The World Cup begins on June 11, 2026 as co-host Mexico plays the opener in Mexico City, with the USA (Los Angeles) and Canada (Toronto) kicking off a day later. The group stage runs until June 27, with synchronized start times in each group for the final matches in the round-robin.

The 2026 FIFA World Cup groups are settled, and playoff games in March will determine the final slots. President Donald Trump was awarded a peace prize.

The 2026 World Cup draw is happening on Friday, December 5 but when will the full schedule for the tournament be released?

Follow live coverage as teams are drawn for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The tournament will take place in the United States, Mexico and Canada next summer.

The 2026 FIFA World Cup will begin on June 11 at the Estadio Azteca in Mexico City, Mexico, with a matchup between host nation Mexico and Group A challenger South Africa. In 2010, South Africa became the first African nation to host a World Cup.

President Donald Trump is confident in the security of host cities months ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup is set to take center stage, telling reporters ahead of the draw in Washington, D.C., that the government will "take care" of any concerns if needed.

The 2026 World Cup draw took place in Washington DC on Friday and we had you covered for everything as it happened.

The United States will face Australia, Paraguay and a European playoff winner in group stage play when the tournament opens next summer.

FIFA is weighing up the introduction of new refereeing technologies and stricter timekeeping rules at the 2026 World Cup as it looks to build on trials conducted at this year's Club World Cup in the United States,

Groups confirmed for 2026 World CupWith the group stage pairings and the route each team has to the final confirmed, the odds will reflect how easy, or tough, teams have it. MORE — 2026 World Cup hub | 2026 World Cup groups,