A practical guide to the 2026 World Cup

A practical guide to the 2026 World Cup Everything you need to know from TV details and tickets to host cities in the United States, Canada and Mexico Save Comment speech bubble icon Gift this article free Gift article Give full access to this article, free time. You have 15 articles left to gift, this month. Log in or Subscribe Copy link X Icon twitter Facebook Icon facebook WhatsApp Icon whatsapp email Add us as preferred source Share article Log in or Subscribe Copy link X Icon twitter Facebook Icon facebook WhatsApp Icon whatsapp email Telegraph Sport. Jason Burt Chief Football Correspondent. Thom Gibbs Senior Sports Writer Published 17 April 2026 4:49pm BST Related Topics Fifa World Cup 2026, England Football Team, FIFA Save Comment speech bubble icon Gift this article free Gift article Give full access to this article, free time. You have 15 articles left to gift, this month. Log in or Subscribe Copy link X Icon twitter Facebook Icon facebook WhatsApp Icon whatsapp email Add us as preferred source Copy link X Icon twitter Facebook Icon facebook WhatsApp Icon whatsapp email Donald Trump made his presence felt at the World Cup draw and that is likely to continue at the tournament Credit: Jacquelyn Martin/AP Telegraph Sport. Jason Burt Chief Football Correspondent. Thom Gibbs Senior Sports Writer Published 17 April 2026 4:49pm BST We are now just weeks away from the 2026 World Cup, which is being co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico. England have been drawn in Group L and will face Croatia, Panama and Ghana.  Here’s everything else you need to know. 📅 Tournament dates 📺 How to watch on TV 💰 How to get tickets 🗓️ Full group-stage match schedule 🥅 New World Cup format 🎲 World Cup winner odds 🗽 Host cities 🤼 England’s group-stage opponents 🔮 Group-stage predictions 🏆 Past World Cup winners ⌛ Play-off dates When is the World Cup?The opening match will take place on June 11, 2026, when Mexico kick off at the legendary Azteca Stadium (which will become the first stadium to host three World Cup openers). There are 104 matches in total, culminating in the final, which takes place more than a month after the opening game. When is the World Cup final?The World Cup final is on July 19, at the Metlife Stadium in New Jersey. The venue has a capacity of 82,500 and hosted the 2025 Club World Cup final between Chelsea and Paris St-Germain. Our chief football correspondent Jason Burt was less than impressed when he paid a visit to the forbidding, concrete stadium. Announcer Michael Buffer before the Club World Cup final at the MetLife Stadium Credit: Getty Images/Michael Regan Who are England playing?Thomas Tuchel’s side will kick-off their tournament on June 17 in Dallas, taking on Croatia in a repeat of the 2018 semi-final. They will face Ghana six days later in Boston, before wrapping up their group stage on June 27, facing Panama in New Jersey. Thanks to their world ranking of fourth, if England win their group, they will not face the top-three ranked sides – Argentina, Spain, and France – until at least the semi-finals (assuming those nations also top their groups). How can I watch the World Cup on television?BBC Sport and ITV have once again split the matches between them, with two of England’s group matches on ITV (the first against Croatia and third against Panama) and one on BBC (the second match against Ghana). The final will be shown on both channels simultaneously. Since the 1998 World Cup, England’s win percentage at major tournaments is considerably better on BBC, leading to fears of an “ITV curse”. Scotland’s group games follow the reverse pattern, with their group-stage opener against Haiti and third match against Brazil on BBC and the middle game against Morocco on ITV. For the first time, parts of the World Cup will be free to watch on YouTube after Fifa struck an agreement with the streaming platform. The first 10 minutes of every game will be streamed live on YouTube, with broadcasters sharing a select number of full matches on the website. “Content creators” will be part of the coverage as Fifa seeks to attract a new generation of fans. How to get World Cup ticketsFan groups demanded an immediate halt to World Cup ticket sales last December, accusing Fifa of charging “extortionate” prices to the most dedicated supporters. Football Supporters Europe (FSE), which represents groups across the continent, called for sales via the likes of the Football Association to be suspended when it emerged that watching England at next summer’s tournament could end up costing at least £5,000. According to FSE, the minimum $6,900 (£5,143) fans would have to pay to follow their country from their first match until the final was nearly five times as much as during the last World Cup. In response to growing public pressure, Fifa announced a cheaper band of £45 tickets would be made available, but only for a small percentage of seats. In the latter stages of the tournament, the majority of the cheapest tickets are £686 for the semi-final and £3,119 for the final, pricing condemned by the Football Supporters Association’s Fan Embassy. “Surprise surprise Fifa are finding out that supporters will turn their backs on ludicrous prices, however prestigious the game. Thousands of pounds for any football match is beyond greedy,” a statement said. “The most loyal fans, be they English supporters or those of any other nationality, are being priced out. The final phase of ticket sales will be last-minute general sales, where any remaining tickets are offered on a first-come, first-served basis. This phase will begin in April, and you can access the ticket portal on Fifa’s website here. There are fears that this World Cup could prove the most expensive ever for supporters, with Fifa operating “dynamic pricing” and taking a 15 per cent fee on resale tickets from both buyer and seller. World Cup 2026, the full group-stage scheduleThursday, June 11, 2026 Mexico vs South Africa, 8pm UK time (ITV) Friday, June 12, 2026 South Korea vs Czech Republic, 3am UK time (ITV) Canada vs Bosnia and Herzegovina 8pm UK time (BBC) Saturday, June 13, 2026 USA vs Paraguay, 2am UK time (BBC) Qatar vs Switzerland, 8pm UK time (ITV) Brazil vs Morocco, 11pm UK time (BBC) Sunday, June 14, 2026 Haiti vs Scotland, 2am UK time (BBC) Australia vs Turkey, 5am UK time (ITV) Germany vs Curacao, 6pm UK time (ITV) Netherlands vs Japan, 9pm UK time (ITV) Monday, June 15, 2026  Ivory Coast vs Ecuador, 12am UK time (BBC) Sweden vs Tunisia, 3am UK time (ITV) Spain vs Cape Verde, 5pm UK time (ITV) Belgium vs Egypt, 8pm UK time (BBC) Saudi Arabia vs Uruguay, 11pm UK time (ITV) Tuesday, June 16, 2026  Iran vs New Zealand, 2am UK time (BBC) France vs Senegal, 8pm UK time (BBC) Iraq vs Norway, 11pm UK time (BBC) Wednesday, June 17, 2026 Argentina vs Algeria, 2am UK time (ITV) Austria vs Jordan, 5am UK time (BBC) Portugal vs DR Congo, 6pm UK time (BBC) England vs Croatia, 9pm UK time (ITV) Thursday, June 18, 2026  Ghana vs Panama, 12am UK time (ITV) Uzbekistan vs Colombia, 3am UK time (BBC) Czech Republic vs South Africa, 5pm UK time (BBC) Switzerland vs Bosnia and Herzegovina 8pm UK time (ITV) Canada vs Qatar, 11pm UK time (ITV) Friday, June 19, 2026  Mexico vs South Korea, 2am UK time (BBC) USA vs Australia, 8pm UK time (BBC) Scotland vs Morocco, 11pm UK time (ITV) Saturday, June 20, 2026 Brazil vs Haiti, 2am UK time (ITV) Turkey vs Paraguay, 5am UK time (ITV) Netherlands vs Sweden, 6pm UK time (BBC) Germany vs Ivory Coast, 9pm UK time (ITV) Sunday, June 21, 2026  Ecuador vs Curacao, 1am UK time (BBC) Tunisia vs Japan, 5am UK time (BBC) Spain vs Saudi Arabia, 5pm UK time (BBC) Belgium vs Iran, 8pm UK time (ITV) Uruguay vs Cape Verde, 11pm UK time (BBC) Monday, June 22, 2026 New Zealand vs Egypt, 2am UK time (ITV) Argentina vs Austria, 6pm UK time (BBC) France vs Iraq, 10pm UK time (BBC) Tuesday, June 23, 2026 Norway vs Senegal, 1am UK time (ITV) Jordan vs Algeria, 4am UK time (ITV) Portugal vs Uzbekistan, 6pm UK time (ITV) England vs Ghana, 9pm UK time (BBC) Wednesday, June 24, 2026 Panama vs Croatia, 12am UK time (BBC) Colombia vs DR Congo, 3am UK time (ITV) Switzerland vs Canada, 8pm UK time (ITV) Bosnia and Herzegovina vs Qatar, 8pm UK time (ITV) Morocco vs Haiti, 11pm UK time (BBC) Scotland vs Brazil, 11pm UK time (BBC) Thursday, June 25, 2026 South Africa vs South Korea, 2am UK time (BBC) Czech Republic vs Mexico, 2am UK time (BBC) Curacao vs Ivory Coast, 9pm UK time (BBC) Ecuador vs Germany, 9pm UK time (BBC) Friday, June 26, 2026 Tunisia vs Netherlands, 12am UK time (BBC) Japan vs Sweden, 12am UK time (BBC) Turkey vs USA, 3am UK time (ITV) Paraguay vs Australia, 3am UK time (ITV) Norway vs France, 8pm UK time (ITV) Senegal vs Iraq, 8pm UK time (ITV) Saturday, June 27, 2026 Cape Verde vs Saudi Arabia, 1am UK time (ITV) Uruguay vs Spain, 1am UK time (ITV) New Zealand vs Belgium, 4am UK time (BBC) Egypt vs Iran, 4am UK time (BBC) Panama vs England, 10pm UK time (ITV) Croatia vs Ghana, 10pm UK time (ITV) Sunday, June 28, 2026 Colombia vs Portugal, 12.30am UK time (BBC) DR Congo vs Uzbekistan, 12.30am UK time  Algeria vs Austria, 3am UK time (BBC) Jordan vs Argentina, 3am UK time (BBC) Round of 32 Sunday, June 28 to Saturday, July 4 England’s match in this round would be on BBC Round of 16 Saturday, July 4 to Tuesday, July 7 England’s match in this round would be on BBC Quarter-finals Thursday, July 9 to Sunday, July 12 England’s match in this round would be on ITV Semi-finals Tuesday, July 14 to Wednesday, July 15 England’s match in this round would be on BBC Third-place play-off Saturday, July 18 Final Sunday, July 19, 10pm UK time World Cup final will be shown on both BBC and ITV What is the format?The number of teams has been increased from 32 to 48. That means an additional, last-32 knockout round after the group stage. To win the World Cup, a team must now play eight matches. The top two from each of the 12 groups will qualify automatically for the knockout stages. They will be joined by the eight best-performing third-placed teams. Teams will be separated by points, then goal difference, then goals scored. If still level, disciplinary records will be considered. In a last resort, the team with the highest world ranking will progress. Aside from the additional knockout round, the World Cup format remains unchanged: three group games, and then single-tie knockout matches with extra time and penalties in the event of a draw. World Cup winner oddsSpain 5/1England 13/2France 13/2Argentina 17/2Brazil 9/1Portugal 12/1Germany 16/1Netherlands 25/1Belgium 40/1Mexico 80/1Where is the World Cup 2026The tournament is being jointly hosted by America, Canada and Mexico. The matches will be played across 16 cities – 11 from the US, two in Canada and three in Mexico. The quarter-finals, semi-finals and final will all be held in the States. Here is the list of cities that will be hosting at least one World Cup match: Atlanta, Boston, Dallas, Guadalajara, Houston, Kansas City, Los Angeles, Mexico City, Miami, Monterrey, New York/New Jersey, Philadelphia, San Francisco Bay Area, Seattle, Toronto, Vancouver. England’s group stage opponents CroatiaHow did they get here? Topped Group L in qualifying with an almost perfect record – seven wins from eight, with just one draw. What’s their World Cup pedigree? Regularly punch above their weight on the world stage, their best result came in 2018 after beating England in the semis en route to a final against France, which they lost 4-2. Finished in third place at their debut at the tournament in 1998 and this will be their fourth consecutive tournament. Ranked 10th in the world and a match for anyone on their day. What’s their history with England? From Wally with the Brolly to World Cup heartbreak, Croatia have stunned England on a few notable occasions. Steve McClaren’s tenure ended after a defeat to Croatia at Wembley meant they failed to qualify for Euro 2008 and then at the World Cup in 2018, Gareth Southgate’s men lost 2-1 in the semi finals after extra time. Who’s in charge? Vastly experienced Zlatko Dalic, who has been manager since 2017. Regarded as the greatest coach in the country’s history. Who is the danger man? Luka Modric, still going strong at 40, and will be playing at his fifth World Cup. PanamaHow did they get here? Qualified unbeaten with three wins and three draws, finishing first in their group. They are currently ranked 30 in the world – above the likes of Poland, Wales, Nigeria and Serbia. What’s their World Cup pedigree? Only previous World Cup appearance came in 2018, when they made their debut but finished bottom of their group. What’s their history with England? Their last meeting came at the World Cup in 2018 when Harry Kane scored a hat-trick in a thumping 6-1 win. Felipe Baloy made history by scoring Panama’s first-ever World Cup goal. Who’s in charge? Thomas Christiansen, who has been there since 2020. Led Panama at two Gold Cups, finishing runners-up in 2023. Leeds fans will remember him from a brief spell in charge in the 2017-18 season. He was sacked in February with the club in mid-table. Who is the danger man? Tomás Rodríguez. Energetic and with impressive close control, the 26-year-old plays for Monagas in Venezuela. Has three goals in 11 caps for Panama. GhanaHow did they get here? Topped their qualifying group with eight wins, a draw and one defeat in 10 matches. They clinched their place after a 1–0 win over Comoros. Ranked 72 in the world. What’s their World Cup pedigree? Ghana will make their fifth appearance at the World Cup, having previously qualified in 2006, 2010, 2014 and 2022. Their best performance came in South Africa in 2010 when they reached the quarter-finals but they suffered a dramatic exit against Uruguay with Luis Suárez handling the ball on the line, denying them a goal that would have sealed their place in the last four. What’s their history with England? They have played just once – a 1-1 draw at Wembley under Fabio Capello in 2011. Andy Carroll struck but Asamoah Gyan earned the Black Stars a deserved draw. Who’s in charge? Otto Addo, who played for Ghana at the 2006 World Cup. Coached Ghana at the 2022 tournament but left after they finished bottom of their group. Who is the danger man? Tottenham’s Mohammed Kudus. Creative, technically strong and with an eye for goal, England fans will know all about him already. Group-by-group predictions A very tough group to predict. Mexico will be formidable at home but both South Korea and South Africa have performed well in qualification, while the wild card is which European nation will go through. Still, Mexico should win it. Another balanced group. Switzerland should be considered favourites. Qatar are an unknown quantity while Canada, under Jesse Marsch, are probably not strong enough to profit from home advantage. Although they did want European opposition. Oh Scotland. What a group. What price then not getting beat by Brazil and then failing to beat Haiti? As for Morocco... do not discount them even as group winners given they are already favourites to win the African Cup of Nations, which they host. A horribly tough group for the Scots. The US will fancy their chances and should win the group – but Paraguay are incredibly difficult to beat and only conceded once in qualifying. Australia will be confident but if Turkey qualify it could change things drastically. Predicting last place is unfortunately easy. As should be the winners. But it could be very close between Ecuador and the Ivory Coast, although the South Americans – who finished second in qualifying behind Brazil and have Moises Caicedo in their midfield – should edge it. It looks like the Dutch are on their way back… but this is another very tough group. Japan and Tunisia have been strong and are dangerous opponents while there is the wild card of a second European nation. It looks like one of the easier groups to predict. But Belgium have not been that convincing and while Egypt did not lose a single game in qualifying their best player, Mohamed Salah, is not firing at present. But both nations should still go through. When Spain drew Uruguay there was probably a fear this was going to be a “group of death”. Saudi Arabia have shown they can cause an upset but it would be straightforward for the top two – although who knows what Uruguay coach Marcelo Bielsa will do. This is a Group of Death. Everyone wanted to avoid Erling Haaland’s Norway from pot three but they have popped up with France and with Senegal who beat England earlier this year and have shown how dangerous they can be. Algeria will fancy their chances of finishing second behind Argentina but do not discount Ralf Rangnick’s Austria even if they had a nervy end to the qualification campaign. They are well-organised and, surely, will eventually do well at a tournament. Again another group where the two top appear very easy to predict. Portugal, however, have shown vulnerability of late but should surely be too strong? In saying that Colombia beat both Brazil and Argentina. It was all going so swimmingly for England… until Ghana were drawn. They are the most dangerous opponent from pot four and qualified impressively. The tone will be set by England’s first game against Croatia. A The first game for England – against Croatia – may set the tone. As it did at Euro 2022 when England won. All three will beat Panama. But suddenly England could be in another “group of death”. Past World Cup winners1930: Uruguay1934: Italy1938: Italy1950: Uruguay1954: West Germany1958: Brazil1962: Brazil1966: England1970: Brazil1974: West Germany1978: Argentina1982: Italy1986: Argentina1990: West Germany1994: Brazil1998: France2002: Brazil2006: Italy2010: Spain2014: Germany2018: France2022: ArgentinaIreland, Wales and Northern Ireland are out of the play-offs... what happens now?England and Scotland were among the home nations that qualified directly for the World Cup. But Ireland, Wales and Northern Ireland all failed to come through their play-off semi-finals. In total, sixteen European teams are competing for four World Cup finals spots. Teams will need to win two knockout matches to qualify. World Cup play-off drawPlay-off path A Semi-final: Italy 2 Northern Ireland 0 Semi-final: Wales 1 Bosnia and Herzegovina 1 (Bosnia 2-4 pens) Final: Bosnia and Herzegovina 1 Italy 1 (Bosnia win 5-2 on pens) Play-off path B Semi-final: Ukraine 1 Sweden 3 Semi-final: Poland 2 Albania 1 Final: Sweden 3 Poland 2 Play-off path C Semi-final: Turkey 1 Romania 0 Semi-final: Slovakia 3 Kosovo 4 Final: Kosovo 0 Turkey 1 Play-off path D Semi-final: Denmark 4 North Macedonia 0 Semi-final: Czech Republic 2 Republic of Ireland 2 (4-3 pens) Final: Czech Republic 2 Denmark 2 (Czech Republic win 3-1 on pens) Republic of Ireland reached the play-offs thanks to Troy Parrott’s hat-trick in Budapest Credit: Getty Images/Laszlo Szirtesi The intercontinental play-offsThere was a separate intercontinental play-off tournament which completed the line-up for the 48-team World Cup. Iraq beat Bolivia, before DR Congo completed the line-up for this summer’s World Cup finals following their 1-0 victory over Jamaica. What about the 2030 and 2034 World Cups?The 2030 World Cup will be held across six countries and three continents. Spain, Portugal and Morocco are the co-hosts but the first three matches of the tournament will be held in Uruguay, Argentina and Paraguay. Fifa says the continent-hopping event will be a celebration of the 100-year anniversary of the World Cup. The inaugural edition, in 1930, was held in Uruguay. The 2034 tournament will be held in Saudi Arabia after they pivoted from a 2030 bid to 2034 last year, to ensure it was the only runner. The Football Association backed Saudi Arabia’s proposal after directly demanding in that LGBT England fans would not be arrested. Oliver Brown World Cup is the ultimate political powder keg and Trump holds the match Read more Join the conversation Show comments The Telegraph values your comments but kindly requests all posts are on topic, constructive and respectful. Please review our commenting policy. Copy link X Icon twitter Facebook Icon facebook WhatsApp Icon whatsapp email The Telegraph values your comments but kindly requests all posts are on topic, constructive and respectful. Please review our commenting policy. Related Topics Fifa World Cup 2026, England Football Team, FIFA License this content You need to be a subscriber to join the conversation. Find out more here. Log In Subscribe Advertisement More stories