2026 World Cup Roadmap: Key Dates and Venues

The wait is over. The 2026 World Cup, the biggest tournament football has ever seen, finally has a roadmap.

From June 11 to July 19, the sport’s global caravan will sweep across 16 stadiums in the USA, Canada and Mexico, packing 104 games into 39 days and turning a continent into a month‑long football festival. The detail is now inked in: who plays where, when, and under which skyline.

A World Cup stretched across a continent

It all starts where so much World Cup history already lives: Estadio Azteca.

On Thursday, June 11, Mexico open Group A against South Africa in Mexico City at 3pm ET, launching a 48‑team format that will test depth, travel plans and nerve. Later that night, at 10pm in Guadalajara’s Estadio Akron, South Korea face Czechia as the expanded tournament gets its first taste of late‑night drama.

From there, the rhythm becomes relentless. Toronto, Vancouver, Los Angeles, New York/New Jersey, Houston, Dallas, Miami, Atlanta, Seattle, Kansas City, Boston, Philadelphia, Monterrey and Guadalajara all step into the spotlight. Every one of the 104 matches will be available in Spanish on Peacock, with Telemundo carrying 92 games and Universo picking up a select slate.

The dates are set: June 11 to July 19. The geography is vast. The margins will be thin.

Hosts, heavyweights and early storylines

Mexico’s group feels made for atmosphere. After their opener, they meet South Korea in Guadalajara on June 18, then return to a roaring Azteca for a heavyweight group finale against Czechia on June 24. South Africa and South Korea close out Group A the same night in Monterrey’s Estadio BBVA.

Canada’s World Cup begins in the familiar chill of BMO Field. On Friday, June 12, they face Bosnia and Herzegovina in Toronto at 3pm ET to kick off Group B. Their path then swings west: a meeting with Qatar in Vancouver’s BC Place on June 18, before a potentially decisive clash with Switzerland back in Vancouver on June 24. Qatar and Switzerland both get a taste of the Bay Area and Seattle along the way.

The United States open their campaign under the Hollywood lights. On Friday, June 12, USA vs Paraguay at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles (9pm ET) launches Group D. A cross‑country trek to Seattle follows for USA vs Australia on June 19, then it’s back to LA for a late‑night showdown with Turkiye on June 25. SoFi, still a relative newcomer on the global stage, will feel like a second home for the Americans.

Some of the sport’s giants are scattered across the map.

Brazil step into Group C at MetLife Stadium on June 13, facing Morocco in prime time at 6pm ET in New York/New Jersey. They move to Philadelphia to meet Haiti on June 19, then head south to Miami’s Hard Rock Stadium for a glamour tie against Scotland on June 24. Germany’s route runs through Houston, Toronto and New York in Group E, starting against Curacao at NRG Stadium on June 14.

The Netherlands and Japan share AT&T Stadium in Dallas, Sweden and Tunisia trade blows in Monterrey, and Group F quickly becomes one of the more intriguing clusters of styles and fan cultures.

Spain’s title push begins in Atlanta. On June 15, they face Cape Verde at Mercedes‑Benz Stadium at noon ET, then Saudi Arabia on June 21 in the same arena before a marquee date with Uruguay in Guadalajara on June 26. France open at MetLife against Senegal on June 16, then return to Philadelphia and Boston in a Group I that also features Iraq and Norway.

Argentina’s defense of their crown starts in the heartland. On June 16, they meet Algeria at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City at 9pm ET, then shift to Dallas for Argentina vs Austria on June 22 and close the group against Jordan back at AT&T Stadium on June 27. The traveling Albiceleste support will trace a clear line through the American south and Midwest.

England’s route runs through Dallas, Boston, Toronto, New Jersey and Philadelphia in Group L. They open against Croatia at AT&T Stadium on June 17, face Ghana at Gillette Stadium on June 23, and then land in MetLife for Panama vs England on June 27 — a fixture that could decide top spot. Croatia and Ghana finish their group in Philadelphia that same day.

Portugal, Colombia and England headline the back end of the group phase. Portugal start against Democratic Republic of Congo in Houston on June 17, then meet Uzbekistan in the same venue before a blockbuster clash with Colombia in Miami on June 27. Colombia’s own journey threads through Mexico City, Guadalajara, Atlanta and finally Hard Rock Stadium.

By June 27, when the last Group L fixtures kick off, the field of 48 will be carved down to 32 — and the tournament changes gear.

Knockout football on a grand scale

The Round of 32 arrives fast. On June 28 at SoFi, the runners‑up of Groups A and B open the knockout stage. From that point, every day brings jeopardy.

Houston hosts one of the early blockbusters on June 29, when the winner of Group C meets the runner‑up from Group F at NRG Stadium. Boston, Monterrey, Dallas, New York/New Jersey and Mexico City all stage Round of 32 ties over a frantic four‑day stretch. Group winners will face a mix of runners‑up and best third‑placed finishers, a new layer of complexity in the 48‑team format.

By July 2, when the winner of Group B plays a third‑placed side at BC Place in Vancouver at 11pm ET, the bracket will be fully formed. The last of the Round of 32 games sends the winner of Group K into Kansas City for a late‑night clash at Arrowhead.

The Round of 16 compresses the drama even further.

On July 4 in Houston, the winners of Matches 73 and 75 collide, while Philadelphia hosts another last‑16 tie that same day. New York/New Jersey, Mexico City, Dallas, Seattle, Atlanta and Vancouver share the rest of the Round of 16 from July 5–7. The winners will have navigated travel, time zones and the pressure of expectation. The losers will go home knowing they survived a group of 12, only to fall at the second hurdle.

Then come the quarterfinals: Boston on July 9, Los Angeles on July 10, Miami and Kansas City on July 11. Four games, four different cities, four tickets to the biggest week in world football.

The road to New York

The semifinals take center stage in Texas and Georgia.

On July 14, AT&T Stadium in Dallas hosts Match 101, a semifinal between the winners of Matches 97 and 98. The following day, July 15, Mercedes‑Benz Stadium in Atlanta stages Match 102 between the winners of Matches 99 and 100. Two games to decide who walks out at MetLife with the world watching.

The third‑place game lands in Miami’s Hard Rock Stadium on July 18 at 5pm ET, a curtain‑raiser of sorts but also a final shot at a World Cup podium for two bruised heavyweights.

And then, the finale.

On Sunday, July 19, at 3pm ET, MetLife Stadium in New York/New Jersey hosts Match 104: the World Cup final. The winners of Matches 101 and 102, forged by a month of travel, heat, altitude and pressure, will meet in a venue that has already seen Brazil, France, and others grace its turf earlier in the tournament.

From Mexico City’s opening roar to the last echo in New Jersey, every step is now mapped. The only thing missing is the answer to the question that drives all of this: who will still be standing when the continent’s lights finally dim on July 19, 2026?