Football fans worldwide now have a clearer picture of their FIFA World Cup 2026™ journey after a colourful Final Draw held in Washington, D.C. The event—featuring legends Ronaldo Nazário, Francesco Totti, Hristo Stoichkov and Alexi Lalas—saw FIFA President Gianni Infantino announce an updated match schedule designed to improve player welfare, fan experience and global broadcast reach.
A total of 42 qualified teams, along with 22 others chasing the final six slots, discovered their group opponents and match dates during the live event.
Co-hosts Mexico, Canada and the United States now know who they will face and when. Mexico will open the expanded 48-team tournament on Thursday, 11 June, when El Tri take on South Africa at Mexico City Stadium at 13:00 local time—a nostalgic repeat of the 2010 World Cup opener.
On Friday, 12 June, Toronto will buzz with excitement as Canada host the winner of the European play-offs involving Italy, Northern Ireland, Wales and Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The USA begin their campaign later that day in Los Angeles, facing Paraguay at 18:00 local time in their first-ever competitive meeting.
England and Croatia will renew their rivalry on Wednesday, 17 June, at Dallas Stadium in a rematch of their dramatic 2018 semifinal. In Houston, Curaçao will make history on Sunday, 14 June, becoming the smallest nation to play at a World Cup as they debut against Germany.
Another standout fixture comes on Saturday, 13 June, when Brazil meet Morocco at New York New Jersey Stadium.
Monterrey will mark a major milestone on Saturday, 20 June, hosting the 1,000th FIFA World Cup match, featuring Tunisia versus Japan.
FIFA says the final match calendar was created to minimise travel, maximise rest days and ensure comfortable conditions for teams and fans. Venue temperatures, transport systems, security and global broadcast windows were key considerations.
The final schedule will be confirmed in March once the remaining six qualification spots are decided.
Tickets and hospitality packages are available at FIFA’s official platforms, with the next sales phase opening on 11 December.