South Africa football

The FIFA World Cup kicked off back in 1930 in Uruguay with just 13 teams. Fast-forward nearly a century and it’s now the biggest sporting event on the planet. Every four years, the tournament dishes out moments that stick with us forever — Pelé lighting up 1970, Maradona doing Maradona things in 1986, Germany’s ruthless efficiency, and Argentina finally lifting it again in Qatar.

And of course, for South Africans, 2010 will always hit different. Vuvuzelas, packed fan parks, Bafana Bafana hosting the world — we changed football culture forever.

Here’s a look at the most recent FIFA World Cup winners:

Brazil with 5 titles to its name may still be the kings historically, but this expanded 2026 format? It’s wide open. More teams means more upsets, more fairytale runs, and more drama — exactly how we like it.

For the first time ever, the World Cup is expanded to 48 teams. These teams are divided into 12 groups of four, with each country playing three group matches. The idea is to allow more countries to be in the spotlight without completely losing competitiveness early on.

The top two teams from each group directly go to the knockout stage. Besides that, the eight best third-placed teams also qualify; thus, a brand-new Round of 32 is formed. In other words, every goal counts, right up to the last group match.

The knockout stage begins in late June and lasts up to the final on 19 July 2026. More knockout games, more late nights, more excuses for telling your boss that youre working from home.

Africa is going to have the largest contingent ever at a World Cup in 2026, with even more qualification spots available. That’s huge for the continent, and for Bafana Bafana, it’s definitely another great opportunity to get back to the main stage.

While South Africa was part of the FIFA World Cups line-ups in 1998 and 2002, their World Cup narrative is mainly associated with 2010. Hosting the event placed African football at the centre of the world, and even now, that impact is still felt. The hope? That 2026 marks the beginning of a new era, competitive, fearless, and ready to take giants by surprise.

With the expanded format, depth is hardly as important as belief. And let me tell you, football has proven to us several times that belief can get you really far, and Bafana Bafana would at the very least want to advance from the Group Stages in 2026.

Date	Time	Team 1 Score Team 2
11 June, 2026 (Thursday)	9:00 PM (SAST)	Mexico vs South Africa Mexico City Match No. 1 Group A
18 June, 2026 (Thursday)	6:00 PM (SAST)	Czechia vs South Africa Atlanta Match No. 25 Group A
25 June, 2026 (Thursday)	3:00 AM (SAST)	South Africa vs South Korea Monterrey Match No. 54 Group A

Nothing quite matches the buzz of a World Cup opening match, and in 2026, Bafana Bafana are right at the centre of it. South Africa kick off their World Cup journey in the tournament opener with a heavyweight clash against the hosts, Mexico, on 11 June 2026. The Group A showdown gets underway at 9:00 PM SAST in Mexico City — a perfect prime-time slot for fans back home.

South Africa’s second group match is scheduled for 18 June 2026, with kick-off at 6:00 PM SAST in Atlanta. The opponent will be either Denmark/Czech Republic/Republic of Ireland/North Macedonia, making this fixture a potential turning point in the group.

The group stage wraps up in the early hours of 25 June 2026, when South Africa face South Korea at 3:00 AM SAST in Monterrey. With knockout qualification likely on the line, this one has late-night drama written all over it.

As the tournament is going to be held in North America, South African fans should get ready for a good number of evening kick-offs and late-night games. Depending on the city and the match slot, most games start between 9:00 PM SAST and 4:00 AM SAST. The all-important final match will be hosted by MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford on 19 July 2026 at 9:00 PM SAST.

Below is the full rundown of all the 104 games with their kick-off times converted into South African Standard Time (SAST). You can easily filter the matches by team, venue, or stage:

Filter by: Select Category Team Venue Stage Reset

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

The 2026 World Cup games are going to be held in 16 cities that are spread across three different countries, thus it will be the most geographically spread ever.

The main host of the event is the United States, where games will be played in major cities such as New York/New Jersey, Los Angeles, Dallas, Miami, Atlanta, Seattle, and more.

Canada is inviting the world through its cities of Toronto and Vancouver, whereas Mexico, a football royalty, gets to host games in Mexico City, Guadalajara and Monterrey. Proper football cities, proper atmosphere.

• SABC
• FIFA+ for highlights and official content

Q1. What time will most matches kick off in SAST?
Most games will be played in the evening or late at night, with kick-offs ranging from around 9:00 PM to the early hours.

Q2. How many teams are playing in 2026?
A total of 48 teams, the biggest World Cup ever.

Q3. How many matches are there?
104 matches across the group and knockout stages.

Q4. When is the final in South Africa time?
The final takes place on 19 July 2026 at 9:00 PM (SAST)

Q5. Where can South Africans watch the World Cup?
On SABC and FIFA+.