It’s official: FIFA World Cup 2026 has arrived, and it’s the biggest in history. Forty-eight teams. 104 matches. 3 countries host nations (US, Mexico, Canada). Then an entire month of group games from June 11 to June 27, leading up to the knockout rounds beginning.
It’s a lot of football to keep up with, and let’s not forget dinner parties, work calls and weekend getaways. This guide has everything you need to plan your game in one place and includes a printable PDF schedule, desktop wallpapers, mobile wallpapers for your lock screen, calendar import instructions, and kick-off times for your time zone (no sports analytics degree needed).
FIFA World Cup June 2026 Group Stage Calendar
Before diving into the downloading and importing part, here is the grand scheme of it: The group stage kicks off on June 11 and concludes on June 27, 2026, and there will be several games on each day. There are 12 groups (A-L), each having four teams. The top two (plus eight best third-place finishers) advance to the all-new Round of 32 (introduced at this World Cup).
It is played in 16 cities, 16 stadiums. The lion’s share, with 11 locations throughout the U.S. (including New York/New Jersey, Los Angeles, Dallas, Miami, Atlanta, Seattle, and others). Mexico City, Guadalajara and Mexico City’s sister city of Monterrey host in Mexico. Canada’s venues are Toronto and Vancouver.
Here’s a quick look at the initial five match days to help you get a feel for the upcoming season:
Match Days 1–5: Quick Reference Table
| Date | Match | Venue | Kick-off (ET) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thu, June 11 | Group A: Mexico vs. South Africa | Mexico City Stadium | 3:00 PM |
| Thu, June 11 | Group A: South Korea vs. Czechia | Guadalajara Stadium | 10:00 PM |
| Fri, June 12 | Group B: Canada vs. Bosnia-Herzegovina | Toronto Stadium | 3:00 PM |
| Fri, June 12 | Group D: USA vs. Paraguay | Los Angeles Stadium | 9:00 PM |
| Sat, June 13 | Group B: Switzerland vs. Qatar | San Francisco Bay Area Stadium | 3:00 PM |
| Sat, June 13 | Group C: Brazil vs. Morocco | New York New Jersey Stadium | 9:00 PM |
| Sun, June 14 | Group C: Scotland vs. Haiti | Boston Stadium | 6:00 PM |
| Sun, June 14 | Group F: Netherlands vs. Japan | Dallas Stadium | 6:00 PM |
| Mon, June 15 | Group H: Spain vs. Cape Verde | Atlanta Stadium | 12:00 PM |
| Mon, June 15 | Group H: Saudi Arabia vs. Uruguay | Miami Stadium | 6:00 PM |
All times Eastern (ET). Full group-stage schedule runs June 11–27. Check the official FIFA.com schedule for the most up-to-date kick-off confirmations.
Downloadable & Printable PDF (Optimized for A4 & US Letter)
- All 12 groups taking teams confirmed.
- Compare dates and start times in ET (including the UTC offset column)
- Home city of each match and home venue for each match
- Highlighted in a different colour, those matches that fall on a weekend
- Helpful typography – no squinting and no small print.
Printing without cutting out edges:
👇CLICK HERE FOR PDF — Full Group Stage Schedule (A4 & US Letter)
What’s inside the PDF:
- All 12 groups taking teams confirmed.
- Compare dates and start times in ET (including the UTC offset column)
- Home city of each match and home venue for each match
- Highlighted in a different colour, those matches that fall on a weekend
- Helpful typography – no squinting and no small print.
How to print it without cutting off the edges:
This is the part they all miss until they’re really in trouble. When the PDF is opened in your browser or Adobe Acrobat:
- Go to File → Print
- Choose your preferred “Page Scaling” or “Size” setting, such as “Fit to Page” or “Shrink to Printable Area”, but not “Actual Size”
- Make sure “Auto-Rotate and Centre” is checked.
- For A4 users: set paper size to A4 (210 × 297mm). For US users: select US Letter (8.5 × 11 in)
- Test print first on plain paper to check margins before printing on good cardstock.
When printing in black and white, the PDF is made so that the weekend highlights remain readable – it’s in grey shading, but it works just fine!
Mobile Wallpaper Schedules (Lock Screen Optimised)
Optimised mobile wallpaper schedules (Lock Screen Optimised). Three steps too many when your friends are already texting “IS IT ON YET??” to friends who are waiting for you to unlock the phone, open a browser and scroll up to see what the next match is.
We’ve created lock screen wallpapers in the 9:16 portrait format (which works for both the iPhone and Android lock screens) that illustrate the group stage, week by week. Swipe right to the right wee,k, and you’ll find all your stats before the match even loads on the TV.
CLICK HERE FOR WALLPAPERS — Group Stage Lock Screen Pack
The pack includes:
- Week 1: June 11th-15th (Opening weeks, all 12 groups start)
- Week 2: June 16-21 (second set of group games)
- Week 3: June 22-27 (final group stage matchdays)
- A “Full Tournament” shortened version that shows all of the stages
How to set it on your phone:
- iPhone: Save the image → Photos app → tap Share → “Use as Wallpaper” → choose “Lock Screen”
- Android: Long-press home screen → Wallpapers → choose the saved image → Set as Lock Screen
Pro tip: use Week 1 as your wallpaper now, then swap to Week 2 after June 16. Takes 30 seconds and saves a lot of frantic Googling mid-snack.
How to Import All Matches to Google Calendar / Apple iCal
The wisest thing to do before the tournament begins is to schedule off all of the 104 match days. So your phone doesn’t beep you when you have a meeting at 3 PM on a Saturday when England is playing.
Option 1: Import via.ICS File (Easiest Method)
Most World Cup schedule sites (including the official FIFA app) offer a downloadable IscheduleCS file — a universal calendar format that works with Google Calendar, Apple Calendar, Outlook, and pretty much any other app.
- Download the.ICS file from FIFA’s official site or a trusted aggregator like TimeZone.com
- For Google Calendar: Go to calendar.google.com → Settings → “Import & Export” → Import → select the ICS file → choose which calendar to add it to → Import
- For Apple Calendar: Double-click the downloaded file.fileCfileS file — Calendar will open and ask if you’d like to add the events
- For Outlook: Go to File → Open & Export → Import/Export → Import an iCalendar file → select the file
Option 2: Manually Add a Recurring “World Cup Watch Party” Block
If you’d rather keep it simple (or just want to block your schedule without importing every individual match), here’s how to add a recurring “World Cup” block for the whole group stage:
- Open Google Calendar or Apple Calendar
- Create a new event called “⚽ World Cup — Group Stage”
- Set the start date to June 11, 2026 and the end date to June 27, 2026
- Set it as All Day or choose your typical viewing window (e.g., 12:00 PM – 11:00 PM if you’re in ET and want to catch all matches)
- Under “Repeat,” select “Every Day”
- Set a reminder: 30 minutes before (or 15 if you live dangerously)
- Add a note in the description: “Check schedule for today’s matches — FIFA.com or [your blog URL]”
- Save. Done. You now have a daily nudge for the entire group stage.
For the knockout rounds, repeat the process for the Round of 32 (June 28 – July 3), and so on through the Final on July 19.
The 3 AM Problem: Kick-off Times Converted to Your Time Zone
Here’s the uncomfortable truth about a tri-continental World Cup: depending on where you live, some matches are going to be at very inconvenient hours. Here’s your survival guide.
The matches are spread across 13 different kick-off slots in ET. Use this quick conversion table:
| Kick-off (ET) | UK (BST) | Central Europe (CEST) | Sydney (AEST) | Mumbai (IST) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12:00 PM ET | 5:00 PM BST | 6:00 PM CEST | 2:00 AM (+1 day) | 9:30 PM |
| 3:00 PM ET | 8:00 PM BST | 9:00 PM CEST | 5:00 AM (+1 day) | 12:30 AM (+1 day) |
| 6:00 PM ET | 11:00 PM BST | Midnight CEST | 8:00 AM (+1 day) | 3:30 AM (+1 day) |
| 9:00 PM ET | 2:00 AM (+1 day) | 3:00 AM (+1 day) | 11:00 AM (+1 day) | 6:30 AM (+1 day) |
If you are a UK fan, you have just arrived at a pretty good position. Games at noon ET are 5 PM — ideal post-work viewing. The 3 PM ET games (8 PM BST) are the prime time games. The pain only comes at 9 PM ET, that’s 2 AM for you. Our recap: make an alarm clock, brew a pot of coffee and go to bed with that in mind, knowing you’ll look a bit rough in the morning.
For Australian fans: Sydney is 14 hours ahead of ET in the summer. What about that “noon ET” time? That’s the time of my nighttime. The bright side is the 6 PM ET matches are coming in at a very civilised 8 AM in Sydney – almost breakfast time. Try a bit of international rugby to the early kick-offs: wake up, watch, nap.
If you’re a US fan on the West Coast, noon ET is 9 AM PT, which is lovely with a cup of java. Late games (9 PM ET) will be late games on the West Coast. It’s worth it for the big games, but perhaps a vacation day.
For fans in the US in Central Time: One hour ahead. You’re basically fine. The 9 PM ET / 8 PM CT times will be your best bet. The opening match — Mexico vs. South Africa on June 11 — kicks off at 3:00 PM ET / 2:00 PM CT / 12:00 PM PT / 8:00 PM BST / 9:00 PM CEST. One of the most time-zone-friendly starts in World Cup history. No excuses not to get it.
Key Matchups You Can’t Miss This Month
No need to watch all 104 games (but if you really want to, respect if you do). These are the group matches that will get everyone to leave their plans behind, the ones you’ll be tuning into.
Mexico vs. South Africa — June 11 at 3 PM ET at the historic Estadio Azteca — the first stadium to host games at three World Cups (1970, 1986 and now 2026). The ambience alone will be worth tuning in for. This is the game that starts the month of football.
USA vs. Paraguay — June 12, 9 PM ET, Los Angeles. The US Men’s National Team get the night off to a roaring start in front of a sold-out LA crowd, featuring an opening ceremony featuring Katy Perry. When watching with American friends, it’s this one that requires snacks, decorations and a proper watch party setup.
Brazil vs. Morocco — June 13, 9 PM ET, New York/New Jersey. Two teams with massive international followings and a lot riding on the game. At Qatar 2022, Morocco became the first team to reach the semi-finals; it will be very important for Brazil to stamp their authority as the most storied country in the game.
England vs Croatia — June 17, 4 PM ET Dallas A Rematch with History. Both have featured in the previous two big events, but England supporters have an extremely specific attitude towards Croatia. It is sure to be followed in pubs from London to Lagos!
Argentina vs. Jordan — June 17, 9 PM ET: The defending champions, Lionel Messi’s Argentina, are on the verge of playing an extraordinary game against Jordan. Jordan is debuting at their first World Cup, and Argentina are attempting to show that Qatar 2022 wasn’t a bone-off
Netherlands vs. Japan — June 14, 6 PM ET, Dallas.s Two very different styles from two technically strong teams. This is a type of group game that slowly becomes one of the games of the tournament.
Spain vs. Cape Verde — June 15, 12 PM ET, Atlanta. Cape Verde is making their first-ever World Cup appearance, and it’ll be facing one of the tournament favourites. Cheer for whoever you like — but this is history in the making either way.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I get a PDF of the entire June World Cup schedule?
Yes! A downloadable PDF is provided in this article containing all the group stage (June 11-27) on one printable page in both A4 and US Letter sizes. It contains all Eastern Time (ET) kick-off times, venue names and host cities. Simply click the [CLICK HERE FOR PDF] link above, download and then print using the “Fit to Page” option to prevent any edges from being cut off. No sign-up required; this PDF is free.
Which World Cup games are on weekends in June 2026?
Fortunately for social planners, there’s a game each weekend of the group stage. Here’s the breakdown:
- Weekend 1 (June 13-15): Brazil vs. Morocco, Netherlands vs. Japan, Scotland vs. Haiti, Spain vs. Cape Verde, Saudi Arabia vs. Uruguay, and more.
- Weekend 2 (June 20-22): Second round of group games in full swing with several matches to be played each day, among them USA vs. Australia on Thursday, June 19 and Spain vs. Saudi Arabia on Saturday, June 21, and Germany vs. Ecuador on Sunday, June 22.
- Weekend 3 (June 27-28): will mark the final matchdays of the group stage and the beginning of the Round of 32 — the time where it gets really electric.
The wallpaper in the lock screen pack is split in half to make it easier to spot Saturday and Sunday games, so you don’t have to do the cross-referencing.
What time is the opening match in New York time?
The first match between Mexico and South Africa at the Mexico City Stadium will be played at 3:00 PM Eastern Time (ET) on Thursday, June 12, 2026. It’ll be 3 PM your time, since it’s New York’s ET time. The opening ceremony (featuring Shakira, J Balvin, Maná, and others) starts 90 minutes earlier at 1:30 PM ET. You have the time, set your alarm, order your meal early and settle in, the World Cup is on.
We’ll be updating the schedule guide as kick-off times are confirmed, so bookmark this page and check back before each match week. Enjoy the football — and may your team’s games always fall at a reasonable hour. ⚽
Last updated: June 12, 2026. All times Eastern (ET). Schedule subject to change — verify kick-off times at FIFA.com before making travel arrangements.
