For the 2026 men’s FIFA World Cup, the detailed match schedule is being released on Saturday, December 6, 2025, at about 12 p.m. Eastern Time, the day after the tournament draw in Washington, D.C.
How the 2026 schedule rollout works
FIFA is first holding the World Cup group-stage draw on Friday, December 5, 2025, to decide which teams are in each group. About 42 of the 48 teams are already known, with the last spots decided by playoffs completed in March 2026.
A live show on December 6 will then reveal which cities and stadiums host each of the 104 matches and announce kickoff times. FIFA has indicated that a final, fully locked-in version of the schedule may be updated again in March once all playoff winners are confirmed, but fans will see the core match layout and venues on December 6.
