From must-watch games to the grand finale, here’s a list of all the important dates on the 2026 World Cup schedule. Published On 4 Jun 20264 Jun 2026Block your calendar. The FIFA World Cup 2026 is here!From superstars Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Kylian Mbappe and Harry Kane to young guns such as Lamine Yamal, Arda Guler, Yan Diomande and more, football’s brightest talents will assemble in North America.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemsend of listAs the 39-day tournament kicks off across the United States, Canada and Mexico, Al Jazeera outlines the key dates and matches for you:
June 11: Mexico vs South Africa – opening game of the 2026 World Cup in Mexico City
June 12: Canada vs Bosnia and Herzegovina, USA vs Paraguay – opening matches of the other cohosts
June 14: Germany vs Curacao – Curacao become the smallest nation to play at a World Cup
June 15: Spain vs Cape Verde – Cape Verde make their World Cup debut
June 16: Argentina vs Algeria, Austria vs Jordan – Argentina begin their title defence, and Lionel Messi starts his sixth World Cup campaign; Jordan play their first World Cup match
June 17: Portugal vs Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uzbekistan vs Colombia – Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo makes his sixth World Cup appearance; Uzbekistan play at a World Cup for the first time
June 27: Group stage ends
From left, Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe and Cristiano Ronaldo are all set to steal the World Cup spotlight again [File: Getty Images]
June 28-July 3: round of 32
July 4-7: round of 16
July 9-11: quarterfinals
July 14-15: semifinals
July 18: bronze match
July 19: World Cup final
The best group-stage World Cup matches:In order of their dates
June 13: Brazil vs Morocco (Group C)
June 14: Netherlands vs Japan (Group F)
June 16: France vs Senegal (Group I)
June 17: England vs Croatia (Group L)
June 18: Mexico vs South Korea (Group A)
June 20: Germany vs Ivory Coast …
