Fans in the Middle East, including Qatar, will have to stay up late to watch the World Cup [File: Kai Pfaffenbach/Reuters]By Al Jazeera StaffPublished On 9 Jun 20269 Jun 2026
With FIFA World Cup 2026 matches spread across the United States, Mexico and Canada, the kickoff timings will vary significantly during the June 11-July 19 tournament.
Held in 16 venues in 16 cities, matches will be played across four time zones in North America:
As a result, the 2026 World Cup will have 13 different kickoff times. You can use the Al Jazeera Sport widget to find out exactly when your team is playing in your local time.
Fans in Europe have to brace themselves for late nights or early mornings, at least for the beginning two and a half weeks of the tournament.
World Cup matches kick off as early as midnight for fans in the United Kingdom, or at 1am in Germany, Spain, France, Switzerland and the Netherlands, among others.
There are also matches that begin at 3am BST/4am CEST, and 5am BST/6am CEST.
As many as 35 group-stage matches – almost half of the opening round – kick off between midnight and 5am in the UK.
Some of the knockout-round matches are also not at favourable timings, but European viewers will be relieved to know the semifinals and final are at 8pm BST/9pm CEST.
Sixteen European teams, including pre-tournament favourites Spain, France and England, will play at the World Cup.
The majority of the World Cup matches will be between 10pm and 7am Qatar time, or 11pm and 8am United Arab Emirates time. Some matches start during the prime time slot of 7-10pm in the Middle East.
The semifinals and the final will kick off at 10pm local in Qatar or 11pm in the UAE.
Four teams from the Middle East are playing at the World Cup: Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Iraq and Jordan.
For the first time, a record 10 African teams will be at the World Cup.
Fans in North Africa, including World Cup-bound Algeria, Tunisia and Morocco, can watch most of the World Cup matches between 8pm and 5am. The semifinals and final are scheduled for an 8pm kickoff.
In South Africa, games are between 9pm and 6am, while viewers in Senegal and Ghana can catch most of the action between 7pm and 4am.
The FIFA World Cup 2026 will take place across the United States, Canada and Mexico from June 11 to July 19, with 48 teams playing 104 matches in the largest tournament in history. Use the Al Jazeera Sport widget to find out exactly when your team is playing in your local time.
