Abu Dhabi World Cup schedule

First staged in 1930 in Uruguay, the FIFA World Cup has grown into the largest and most watched sporting event on the planet. What began as a 13-team experiment has evolved into a global festival of football, passion, and national pride, captivating audiences across every continent. From 2026, the tournament enters a new era with its expansion to 48 nations, giving more countries the chance to appear on the grandest stage of the game.

Over the decades, the World Cup has produced legendary players, iconic matches, and moments that have shaped the history of football. While the list of champions has long been dominated by teams from Europe and South America, the modern tournament increasingly reflects the sport’s global growth, with rising influence from nations across Asia, Africa, and the Middle East.

The move to a 48-team format represents a new chapter of inclusiveness and opportunity. The 2026 FIFA World Cup promises a larger and more diverse spectacle, with more nations, more matches, and fresh storylines, creating space for new contenders to emerge alongside the game’s traditional giants.

UAE Standard Time is officially known as Gulf Standard Time (GST) and operates at UTC +4. It is used year-round and does not observe daylight saving time, making it one of the most stable time zones for following international tournaments.

Gulf Standard Time is shared by several countries across the Arabian Gulf, including:

• United Arab Emirates
• Oman
• Azerbaijan (partially / historically aligned)

If your local time matches cities such as Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, Al Ain, Muscat, or Fujairah, the kick-off times shown on this page apply directly to you.

Football in the United Arab Emirates has progressed at a remarkable pace over the past few decades, supported by strong domestic competitions, continuous investment in infrastructure, and a rapidly growing football culture. At the heart of the national system is the UAE Pro League, which not only develops local talent but also attracts experienced international players, raising the overall standard of the league.

The UAE national team has enjoyed notable success on the Asian stage, with its greatest achievement coming in 1990, when the country qualified for the FIFA World Cup for the first and only time so far. Although the team was eliminated in the group stage in Italy, reaching the finals remains the most significant milestone in Emirati football history and a lasting source of national pride.

Beyond the national team, the UAE has emerged as one of the leading football hubs in the Middle East, regularly hosting major tournaments, continental finals, and elite club competitions. With growing fan support and an expanding network of youth academies, football in the UAE continues to move toward the next level, driven by the long-term ambition of returning to the World Cup stage.

For fans following the tournament in UAE Time /Gulf Time, most matches will kick off between the late evening and early morning hours. Group-stage fixtures may extend past midnight, while knockout matches often fall into comfortable late-evening windows.

The opening match of the tournament will begin on 11 June 2026 at 11:00 PM (GST), while the final will be played on 19 July 2026 at 11:00 PM (GST).

Below is the full list of all 104 matches, with kick-off times shown in UAE Standard Time. Use the filters to find fixtures involving your favourite teams.

Filter Matches: Select Category Team Venue Stage Reset

Date	Time	Team 1 Score Team 2
11 June, 2026 Thursday	11:00 PM (GST)	Mexico vs NEXT MATCH South Africa Mexico City Match No. 1 Group A
12 June, 2026 Friday	6:00 AM (GST)	South Korea vs Czechia Guadalajara Match No. 2 Group A
	11:00 PM (GST)	Canada vs Bosnia Toronto Match No. 3 Group B
13 June, 2026 Saturday	5:00 AM (GST)	USA vs Paraguay Los Angeles Match No. 4 Group D
	11:00 PM (GST)	Qatar vs Switzerland SF Bay Area Match No. 8 Group B
14 June, 2026 Sunday	2:00 AM (GST)	Brazil vs Morocco New York Match No. 7 Group C
	5:00 AM (GST)	Haiti vs Scotland Boston Match No. 5 Group C
	8:00 AM (GST)	Australia vs Turkey Vancouver Match No. 6 Group D
	9:00 PM (GST)	Germany vs Curaçao Houston Match No. 10 Group E
15 June, 2026 Monday	12:00 AM (GST)	Netherlands vs Japan Dallas Match No. 11 Group F
	3:00 AM (GST)	Ivory Coast vs Ecuador Philadelphia Match No. 9 Group E
	6:00 AM (GST)	Sweden vs Tunisia Monterrey Match No. 12 Group F
	8:00 PM (GST)	Spain vs Cape Verde Atlanta Match No. 14 Group H
	11:00 PM (GST)	Belgium vs Egypt Seattle Match No. 16 Group G
16 June, 2026 Tuesday	2:00 AM (GST)	Saudi Arabia vs Uruguay Miami Match No. 13 Group H
	5:00 AM (GST)	Iran vs New Zealand Los Angeles Match No. 15 Group G
	11:00 PM (GST)	France vs Senegal New York Match No. 17 Group I
17 June, 2026 Wednesday	2:00 AM (GST)	Iraq vs Norway Boston Match No. 18 Group I
	5:00 AM (GST)	Argentina vs Algeria Kansas City Match No. 19 Group J
	8:00 AM (GST)	Austria vs Jordan SF Bay Area Match No. 20 Group J
	9:00 PM (GST)	Portugal vs DR Congo Houston Match No. 23 Group K
18 June, 2026 Thursday	12:00 AM (GST)	England vs Croatia Dallas Match No. 22 Group L
	3:00 AM (GST)	Ghana vs Panama Toronto Match No. 21 Group L
	6:00 AM (GST)	Uzbekistan vs Colombia Mexico City Match No. 24 Group K
	8:00 PM (GST)	Czechia vs South Africa Atlanta Match No. 25 Group A
	11:00 PM (GST)	Switzerland vs Bosnia Los Angeles Match No. 26 Group B
19 June, 2026 Friday	2:00 AM (GST)	Canada vs Qatar Vancouver Match No. 27 Group B
	5:00 AM (GST)	Mexico vs South Korea Guadalajara Match No. 28 Group A
	11:00 PM (GST)	USA vs Australia Seattle Match No. 32 Group D
20 June, 2026 Saturday	2:00 AM (GST)	Scotland vs Morocco Boston Match No. 30 Group C
	4:30 AM (GST)	Brazil vs Haiti Philadelphia Match No. 29 Group C
	7:00 AM (GST)	Turkey vs Paraguay SF Bay Area Match No. 31 Group D
	9:00 PM (GST)	Netherlands vs Sweden Houston Match No. 35 Group F
21 June, 2026 Sunday	12:00 AM (GST)	Germany vs Ivory Coast Toronto Match No. 33 Group E
	4:00 AM (GST)	Ecuador vs Curaçao Kansas City Match No. 34 Group E
	8:00 AM (GST)	Tunisia vs Japan Monterrey Match No. 36 Group F
	8:00 PM (GST)	Spain vs Saudi Arabia Atlanta Match No. 38 Group H
	11:00 PM (GST)	Belgium vs Iran Los Angeles Match No. 39 Group G
22 June, 2026 Monday	2:00 AM (GST)	Uruguay vs Cape Verde Miami Match No. 37 Group H
	5:00 AM (GST)	New Zealand vs Egypt Vancouver Match No. 40 Group G
	9:00 PM (GST)	Argentina vs Austria Dallas Match No. 43 Group J
23 June, 2026 Tuesday	1:00 AM (GST)	France vs Iraq Philadelphia Match No. 42 Group I
	4:00 AM (GST)	Norway vs Senegal New York Match No. 41 Group I
	7:00 AM (GST)	Jordan vs Algeria SF Bay Area Match No. 44 Group J
	9:00 PM (GST)	Portugal vs Uzbekistan Houston Match No. 47 Group K
24 June, 2026 Wednesday	12:00 AM (GST)	England vs Ghana Boston Match No. 45 Group L
	3:00 AM (GST)	Panama vs Croatia Toronto Match No. 46 Group L
	6:00 AM (GST)	Colombia vs DR Congo Guadalajara Match No. 48 Group K
	11:00 PM (GST)	Switzerland vs Canada Vancouver Match No. 51 Group B
	11:00 PM (GST)	Bosnia vs Qatar Seattle Match No. 52 Group B
25 June, 2026 Thursday	2:00 AM (GST)	Scotland vs Brazil Miami Match No. 49 Group C
	2:00 AM (GST)	Morocco vs Haiti Atlanta Match No. 50 Group C
	5:00 AM (GST)	Czechia vs Mexico Mexico City Match No. 53 Group A
	5:00 AM (GST)	South Africa vs South Korea Monterrey Match No. 54 Group A
26 June, 2026 Friday	12:00 AM (GST)	Curaçao vs Ivory Coast Philadelphia Match No. 55 Group E
	12:00 AM (GST)	Ecuador vs Germany New York Match No. 56 Group E
	3:00 AM (GST)	Japan vs Sweden Dallas Match No. 57 Group F
	3:00 AM (GST)	Tunisia vs Netherlands Kansas City Match No. 58 Group F
	6:00 AM (GST)	Turkey vs USA Los Angeles Match No. 59 Group D
	6:00 AM (GST)	Paraguay vs Australia SF Bay Area Match No. 60 Group D
	11:00 PM (GST)	Norway vs France Boston Match No. 61 Group I
	11:00 PM (GST)	Senegal vs Iraq Toronto Match No. 62 Group I
27 June, 2026 Saturday	4:00 AM (GST)	Cape Verde vs Saudi Arabia Houston Match No. 65 Group H
	4:00 AM (GST)	Uruguay vs Spain Guadalajara Match No. 66 Group H
	7:00 AM (GST)	Egypt vs Iran Seattle Match No. 63 Group G
	7:00 AM (GST)	New Zealand vs Belgium Vancouver Match No. 64 Group G
28 June, 2026 Sunday	1:00 AM (GST)	Panama vs England New York Match No. 67 Group L
	1:00 AM (GST)	Croatia vs Ghana Philadelphia Match No. 68 Group L
	3:30 AM (GST)	Colombia vs Portugal Miami Match No. 71 Group K
	3:30 AM (GST)	DR Congo vs Uzbekistan Atlanta Match No. 72 Group K
	6:00 AM (GST)	Algeria vs Austria Kansas City Match No. 69 Group J
	6:00 AM (GST)	Jordan vs Argentina Dallas Match No. 70 Group J
	11:00 PM (GST)	Runner-up Group A vs Runner-up Group B Los Angeles Match No. 73 Round of 32
29 June, 2026 Monday	9:00 PM (GST)	Winner Group C vs Runner-up Group F Houston Match No. 76 Round of 32
30 June, 2026 Tuesday	12:30 AM (GST)	Winner Group E vs 3rd Group A/B/C/D/F Boston Match No. 74 Round of 32
	5:00 AM (GST)	Winner Group F vs Runner-up Group C Monterrey Match No. 75 Round of 32
	9:00 PM (GST)	Runner-up Group E vs Runner-up Group I Dallas Match No. 78 Round of 32
1 July, 2026 Wednesday	1:00 AM (GST)	Winner Group I vs 3rd Group C/D/F/G/H New York Match No. 77 Round of 32
	5:00 AM (GST)	Winner Group A vs 3rd Group C/E/F/H/I Mexico City Match No. 79 Round of 32
	8:00 PM (GST)	Winner Group L vs 3rd Group E/H/I/J/K Atlanta Match No. 80 Round of 32
2 July, 2026 Thursday	12:00 AM (GST)	Winner Group G vs 3rd Group A/E/H/I/J Seattle Match No. 82 Round of 32
	4:00 AM (GST)	Winner Group D vs 3rd Group B/E/F/I/J SF Bay Area Match No. 81 Round of 32
	11:00 PM (GST)	Winner Group H vs Runner-up Group J Los Angeles Match No. 84 Round of 32
3 July, 2026 Friday	3:00 AM (GST)	Runner-up Group K vs Runner-up Group L Toronto Match No. 83 Round of 32
	7:00 AM (GST)	Winner Group B vs 3rd Group E/F/G/I/J Vancouver Match No. 85 Round of 32
	10:00 PM (GST)	Runner-up Group D vs Runner-up Group G Dallas Match No. 88 Round of 32
4 July, 2026 Saturday	2:00 AM (GST)	Winner Group J vs Runner-up Group H Miami Match No. 86 Round of 32
	5:30 AM (GST)	Winner Group K vs 3rd Group D/E/I/J/L Kansas City Match No. 87 Round of 32
	9:00 PM (GST)	Winner Match 73 vs Winner Match 75 Houston Match No. 90 Round of 16
5 July, 2026 Sunday	1:00 AM (GST)	Winner Match 74 vs Winner Match 77 Philadelphia Match No. 89 Round of 16
6 July, 2026 Monday	12:00 AM (GST)	Winner Match 76 vs Winner Match 78 New York Match No. 91 Round of 16
	4:00 AM (GST)	Winner Match 79 vs Winner Match 80 Mexico City Match No. 92 Round of 16
	11:00 PM (GST)	Winner Match 83 vs Winner Match 84 Dallas Match No. 93 Round of 16
7 July, 2026 Tuesday	4:00 AM (GST)	Winner Match 81 vs Winner Match 82 Seattle Match No. 94 Round of 16
	8:00 PM (GST)	Winner Match 86 vs Winner Match 88 Atlanta Match No. 95 Round of 16
8 July, 2026 Wednesday	12:00 AM (GST)	Winner Match 85 vs Winner Match 87 Vancouver Match No. 96 Round of 16
10 July, 2026 Friday	12:00 AM (GST)	Winner Match 89 vs Winner Match 90 Boston Match No. 97 Quarterfinals
	11:00 PM (GST)	Winner Match 93 vs Winner Match 94 Los Angeles Match No. 98 Quarterfinals
12 July, 2026 Sunday	1:00 AM (GST)	Winner Match 91 vs Winner Match 92 Miami Match No. 99 Quarterfinals
	5:00 AM (GST)	Winner Match 95 vs Winner Match 96 Kansas City Match No. 100 Quarterfinals
14 July, 2026 Tuesday	11:00 PM (GST)	Winner Match 97 vs Winner Match 98 Dallas Match No. 101 Semifinals
15 July, 2026 Wednesday	11:00 PM (GST)	Winner Match 99 vs Winner Match 100 Atlanta Match No. 102 Semifinals
19 July, 2026 Sunday	1:00 AM (GST)	Loser Match 101 vs Loser Match 102 Miami Match No. 103 3rd Place
	11:00 PM (GST)	Winner Match 101 vs Winner Match 102 New York Match No. 104 Final

The 2026 FIFA World Cup will be staged across three North American countries and 16 host cities, making it the most geographically extensive tournament in the history of the competition.

Matches will be played throughout the United States in New York–New Jersey, Los Angeles, Dallas, Miami, Atlanta, Houston, Seattle, the San Francisco Bay Area, Boston, Philadelphia, and Kansas City. Canada will host games in Toronto and Vancouver, while Mexico will complete the lineup with fixtures in Mexico City, Guadalajara, and Monterrey.

With the tournament spread across several time zones from coast to coast, kick-off times will vary widely from match to match. By presenting the full schedule in UAE Standard Time, fans in the Emirates can avoid confusion, plan accurately, and follow every game with ease from the opening whistle to the final.

• beIN Sports MAX 1, beIN Sports MAX 2, beIN Sports XTRA 3, beIN Sports MAX 3, beIN Sports MAX 4, beIN Sports MAX 5 – Exclusive broadcaster across the Middle East
• beIN CONNECT – Official streaming platform
• FIFA+ – Highlights, replays, and official content

You can also explore our global FIFA World Cup 2026 Watch Guide for broadcasters, TV channels, and live streaming platforms across different countries.

Q1. Are all kick-off times shown in UAE Standard Time?
Yes. Every match on this page is displayed in GST (UTC+4).

Q2. Is UAE Standard Time the same as Gulf Standard Time?
Yes. UAE Standard Time and Gulf Standard Time (GST) refer to the same time zone, which is UTC+4.

Q3. Does the UAE observe daylight saving time?
No. The UAE observes the same time zone throughout the year.

Q4. When is the World Cup final in UAE time?
The final will be played on 19 July 2026 at 11:00 PM (GST).