Al Jazeera Sports reviews the match schedule for the largest and largest edition of the World Cup in football history: the 2026 World Cup. We also review the dates and results of the matches and the broadcast channels broadcasting them.
For the first time in history, the tournament witnesses the participation of 48 teams competing across 104 matches held in three host countries: the United States, Mexico and Canada.
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This edition carries exceptional excitement thanks to the introduction of the new round of 32, and the expanded record participation of 8 Arab teams: (Jordan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Morocco, Iraq, Tunisia, and Algeria), which seek to write history on American stadiums.
The World Cup began on Thursday, June 11, and will continue until July 19, with Mexico’s 2-0 victory over South Africa in Group A. The first round (groups) ended on Sunday with Algeria qualifying.
Live broadcast channels broadcasting the 2026 World Cup matches
The tournament is expected to receive satellite and digital television coverage, the largest of its kind in the Middle East and North Africa region, through the following networks:
- beIN Sports Network: The main official broadcaster of the tournament via its encrypted channels (BeIN Sports Max), with free broadcast channels allocated for some specific matches and the opening ceremony.
- Al Kass Channels Network: The tournament will be broadcast through its additional packages in coordination with beIN Sports.
- Digital applications: TOD platform attached to the beIN network, and the official FIFA Plus (FIFA+) digital platform.
- Terrestrial frequencies: It is expected that some participating Arab countries will purchase the rights to broadcast their matches on terrestrial frequencies only.
- Al Jazeera Net: You can follow all the 2026 World Cup matches via Al Jazeera Net’s live coverage.
Schedule of Arab teams’ matches in the 2026 World Cup
Before we review the full schedule of the 2026 World Cup matches, we present to you the matches of the eight Arab teams participating in the World Cup and their dates according to the timing of Mecca, Doha, and Cairo.
Dates of Qatar’s matches in Group Two of the 2026 World Cup:
Dates of Morocco’s matches in Group C of the 2026 World Cup:
Dates of Tunisia’s matches in Group F of the 2026 World Cup:
- Sweden 5-1 Tunisia: Monday, June 15 (5:00) (Watch the match summary)
- Tunisia 0-4 Japan: Sunday, June 21 (7:00)
- Tunisia 1-3 Netherlands: Thursday, June 25 (2:00)
Dates of Egypt’s matches in Group G of the 2026 World Cup:
Dates of Saudi Arabia’s matches in Group H of the 2026 World Cup:
Dates of Iraq’s matches in Group Nine of the 2026 World Cup:
- Iraq 1-4 Norway: Tuesday, June 16 (1:00) (Watch the match summary)
- France 3-0 Iraq: Monday, June 22 (00:00 midnight)
- Senegal 5-0 Iraq: Friday, June 26 (22:00)
Dates of Algeria’s matches in Group 10 of the 2026 World Cup:
Dates of Jordan’s matches in Group 10 of the 2026 World Cup:
Schedule of matches for the 2026 World Cup… dates and results
We start with the dates of the group stage matches (according to the timing of Mecca, Doha, and Cairo)
World Cup opening match
Thursday, June 11, 2026
- Mexico 2-0 South Africa
The first round of the 2026 World Cup
Friday, June 12, 2026
- South Korea 2-1 Czech Republic
- Canada 1-1 Bosnia and Herzegovina
Saturday, June 13, 2026
- USA 4-1 Paraguay
- Qatar 1-1 Switzerland
Sunday, June 14, 2026
- Brazil 1-1 Morocco – 1:00
- Haiti 0-1 Scotland – 4:00
- Australia 2-0 Turkey – 7:00
- Germany 7-1 Curacao – 20:00
- Netherlands 2-2 Japan – 23:00
Monday, June 15, 2026
- Ivory Coast 1-0 Ecuador – 2:00
- Sweden 5-1 Tunisia – 5:00
- Spain 0-0 Cape Verde – 7:00
- Belgium 1-1 Egypt – 22:00
Tuesday, June 16, 2026
Wednesday, June 17, 2026
- Iraq 1-4 Norway – 1:00
- Argentina 3-0 Algeria – 4:00
- Austria 3-1 Jordan – 7:00
- Portugal 1-1 Democratic Republic of Congo – 20:00
- England 4-2 Croatia – 23:00
Thursday, June 18, 2026
- Ghana 1-0 Panama – 2:00
- Uzbekistan 1-3 Colombia – 5:00
- Czech Republic 1-1 South Africa – 19:00
- Switzerland 4-1 Bosnia and Herzegovina – 22:00
Second round
Friday, June 19, 2026
- Canada 6-0 Qatar – 1:00
- Mexico 1-0 South Korea – 4:00
- USA 2-0 Australia – 22:00
Saturday, June 20, 2026
- Scotland 0-1 Morocco – 1:00
- Brazil 3-0 Haiti – 3:30 (Watch the match summary)
- Türkiye 0-1 Paraguay – 6:00
- Netherlands 5-1 Sweden – 20:00
- Germany 2-1 Ivory Coast – 23:00
Sunday, June 21, 2026
- Ecuador 0-0 Curacao – 3:00
- Tunisia 0-4 Japan – 7:00
- Spain 4-0 Saudi Arabia – 19:00
- Belgium 0-0 Iran – 22:00
Monday, June 22, 2026
Tuesday, June 23, 2026
- France 3-0 Iraq – 00:00 midnight
- Norway 3-2 Senegal – 3:00
- Jordan 1-2 Algeria – 6:00
- Portugal 5-0 Uzbekistan – 20:00
- England 0-0 Ghana – 23:00
Wednesday, June 24, 2026
- Panama 0-1 Croatia – 2:00
- Colombia 1-0 Democratic Republic of the Congo – 5:00
- Switzerland 2-1 Canada – 22:00
- Bosnia and Herzegovina 3-1 Qatar – 22:00
Third round
Thursday, June 25, 2026
- Scotland 0-3 Brazil – 1:00
- Morocco 4-2 Haiti – 1:00
- Czech Republic 0-3 Mexico – 4:00
- South Africa 1-0 South Korea – 4:00
- Ecuador 2-1 Germany – 23:00
- Curacao 0-2 Ivory Coast – 23:00
Friday, June 26, 2026
- Tunisia 1-3 Netherlands – 2:00
- Japan 1-1 Sweden – 2:00
- Türkiye 3-2 USA – 5:00
- Paraguay 0-0 Australia – 5:00
- Norway 1-4 France – 22:00
- Senegal 5-0 Iraq – 22:00
Saturday, June 27, 2026
- Uruguay 0-1 Spain – 3:00
- Cape Verde 0-0 Saudi Arabia – 3:00
- New Zealand 1-5 Belgium – 6:00
- Egypt 1-1 Iran – 6:00
Sunday, June 28, 2026
- Panama 0-2 England – 00:00 midnight
- Croatia 2-1 Ghana – 00:00 midnight
- Colombia 0-0 Portugal – 2:30
- Democratic Republic of Congo 3-1 Uzbekistan – 2:30
- Jordan 3-1 Argentina – 5:00
- Algeria 3-3 Austria – 5:00
Here is the ranking of the 2026 World Cup groups.
Dates of the World Cup knockout round matches (the new round of 32)
Sunday, June 28, 2026
- Match 73 (22:00): South Africa vs. Canada (Los Angeles Stadium).
Monday, June 29, 2026
- Match 74 (20:00): Brazil vs. Japan (Houston Stadium).
- Match 75 (23:30): Germany vs. Paraguay (Boston Stadium).
Tuesday, June 30, 2026
- Match 76 (4:00): Netherlands vs. Morocco (Monterrey Stadium).
- Match 77 (20:00): Côte d’Ivoire vs. Norway (Dallas Stadium).
Wednesday, July 1, 2026
- Match 78 (00:00 midnight): France vs. Sweden (New Jersey Stadium).
- Match 79 (4:00): Mexico vs. Ecuador (Mexico City Stadium).
- Match 80 (19:00): England vs. Democratic Republic of Congo (Atalanta Stadium).
- Match 81 (23:00): Belgium vs. Senegal (Seattle Stadium).
Thursday, July 2, 2026
- Match 82 (3:00): America vs. Bosnia and Herzegovina (Los Angeles Stadium).
- Match 83 (22:00): Spain vs. Austria (Los Angeles Stadium).
Friday, July 3, 2026
- Match 84 (2:00): Croatia vs. Portugal (Toronto Stadium).
- Match 85 (6:00): Switzerland vs. Algeria (BC Place Stadium).
- Match 86 (21:00): Australia vs. Egypt (Dallas Stadium).
Saturday, July 4, 2026
- Match 87 (1:00): Argentina vs. Cape Verde (Miami Stadium).
- Match 88 (4:30): Ghana vs. Colombia (Kansas City Stadium).
2026 World Cup final round (round of 16)
Saturday, July 4, 2026
- Winner of Match 73 vs Winner of Match 75 (20:00)
Sunday, July 5, 2026
- Winner of Game 74 vs Winner of Game 77 (00:00 midnight)
- Winner of Match 76 vs. Winner of Match 78 (23:00)
Monday, July 6, 2026
- Winner of Game 79 vs. Winner of Game 80 (3:00)
- Winner of Match 83 vs Winner of Match 84 (22:00)
Tuesday, July 7, 2026
- Winner of Match 81 vs. Winner of Match 82 (3:00)
- Winner of Game 86 vs. Winner of Game 88 (7:00)
- Winner of Match 85 vs Winner of Match 87 (23:00)
2026 World Cup quarter-finals (round of 8)
Thursday, July 9, 2026
- Winner of Match 89 vs Winner of Match 90 (23:00)
Friday, July 10, 2026
- Winner of Match 93 vs Winner of Match 94 (22:00)
Sunday, July 12, 2026
- Winner of Match 91 vs Winner of Match 92 (00:00 midnight)
- Winner of Match 95 vs. Winner of Match 96 (4:00)
Semi-finals (golden square)
Tuesday, July 14, 2026
- Winner of Match 97 vs Winner of Match 98 (22:00)
Wednesday, July 15, 2026
- Winner of Match 99 vs Winner of Match 100 (22:00)
Third place match (bronze medal)
Sunday, July 19, 2026
- Loser of semi-final 1 vs loser of semi-final 2 (00:00 midnight)
The final match of the 2026 World Cup
Sunday, July 19, 2026
- Winner of Semi-Final 1 vs Winner of Semi-Final 2 (22:00)
Qualification system for the round of 32 in the World Cup
According to the system approved by FIFA, the 48 teams were distributed into 12 groups, each group containing four teams. Each team plays three matches in the group stage, facing all its rivals in the group once. The winning team gets three points, while each team gets one point in the event of a tie.
The first and second placed teams in each group qualify directly for the round of 32, bringing the number of qualified teams to 24. They will also be joined by the eight best third-placed teams, bringing the number of teams qualifying to the knockout rounds to 32.
How is equality of points resolved within groups?
If two or more teams are equal in the number of points at the end of the group stage, a set of criteria is used to determine the ranking.
First: Direct confrontations between equal teams, where consideration is given to:
- The largest number of points achieved in matches between equal teams.
- Goal difference in those matches.
- Number of goals scored in direct confrontations.
If equality persists after applying these criteria, the next stage is moved.
Second: The results of all group matches, and the following are taken into account:
- Goal difference in all group matches.
- The highest number of goals scored in all group matches.
- The disciplinary record of the teams, according to the number of yellow and red cards obtained by players and members of the technical staff.
Third: The global classification of the World Cup teams
If the tie remains after applying all the previous criteria, the teams will be ranked according to the latest published version of the men’s world rankings issued by the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA).
How are the top 8 third-placed teams selected?
After the end of the group stage, all teams that came in third place are compared, and the best eight are selected according to the following criteria:
The highest number of points scored in group matches. The best goal difference. The highest number of goals scored. The best disciplinary record in terms of yellow and red cards. The ranking in the latest FIFA men’s world rankings issued by the club if the score remains equal.
Based on these criteria, the eight teams that accompany the first and second places from each group to the round of 32 in the 2026 World Cup will be determined.
