The 2026 World Cup group stage packs 72 matches into 17 days, from the opener at Estadio Azteca on June 11 to a triple-decker finale on June 27 — and with games spread across 16 stadiums and four time zones, an Eastern Time map is the only way to keep up.
The shape of the group stage
All 48 teams play three matches each inside the June 11–27 window. The 12 groups stagger their kickoffs so that most days carry four to six games, typically falling into early-afternoon, late-afternoon, prime-time and late-night ET slots — the West Coast and Mexico venues push some kickoffs past 10:00 PM ET.
The volume of fixtures rewards planning. Possession-heavy sides and counterattacking teams alike treat the opener as the highest-leverage match: in recent tournament cycles, teams that won their first group game advanced at a rate above 85 percent, which is why the retrospecto histórico of openers gets so much attention from analysts.
Week one: June 11–17 — every contender enters
June 11: Mexico opened the tournament with a 2-0 win over South Africa at the Azteca. June 12: the United States debuts against Paraguay at SoFi Stadium (9:00 PM ET, FOX). June 13: Brazil–Morocco headlines at MetLife Stadium (6:00 PM ET). June 14: Germany meets debutant Curaçao in Houston (1:00 PM ET).
June 15: Spain (1:00 PM ET, Atlanta) and Uruguay (6:00 PM ET, Miami Gardens) both open Group H play. June 16: France–Senegal at MetLife (3:00 PM ET) and Argentina–Algeria in Kansas City (9:00 PM ET) bookend the day. June 17: Portugal (1:00 PM ET, Houston) and England–Croatia (4:00 PM ET, Arlington) close the first full lap.
Week two: June 18–22 — the second round of fixtures
June 18: Mexico–South Korea in Guadalajara lands in the 11:00 PM ET late window. June 19: USA–Australia in Seattle (3:00 PM ET) and Brazil–Haiti in Philadelphia (8:30 PM ET). June 20: Germany–Ivory Coast in Toronto (4:00 PM ET). June 21: Spain–Saudi Arabia (12:00 PM ET) and Uruguay–Cape Verde (6:00 PM ET). June 22: Argentina–Austria in Arlington (1:00 PM ET) and France–Iraq in Philadelphia (5:00 PM ET).
The finale: June 23–27 — simultaneous kickoffs
Final group matches kick off simultaneously within each group, the standard anti-collusion safeguard. June 24: Mexico–Czechia at the Azteca (9:00 PM ET) and Brazil–Scotland in Miami Gardens (6:00 PM ET). June 25: USA–Türkiye at SoFi (10:00 PM ET) and Germany–Ecuador at MetLife (4:00 PM ET). June 26: the Group H decider Spain–Uruguay in Guadalajara (8:00 PM ET). June 27: England–Panama at MetLife (5:00 PM ET), Portugal–Colombia in Miami (7:30 PM ET) and Argentina–Jordan in Arlington (10:00 PM ET) close the stage.
From there the field cuts to 32 — the top two in each group plus the eight best third-place sides — and the knockout bracket runs June 28 to the July 19 final. The full day-by-day fixture list is published on FIFA’s official match center, which updates kickoff times and venues in real time.
The volume ofensivo of a 104-match World Cup means no fan catches everything. Pick your anchor windows — weekday prime time and weekend afternoons carry the heavyweight fixtures — and let the standings do the rest.
