World Cup schedule CET

The FIFA World Cup was first held in 1930 in Uruguay, and only 13 teams participated. Today, almost 100 years later, it has become the most popular sporting event in the world, a competition where the history of football is made every four years and remembered for a long time.

European countries have been at the core of the development of the World Cup’s present-day image. Europe has given fans some of the most iconic moments and teams in the game, from Italy’s initial supremacy, Germany’s reliability, France’s golden generations, to Spain’s 2010 world record-breaking success. In four of the last six tournaments, European teams have lifted the trophy, thus confirming the quality and strength of the continent after 2006.

Fans from Central Europe have experienced the most memorable games in the World Cup after, extra, time finals, penalty shootouts, and controversial matches that have started debates even after years. It could be due to tactical discipline, experience in the tournament, or just the absolute quality of the players; the European teams remain the standard on the world level.

Below is a look at the most recent FIFA World Cup winners:

Brazil may still lead the all-time standings with five titles, but Europe’s collective strength has never been greater. With the expanded 48-team format arriving in 2026, the door is open for new stories — and potentially another chapter written by a European side.

Central European Time, commonly abbreviated as CET, refers to the time zone most used in Europe. During the non-daylight saving period, it is 1 hour ahead of UTC; however, during the summer, daylight saving time, the clocks go an hour up to 2 hours ahead of UTC and the time zone is called Central European Summer Time (CEST). It is to be noted that the 2026 FIFA World Cup will be held in June and July, so the local time in Central Europe will be CEST even though the World Cup schedule is generally named CET for the sake of simplicity.

If you’re watching from any of the countries below, the kick-off times shown on this page apply directly to you:

• Germany
• France
• Spain (mainland)
• Italy
• Netherlands
• Belgium
• Austria
• Switzerland
• Poland
• Czech Republic
• Hungary
• Sweden
• Norway
• Denmark

Several other European nations also align with CET or CEST for most of the year. If your local time matches cities such as Berlin, Paris, Rome, Madrid, or Amsterdam, this schedule is the correct reference for you.

The 2026 FIFA World Cup introduces a new competition format, which comes due to the expansion of the tournament to a 48-team competition for the first time in its history. This will bring more teams into the spotlight, but the knockout punch that defines the FIFA World Cups will still be there.

• These 48 teams are split across 12 groups (Group A to Group L) of four teams each.
• The matches in the group stage will be played in a round robin format, meaning each team faces all other teams of its group, thereby playing three group-stage matches.
• The first and second-ranked 24 teams will directly qualify for the next round, which isthe  Round of 32; this round is also introduced for the very first time in FIFA World Cups.
• The eight best third-placed teams based on the overall ranking third placed teams will also advance to the Round of 32.

From the Round of 32 onwards, the tournament follows a single-elimination knockout format. The Champion will have to win five consecutive knockout matches to lift the trophy — leaving no room for error once the group stage is complete.

Historically, Central Europe has been at the core of the FIFA World Cup’s power centres. Countries like Germany, France, Italy, Spain, the Netherlands, Belgium, and a few others have not only frequent participants but also instrumental in shaping the modern history of the tournament. Collectively, these teams have won multiple World Cup titles, reached finals, and gone far in the knockout stages over the last several decades.

Recent editions of the tournament exemplify this dominance. France won the trophy in 2018 and again reached the final in 2022. Germany and Spain continue to be characterized by their capacity to reconstruct and stay at the top level, whereas Belgium and the Netherlands have regularly qualified as genuine contenders, even though they have not won any titles.

Looking towards 2026, the 48-team expanded format brings both a chance and a challenge. It is expected that the big names will go through, but the extra knockout round increases the significance of having a deep squad, rotating players, and managing the tournament. For emerging Central European teams, the format offers a clearer pathway to the latter stages and the chance to turn potential into genuine breakthroughs.

For fans all over Central Europe, the World Cup is seldom about only one storyline. Several national teams come with real aspirations, and the idea is not just to qualify but to go far in the tournament. In 2026, the familiar European dilemma resurfaces again: which one of these teams can turn their upbringing and potential into a run that really matters?

Kick-off times for supporters in Central Europe are largely dependent on the tournament’s setting, i.e., North America. The group stage is a combination of quite a few late nights and early starts, but the last rounds are more of the evening kick-offs, thus making the final of the tournament much more convenient to follow.

The opening match of the tournament will feature Mexico and South Africa on 11 June 2026 at 9:00 PM (CEST), while the all-important final will be played on 19 July 2026 at 9:00 PM (CEST), bringing the tournament to a close.

Below is the complete list of all 104 matches, with kick-off times shown reflecting the correct local time in Central Europe, including daylight saving adjustments during the World Cup period. Use the match filter below to quickly find fixtures involving your preferred team, whether that’s Germany, France, Spain, Italy, the Netherlands, Belgium, or any other nation playing during the tournament.

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

The 2026 FIFA World Cup will be held in three North American countries and 16 host cities, making it the most geographically widespread tournament in World Cup history.

Most of the games will take place in the United States, which is a football and sporting hotbed on the East and West coasts. Canada and Mexico are the other two countries that will host the tournament, with Canada and Mexico adding historic stadiums and enthusiastic stadiums to the mix.

United States

New York / New Jersey, Los Angeles, Dallas, Miami, Atlanta, Houston, Seattle, San Francisco Bay Area, Boston, Philadelphia, Kansas City

Canada

Toronto, Vancouver

Mexico

Mexico City, Guadalajara, Monterrey

Fans watching in Central Europe will have to cope with viewing the games both in the evening and late at night, as the games will be spread over several time zones, depending on which host city the games are played in.

Broadcast rights to the FIFA World Cup are divided differently by countries in Central Europe, but local fans will have the possibility of watching the games through a combination of their national broadcasters and pan-European platforms. The following is a helpful guide on where viewers in Central European countries can expect to watch the tournament live.

Major National Broadcasters

• Germany: ARD, ZDF
• France: TF1, M6, beIN Sports
• Italy: RAI, Sky Italia
• Spain: RTVE, Mediapro
• Netherlands: NOS
• Belgium: RTBF (French), VRT (Dutch)
• Switzerland: SRF, RTS, RSI
• Austria: ORF
• Poland: TVP

Pan-European & International Coverage

• FIFA+ – Official platform for highlights, replays, and selected live content
• beIN Sports – Coverage across multiple European markets
• Sky Sports – Available in selected Central European regions via local providers

The availability of services may differ a bit depending on where you are and the platform you use. It is a good idea for fans to verify the local TV schedules nearer the time of the event, particularly if they are looking for streaming options and mobile access.

Q1. What time will most World Cup matches kick off in Central European Time?
Kick-off times for fans in Central Europe are split across the day. While several high-profile matches — particularly in the knockout rounds — are scheduled in the evening between 7:00 PM and 10:00 PM, a significant portion of group-stage fixtures take place overnight or in the early morning hours, typically between 12:00 AM and 6:00 AM CET, due to the tournament being hosted in North America.

Q2. How many matches are played at the 2026 FIFA World Cup?
The tournament features a total of 104 matches, making it the largest World Cup in history.

Q3. What is the difference between CET and CEST?
Central European Time (CET) is UTC +1 and is used during standard time. During summer, most European countries switch to Central European Summer Time (CEST), which is UTC +2. The 2026 World Cup takes place in June and July, meaning local clocks will actually be on CEST, even though schedules are commonly labelled as CET for simplicity.

Q4. Will the kick-off times shown here automatically account for daylight saving?
Yes. The schedule on this page is generated using daylight-saving-aware time zones, so all kick-off times reflect the correct local time during the tournament.

Q5. When is the 2026 FIFA World Cup final in Central European Time?
The final will be played on 19 July 2026, with the kick-off shown on this page in Central European Time.