The 2026 World Cup will take place from June 12th to June 20th (Vietnam time) in the United States, Mexico, and Canada, featuring 48 participating teams. This marks the first time the tournament has expanded in scale, bringing the total number of matches to 104.
According to the schedule, the first match of the 2026 World Cup will take place at 2:00 AM on June 12th at the Azteca Stadium (Mexico City, Mexico) between Mexico and South Africa. The final will be held at MetLife Stadium (East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA).
The 2026 World Cup will feature 48 teams. (Photo: FIFA)
World Cup 2026 Group Stage Schedule
| Day | Hour | Match | Live channel |
|---|---|---|---|
| June 12th | 2 hours | Mexico 2-0 South Africa | VTV3, VTV10, VTV6 |
| June 12th | 9am | South Korea 2-1 Czech Republic | VTV3, VTV6 |
| June 13th | 2 hours | Canada 1-1 Bosnia & Herzegovina | VTV3, VTV10, VTV6 |
| June 13th | 8h | USA vs Paraguay | VTV3, VTV6 |
| June 14th | 2 hours | Qatar vs Switzerland | VTV3, VTV10, VTV6 |
| June 14th | 5h | Brazil vs Morocco | VTV3, VTV6 |
| June 14th | 8h | Haiti vs Scotland | VTV3, VTV6 |
| June 14th | 11:00 AM | Australia vs Türkiye | VTV3, VTV6 |
| June 15th | 0h | Germany vs Curacao | VTV3, VTV10, VTV6 |
| June 15th | 3h | Netherlands vs Japan | VTV3, VTV10, VTV6 |
| June 15th | 6h | Ivory Coast vs Ecuador | VTV3, VTV6 |
| June 15th | 9am | Sweden vs Tunisia | VTV3, VTV6 |
| June 15th | 11 PM | Spain vs Cape Verde | VTV3, VTV10, VTV6 |
| June 16th | 2 hours | Belgium vs Egypt | VTV3, VTV10, VTV6 |
| June 16th | 5h | Saudi Arabia vs Uruguay | VTV3, VTV6 |
| June 16th | 8h | Iran vs New Zealand | VTV3, VTV6 |
| June 17th | 2 hours | France vs Senegal | VTV3, VTV10, VTV6 |
| June 17th | 5h | Iraq vs Norway | VTV3, VTV6 |
| June 17th | 8h | Argentina vs Algeria | VTV3, VTV6 |
| June 17th | 11:00 AM | Austria vs Jordan | VTV3, VTV6 |
| June 18th | 0h | Portugal vs Democratic Republic of Congo | VTV3, VTV10, VTV6 |
| June 18th | 3h | England vs Croatia | VTV3, VTV10, VTV6 |
| June 18th | 6h | Ghana vs Panama | VTV3, VTV6 |
| June 18th | 9am | Uzbekistan vs Colombia | VTV3, VTV6 |
| June 18th | 11 PM | Czech Republic vs South Africa | VTV3, VTV10, VTV6 |
| June 19th | 2 hours | Switzerland vs Bosnia & Herzegovina | VTV3, VTV10, VTV6 |
| June 19th | 5h | Canada vs Qatar | VTV3, VTV6 |
| June 19th | 8h | Mexico vs South Korea | VTV3, VTV6 |
| June 20th | 2 hours | USA vs Australia | VTV3, VTV10, VTV6 |
| June 20th | 5h | Scotland vs Morocco | VTV3, VTV6 |
| June 20th | 7:30 | Brazil vs Haiti | VTV3, VTV6 |
| June 20th | 10 AM | Türkiye vs Paraguay | VTV3, VTV6 |
| June 21st | 0h | Netherlands vs Sweden | VTV3, VTV10, VTV6 |
| June 21st | 3h | Germany vs Ivory Coast | VTV3, VTV10, VTV6 |
| June 21st | 7am | Ecuador vs Curacao | VTV3, VTV6 |
| June 21st | 11:00 AM | Tunisia vs Japan | VTV3, VTV6 |
| June 21st | 11 PM | Spain vs Saudi Arabia | VTV3, VTV10, VTV6 |
| June 22nd | 2 hours | Belgium vs Iran | VTV3, VTV10, VTV6 |
| June 22nd | 5h | Uruguay vs Cape Verde | VTV3, VTV6 |
| June 22nd | 8h | New Zealand vs Egypt | VTV3, VTV6 |
| June 23 | 0h | Argentina vs Austria | VTV3, VTV10, VTV6 |
| June 23 | 4h | France vs Iraq | VTV3, VTV6 |
| June 23 | 8h | Norway vs Senegal | VTV3, VTV6 |
| June 23 | 10 AM | Jordan vs Algeria | VTV3, VTV6 |
| June 24th | 0h | Portugal vs Uzbekistan | VTV3, VTV10, VTV6 |
| June 24th | 3h | England vs Ghana | VTV3, VTV10, VTV6 |
| June 24th | 6h | Panama vs Croatia | VTV3, VTV6 |
| June 24th | 9am | Colombia vs Democratic Republic of Congo | VTV3, VTV6 |
| June 25th | 2 hours | Switzerland vs Canada | VTV3, VTV10, VTV6 |
| June 25th | 2 hours | Bosnia & Herzegovina vs Qatar | VTV2, VTV6 |
| June 25th | 5h | Scotland vs Brazil | VTV3, VTV6 |
| June 25th | 5h | Morocco vs Haiti | VTV2, VTV6 |
| June 25th | 8h | Czech Republic vs Mexico | VTV3, VTV6 |
| June 25th | 8h | South Africa vs South Korea | VTV2, VTV6 |
| June 26 | 3h | Curacao vs Ivory Coast | VTV2, VTV6 |
| June 26 | 3h | Ecuador vs Germany | VTV3, VTV10, VTV6 |
| June 26 | 6h | Japan vs Sweden | VTV2, VTV6 |
| June 26 | 6h | Tunisia vs Netherlands | VTV3, VTV6 |
| June 26 | 9am | Türkiye vs USA | VTV3, VTV6 |
| June 26 | 9am | Paraguay vs Australia | VTV2, VTV6 |
| June 27th | 2 hours | Norway vs France | VTV3, VTV10, VTV6 |
| June 27th | 2 hours | Senegal vs Iraq | VTV2, VTV6 |
| June 27th | 7am | Cape Verde vs Saudi Arabia | VTV2, VTV6 |
| June 27th | 7am | Uruguay vs Spain | VTV3, VTV6 |
| June 27th | 10 AM | Egypt vs Iran | VTV2, VTV6 |
| June 27th | 10 AM | New Zealand vs Belgium | VTV3, VTV6 |
| June 28 | 4h | Panama vs England | VTV2, VTV6 |
| June 28 | 4h | Croatia vs Ghana | VTV3, VTV6 |
| June 28 | 6:30 | Colombia vs Portugal | VTV3, VTV6 |
| June 28 | 6:30 | Democratic Republic of Congo vs Uzbekistan | VTV10, VTV6 |
| June 28 | 9am | Algeria vs Austria | VTV2, VTV6 |
| June 28 | 9am | Jordan vs Argentina | VTV3, VTV6 |
At the end of the group stage, 32 teams qualified for the knockout round, while 16 teams were eliminated. The group winners, runners-up, and the eight best third-placed teams will compete from the Round of 16 onwards, following a bracket based on the 2026 World Cup rankings.
World Cup 2026 Round of 16 Fixtures
June 29th
2 PM: Match 73 - Second in Group A vs Second in Group B.
June 30th
0h: Match 74 - Winner of Group C vs Runner-up of Group F.
3:30 PM: Match 75 - Winner of Group E vs. Third Place in Groups A/B/C/D/F.
8:00 AM: Match 76 - Winner of Group F vs Runner-up of Group C.
July 1st
0h: Match 77 - Second in Group E vs Second in Group I.
2 PM: Match 78 - Winner of Group I vs. Third Place in Groups C/D/F/G/H.
8:00 AM: Match 79 - Winner of Group A vs. Third Place in Groups C/E/F/H/I.
23:00: Match 80 - Winner of Group L vs. Third Place in Groups E/H/I/J/K.
July 2nd
3 PM: Match 81 - Winner of Group G vs. Third Place in Groups A/E/H/I/J.
7:00 AM: Match 82 - Winner of Group D vs. Third Place in Groups B/E/F/I/J.
July 3rd
2 PM: Match 83 - Winner of Group H vs Runner-up of Group J.
6:00 AM: Match 84 - Second in Group K vs Second in Group L.
10:00 AM: Match 85 - Winner of Group B vs. Third Place in Groups E/F/G/I/J.
July 4th
1h: Match 86 - Second in Group D vs Second in Group G.
5 PM: Match 87 - Winner of Group J vs Runner-up of Group H.
9:30 AM: Match 88 - Winner of Group K vs. 3rd place in Groups D/E/I/J/L.
Round of 16
July 5th
0h: Winner of match 73 vs Winner of match 75.
4 PM: Win 74 vs Win 77.
July 6th
3 PM: Win 76 vs Win 78.
7:00 AM: Win 79 vs Win 80.
July 7th
2 PM: Win 83 vs Win 84.
7:00 AM: Win 81 vs Win 82.
11 PM: Win 86 vs Win 88.
July 8th
3 PM: Win 85 vs Win 87.
World Cup 2026 Quarter-final Schedule
July 10th
3 PM: Quarter-final match 1.
July 11th
2 PM: Quarter-final match 2.
July 12th
4 PM: Quarter-final match 3.
July 12th
8:00 AM: Quarter-final match 4.
2026 World Cup Semi-finals
July 15th
2 PM: Semi-final 1 - Winner of Quarter 1 vs Winner of Quarter 2.
July 16th
2 PM: Semi-final 2 - Winner of Quarter 3 vs Winner of Quarter 4.
Third place match
July 19th - 4 PM: Lost Semi-Final 1 vs Lost Semi-Final 2.
World Cup 2026 Final Schedule
July 20th - 2 PM: Winner of Semi-Final 1 vs Winner of Semi-Final 2.
Which channels will broadcast the 2026 World Cup live?
Vietnam Television (VTV) holds the broadcasting rights for the 2026 World Cup. Matches will be broadcast live on VTV3, VTV6, and VTV10. VTC News online provides a complete list of channels broadcasting all 104 matches of the 2026 World Cup.
When and where will the 2026 World Cup take place?
The 2026 World Cup will be the 23rd edition of the world's biggest football tournament. Taking place from June 12th to July 20th, the tournament will be co-hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico. A total of 104 matches will be held in 16 stadiums across the three countries, marking the return of the world's biggest football event to North America after 32 years.
The 2026 World Cup matches will be held in 16 cities across three North American countries.
American stadiums include MetLife (New Jersey), AT&T (Dallas), Arrowhead (Kansas), NRG (Houston), Mercedes-Benz (Atlanta), SoFi (Los Angeles), Lincoln Financial (Philadelphia), Lumen (Seattle), Levi's (San Francisco), Gillette (Boston), and Hard Rock (Miami).
In Canada, two stadiums were used: BC Place (Vancouver) and BMO Field (Toronto). Mexico used three stadiums: Azteca (Mexico City), BBVA (Monterrey), and Akron (Guadalajara).
The format of the 2026 World Cup
This is the largest World Cup ever, with 48 teams participating, divided into 12 groups. According to the 2026 World Cup format, in the group stage, teams will play a round-robin tournament, with points awarded for group standings. The top two teams from each group, along with the eight best third-placed teams, will advance to the Round of 16.
If two or more teams are tied on points after the group stage, the organizers will prioritize the head-to-head record between these teams, including: points earned, goal difference, and the number of goals scored in direct confrontations. If these factors are still equal, the organizers will consider the goal difference and the total number of goals scored across all three group stage matches.
When all other tie-breaking criteria are irrelevant, the teams are ranked according to their position on the latest FIFA World Rankings.
Knockout matches and finals have extra time and penalty shootouts if the score is tied after the two regular halves (golden goal and silver goal rules do not apply).
Source: https://vtcnews.vn/lich-thi-dau-world-cup-2026-moi-nhat-ar1017621.html
