, round of 16, quarterfinals, semifinals and final — will be played and when but not where each team will play.

At this point, only the three host nations know where and when they will be playing in the group stage round.

The group stage matches for the other 45 teams will be announced during the World Cup draw in December 2025, which is when the 12 groups of four teams will be formed, according to Yahoo! Sports.

Will there be a 2026 FIFA World Cup match in or near Utah?

Unfortunately for Utah soccer fans, there will not be any World Cup matches played in the Beehive State, but many of the venues are a only a short flight away.

Here are six host cities that are approximately less than a three-hour flight away from the Salt Lake City Airport, according to TravelMath:

  • Seattle: 2 hours and 5 minutes.

  • Los Angeles: 1 hour and 55 minutes.

  • San Francisco: 2 hours and 4 minutes.

  • Houston: 2 hours and 59 minutes.

  • Dallas: 2 hours and 36 minutes.

  • Kansas City, Missouri: 2 hours and 24 minutes.

Where and when is the first 2026 FIFA World Cup match?

The 2026 FIFA World Cup will open on June 11, 2026, in Mexico City’s Estadio Azteca and will feature Mexico against one of its group stage opponents, according to FIFA.

Where will the 2026 FIFA World Cup Final be?

The 2026 FIFA World Cup Final will be played at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, on July 19, 2026.

MetLife Stadium will also host five group-stage matches, a round of 32 match and a round of 16 match.

When and where does the USMNT play in its first 2026 FIFA World Cup match?

The first match in the U.S. will be played in Los Angeles at SoFi Stadium on June 12, 2026, and will also be the U.S. team’s first match of the tournament.

When and where will the USMNT play in the 2026 World Cup?

The U.S. will play their first three matches of the tournament in Los Angeles and Seattle.

Here is the U.S.’s group stage schedule for the 2026 FIFA World Cup:

  • First match: June 12, 2026, at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles.

  • Second match: June 19, 2026, at Lumen Field in Seattle.

  • Third match: June 25, 2026, at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles.

It is not guaranteed that the U.S. will play more than three games. They will have to finish as one of the top two teams in their group of four to advance to the single-elimination round of 32.

In 2022, the U.S. was eliminated in the round of 16 — with only 32 teams, there wasn’t a round of 32.