FIFA World Cup 2026, the world soccer championship, is coming to the United States, Mexico, and Canada from June 11 to July 19, 2026. Near New York City, MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey; Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia; and Gillette Stadium in Boston are hosting some matches. The Final is at MetLife Stadium.
This World Cup expands from 32 to 48 teams, so the knockout stage where you advance or drop out with one game has an extra Round of 32. Argentina is the defending champion. Teams to watch include 2018 World Cup champion France, European Champion Spain, Africa’s most successful team ever Morocco, and England where soccer / football started. Debuts include Jordan, Uzbekistan, Cape Verde, and Curaçao which is the smallest country to every qualify for the World Cup. Haiti returns after two generations. We are rooting for them. Surprising absences include African powerhouse Nigeria, and possibly Italy.
The expansion didn’t seem like a good idea at first, but it brought many more fans into the game. That turned out well.
FIFA World Cup 2026 Draw
The FIFA World Cup Draw that determines which teams will play each other in the opening Group Stage, is at the Kennedy Center in Washington DC on Friday, December 5, 2025.
There are six slots open for European and FIFA Playoff winners.
Latin teams that qualified before the Draw include:
CONCACAF (North, Central America, and Caribbean)
- Canada (co-host)
- Curaçao (debut)
- Haiti
- Mexico (co-host)
- Panama
- United States (co-host)
CONMEBOL (South America)
- Argentina (defending champion)
- Brazil
- Colombia
- Ecuador
- Paraguay
- Uruguay
CAF (Africa)
- Algeria
- Cape Verde (debut)
- Egypt
- Ghana
- Ivory Coast
- Morocco
- Senegal
- South Africa
- Tunisia
UEFA (Latin Europe)
- Czechia
- France
- Portugal
- Spain
- Sweden
FIFA World Cup 2026 Group Stage
The FIFA World Cup 2026 Group Stage matches are Thursday, June 11-27, 2026.
Group A
- Mexico
- South Africa
- South Korea
- Czechia
Group B
- Canada
- TBD
- Qatar
- Switzerland
Group C
- Brazil
- Morocco
- Haiti
- Scotland
Group D
- United States
- Paraguay
- Australia
- Türkiye
Group E
- Germany
- Curaçao
- Ivory Coast
- Ecuador
Group F
- Netherlands
- Japan
- Sweden
- Tunisia
Group G
- Belgium
- Egypt
- Iran
- New Zealand
Group H
- Spain
- Cape Verde
- Saudi Arabia
- Uruguay
Group I
- France
- Senegal
- Iraq
- Norway
Group J
- Argentina
- Algeria
- Austria
- Jordan
Group K
- Portugal
- Democratic Republic of Congo
- Uzbekistan
- Colombia
Group L
- England
- Croatia
- Ghana
- Panama
Group Stage Matches at MetLife Stadium
Brazil vs Morocco is a FIFA World Cup 2026 Group Stage match at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey; on June 13, 2026 at 6pm.
France vs Senegal is a FIFA World Cup 2026 Group Stage match at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey; on June 16, 2026 at 3pm.
Norway vs Senegal is a FIFA World Cup 2026 Group Stage match at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey; on June 22, 2026 at 8pm.
Ecuador vs Germany is a FIFA World Cup 2026 Group Stage match at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey; on June 25, 2026 at 4pm.
Panama vs England is a FIFA World Cup 2026 Group Stage match at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey; on June 27, 2026 at 5pm.
FIFA World Cup 2026 Round of 32
The FIFA World Cup 2026 Round of 32 is Monday, June 29 – Friday, July 3, 2026.
Winner Group I vs 3rd Group C/D/F/G/H is a FIFA World Cup 2026 Round of 32 match at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey; on June 30, 2026 at 5pm.
FIFA World Cup 2026 Round of 16
The FIFA World Cup 2026 Round of 16 is Saturday-Tuesday, July 4-7, 2026. Philadelphia is hosting a match on July 4, 2026.
Winner Match 76 vs Winner Match 78 is a FIFA World Cup 2026 Round of 16 match at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey; on July 5, 2026 at 4pm.
FIFA World Cup 2026 Quarterfinals
The FIFA World Cup 2026 Quarterfinals are Thu-Sat, July 9-11, 2026.
France 2, Morocco 0
FIFA World Cup 2026 Quarterfinal
Gillette Stadium
Foxborough, Massachusetts (Boston)
Thu, July 9, 2026 | 4pm ET
Spain vs Belgium
FIFA World Cup 2026 Quarterfinal
SoFi Stadium
Inglewood, California (Los Angeles)
Fri, July 10, 2026 | 3pm ET
Spain, the tournament’s reigning European champion, has yet to concede a goal through the knockout rounds, most recently edging Portugal 1-0 in an all-Iberian quarterfinal battle. As one of Latin America’s mother countries, Spain’s run resonates with NYC’s broader Latin cultural community even as Argentina carries the region’s direct hopes.
Norway vs England
FIFA World Cup 2026 Quarterfinal
Hard Rock Stadium
Miami Gardens, Florida (Miami)
Sat, July 11, 2026 | 5pm ET
Argentina vs Switzerland
FIFA World Cup 2026 Quarterfinal
Arrowhead Stadium
Kansas City, Missouri
Sat, July 11, 2026 | 9pm ET
Argentina’s route to the quarterfinals was the most dramatic of the round. The defending champions trailed Egypt 2-0 late in their Round of 16 match before storming back to win 3-2, with Messi among the goal scorers. It was the kind of comeback that has defined Argentina’s knockout runs since 2022, and it sets up a quarterfinal against a Switzerland side that eliminated Colombia on penalties after a scoreless draw.
FIFA World Cup 2026 Semifinals
The FIFA World Cup 2026 Semifinals are Tue-Wed, July 14-15, 2026.
France 0, Spain 2
AT&T Stadium
Arlington, Texas (Dallas)
Tue, July 14, 2026 | 3pm ET
France plays on its national day: Bastille Day. Ohlala!
England 1, Argentina 2
Mercedes-Benz Stadium
Atlanta, Georgia
Wed, July 15, 2026 | 3pm ET
FIFA World Cup 2026 Third Place
France vs Belgium
Hard Rock Stadium
Miami Gardens, Florida (Miami)
Sat, July 18, 2026 | 5pm ET
FIFA World Cup 2026 FINAL
Spain vs Argentina
Football’s national team world championship
MetLife Stadium
East Rutherford, New Jersey
Sun, July 19, 2026 | 3pm
Where to Watch?
The Rockefeller Center ice rink becomes a soccer pitch with large screens, from July 4-19, 2026.
Louis Armstrong Stadium at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center is a viewing location from June 17-28, 2026.
For Sports bars, we recommend Smithfield Hall in Chelsea, Manhattan; Football Factory at Legends in Koreatown, Manhattan; and Tir na Nog in Hell’s Kitchen, Manhattan.