Football Dec 07, 2025

World Cup 2026 fixtures, match schedule, UK kick-off times and venues confirmed as England and Scotland discover schedule

👤
By Admin
Sports Journalist
World Cup 2026 fixtures, match schedule, UK kick-off times and venues confirmed as England and Scotland discover schedule

England will open their World Cup bid in Dallas against Croatia in a 9pm kick-off UK time, while Scotland will face Haiti in a 2am kick-off UK time.

Thomas Tuchel's side would have been hoping for Toronto as the selected venue for their opener, given its proximity to their second and third group games, but will begin their campaign on June 17 in Texas, following Saturday's schedule announcement by FIFA.

England will then play Ghana in Boston in a 9pm kick-off UK time on June 23 and conclude their Group L games against Panama in a 10pm kick-off in New York-New Jersey on June 27.

Scotland's fixtures will have their fans who haven't made the trip to the US staying up through the night, with the first game against Haiti in the early hours of June 14, and their subsequent group games with Morocco and Brazil at 11pm UK time.

Scotland will be in Boston for the games with Haiti and Morocco (June 19), before moving on to Miami to face Brazil (June 24).

Northern Ireland or Wales will play Canada in Toronto, Switzerland in Los Angeles and Qatar in Seattle should they qualify through the play-offs, with each of their group games kicking off at 8pm UK time.

The Republic of Ireland can also qualify for the 2026 World Cup through the play-offs and could face co-hosts Mexico, South Africa and South Korea in Group A. Should they make it, their fans back home will also be watching games in the middle of the night - with their potential opener at 3am, the second at 5pm and the third at 2am.

The 2026 World Cup final will be on July 19 at the New York-New Jersey (MetLife) Stadium. It will kick off at 3pm local time - that's 8pm UK time.

FIFA stated they had factored in issues such as recovery, climate and travel distances when mapping out the specific locations and kick-off times of matches.

, after extreme heat affected some Club World Cup games.

Group A: Mexico, South Korea, South Africa, Republic of Ireland/Denmark/North Macedonia/Czech Republic

Group B: Canada, Switzerland, Qatar, Wales/Northern Ireland/Italy/Bosnia-Herzegovina

Group C: Brazil, Morocco, Scotland, Haiti

Group D: USA, Australia, Paraguay, Turkey/Romania/Slovakia/Kosovo

Group E: Germany, Ecuador, Ivory Coast, Curacao

Group F: Netherlands, Japan, Tunisia, Poland/Ukraine/Sweden/Albania

Group G: Belgium, Iran, Egypt, New Zealand

Group H: Spain, Uruguay, Saudi Arabia, Cape Verde

Group I: France, Senegal, Norway, Iraq or Bolivia/Suriname

Group J: Argentina, Austria, Algeria, Jordan

Group K: Portugal, Colombia, Uzbekistan, DR Congo or Jamaica/New Caledonia

Group L: England, Croatia, Panama, Ghana

Group stage: June 11-27

Round of 32: June 28 to July 3

Round of 16: July 4-7

Quarter-finals: July 9-11

Semi-finals: July 14-15

Third-place play-off ('Bronze final'): July 18

Final: July 19

Tags:

football news id:13479286

Share this article

Related Posts

Chelsea manager: Andoni Iraola, Marco Silva and Xabi Alonso among candidates to replace Liam Rosenior at Stamford Bridge

Chelsea manager: Andoni Iraola, Marco Silva and Xabi Alonso among candidates to replace Liam Rosenior at Stamford Bridge

Andoni Iraola, Marco Silva and Xabi Alonso are among the managers Chelsea are discussing as potential replacements for Liam Rosenior this summer.Chels...

Harry Kane's year? Bayern Munich and England striker is a No 9 like no other but he still needs his 'Ballon d'Or moment'

Harry Kane's year? Bayern Munich and England striker is a No 9 like no other but he still needs his 'Ballon d'Or moment'

Harry Kane had a rest at the weekend but it did not last as long as Vincent Kompany might have hoped. He was pressed into action with Bayern Munich th...

Julian Alvarez: Diego Simeone says Arsenal interested in signing Atletico Madrid forward along with PSG and Barcelona

Julian Alvarez: Diego Simeone says Arsenal interested in signing Atletico Madrid forward along with PSG and Barcelona

Arsenal are interested in Atletico Madrid forward Julian Alvarez but face competition to sign him from Paris Saint-Germain and Barcelona, according to...

Michael Carrick: Man Utd bosses will not rush managerial decision despite Champions League qualification all but secure

Michael Carrick: Man Utd bosses will not rush managerial decision despite Champions League qualification all but secure

With Manchester United all-but guaranteed Champions League football for next season, Michael Carrick has done all he can to get the head coach's job l...

Kobbie Mainoo set to sign new five-year Manchester United deal - Paper Talk and football transfer gossip

Kobbie Mainoo set to sign new five-year Manchester United deal - Paper Talk and football transfer gossip

The top stories and transfer rumours from Wednesday's newspapers...England midfielder Kobbie Mainoo has verbally agreed to a new five-year contract wi...

Antoine Semenyo: Trial over alleged racial abuse from a supporter adjourned as defendant assessed over fitness to stand trial

Antoine Semenyo: Trial over alleged racial abuse from a supporter adjourned as defendant assessed over fitness to stand trial

The case of a Liverpool supporter accused of racially abusing footballer Antoine Semenyo has been adjourned to determine whether he is fit to stand tr...