FIFA World Cup 2026 - Your Complete Guide to the Tournament

The 2026 FIFA World Cup is underway - having kicked off on 11 June at the Estadio Azteca in Mexico City, where Mexico faced South Africa in the opening match. Running until 19 July, the tournament spans three countries (Canada, Mexico, and the United States) across 16 host cities and 104 matches. It is the biggest World Cup in history, and with the group stage still in full swing, there is plenty of time to plan a trip around it.

Here is everything you need to know, including the key dates, UK kick-off times, host cities, and how the tournament works.

The Tournament at a Glance

48 teams. 16 host cities. Three host nations. 104 matches across 39 days.

It is the first time a World Cup has been hosted by three nations, and the first time the tournament has featured 48 teams - 16 more than Qatar 2022.

In a first for the World Cup, the final will include a half-time show, with Coldplay involved in the event at MetLife Stadium on 19 July.

The Schedule: Key Dates for the FIFA World Cup 2026

Group Stage

Match Day 1: 11 – 17 June

Match Day 2: 18 – 23 June

Match Day 3: 24 – 27 June

Knockout Stage

Round of 32: 28 June – 3 July

Round of 16: 4 – 7 July

Quarterfinals: 9 – 11 July

Semifinals: 14 – 15 July

Third Place Match: 18 July

Final: 19 July — MetLife Stadium, New Jersey

England's Fixtures: UK Kick-Off Times

Wednesday 17 June: England vs Croatia - Dallas, 9pm BST (ITV1)

Tuesday 23 June: England vs Ghana - Boston, 9pm BST (BBC One)

Saturday 27 June: Panama vs England - New York/New Jersey, 10pm BST (ITV1)

Many World Cup 2026 group stage fixtures kick off late in UK time due to the North American time zone difference, with BST times ranging from approximately 8pm to as late as 5am the following morning. Worth planning your viewing schedule accordingly.

In the pursuit of competitive balance, FIFA has created two separate pathways to the semifinals, meaning the top four ranked teams (Spain, Argentina, France and England) cannot meet until the semifinals, should they all win their respective groups.

The Groups: Who Is Playing Who

The 48 teams have been divided into 12 groups of four:

Group A: Mexico, South Korea, South Africa, Czech Republic

Group B: Canada, Switzerland, Qatar, Italy/Bosnia

Group C: Brazil, Morocco, Scotland, Haiti

Group D: USA, Australia, Paraguay, Türkiye

Group E: Germany, Ecuador, Ivory Coast, Curaçao

Group F: Netherlands, Japan, Tunisia, Ukraine

Group G: Belgium, Iran, Egypt, New Zealand

Group H: Spain, Uruguay, Saudi Arabia, Cape Verde

Group I: France, Senegal, Norway, Iraq

Group J: Argentina, Austria

England are in Group L alongside Croatia, Ghana, and Panama.

How the Tournament Works

Each team plays three games in the group stage, one against every team in their group. The top two teams in each group advance to the knockout stage, along with the eight best third-placed teams.

This means 32 teams qualify from the group stage - introducing a brand new Round of 32, the first extra knockout round in World Cup history. Instead of jumping straight to a Round of 16, the 32 qualified teams play 16 additional matches between 28 June and 3 July before the familiar bracket begins.

If a match is tied after full time in the knockout stage, 30 minutes of extra time are played, with a penalty shootout as the ultimate decider.

The Host Cities

Sixteen cities across three countries are hosting the tournament — eleven in the United States, three in Mexico, and two in Canada.

United States: New York/New Jersey, Los Angeles, Dallas, Atlanta, Miami, Seattle, San Francisco, Boston, Kansas City, Houston, Philadelphia

Mexico: Mexico City, Guadalajara, Monterrey

Canada: Toronto, Vancouver

The semifinals take place at AT&T Stadium in Dallas and Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. The final is held at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey on 19 July.

Haven’t booked your tickets yet? Find them on Book It Please.

Watch the World Cup in London

Not travelling to North America? London is one of the best cities in the world to experience a major tournament - fan zones, pub screenings, and the electric atmosphere that a World Cup generates like nothing else.

Book It Please has hotels across central London bookable in minutes, alongside West End shows and sporting events to make a full trip of it. And if you want to catch a match in person wherever in the world the tournament takes you — tickets are bookable on Book It Please too.

Find World Cup tickets and hotels at bookitplease.com