How many teams are in the 2026 World Cup?

The 2026 FIFA World Cup features 48 teams, expanded from 32 in previous editions. Teams are divided into 12 groups of 4, with the top 2 from each group advancing to the knockout stage.

What is the format of the 2026 World Cup?

The 2026 World Cup uses a new format with 48 teams in 12 groups of 4. The top 2 teams from each group (24 teams) plus 8 best third-placed teams advance to a 32-team knockout bracket: Round of 32, Round of 16, Quarter-finals, Semi-finals, and the Final. There are 104 matches in total.

How does the World Cup 2026 simulator work?

The simulator lets you predict every match of the 2026 World Cup. You progress through two stages: Group Stage (12 groups of 4) and Knockout Rounds (R32 to Final). For each match, you can enter an exact score or pick a winner and let the app generate a realistic scoreline.

Who are the favorites to win World Cup 2026?

The top favorites for the 2026 World Cup include Spain (Euro 2024 champions), France, England, Brazil, Argentina (defending World Cup champions), and Germany. Dark horse teams include Colombia, Japan, the United States (as co-hosts), and Portugal.

Is the World Cup 2026 simulator free?

Yes, the World Cup 2026 Simulator is completely free to use. No sign-up is required to simulate. You can optionally create an account to save your predictions and share them with a unique link.

World Cup 2026 Schedule

104 matches · June 11 – July 19, 2026

The 2026 FIFA World Cup runs for 39 days, from the opening match on June 11, 2026 at Estadio Azteca in Mexico City to the final on July 19, 2026 at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. With 48 teams and 104 total matches, the schedule is the most packed in World Cup history.

The group stage features 12 groups of 4 teams each, with 3 matchdays per group running from June 11 to June 27. The knockout rounds begin on June 28 with the Round of 32 — a new stage introduced for the first time — followed by the Round of 16, quarter-finals, semi-finals, and the final. All knockout matches that end in a draw go to extra time and penalties.

Key Dates at a Glance

June 11, 2026Opening MatchEstadio Azteca, Mexico City

June 11 – 27Group StageAll 16 venues

June 28 – July 3Round of 32Various venues

July 4 – 7Round of 16Various venues

July 9 – 11Quarter-Finals4 selected venues

July 14 – 15Semi-Finals2 selected venues

July 18Third-Place Play-offTBD

July 19FinalMetLife Stadium, East Rutherford

Group Stage Matches

72 group stage matches across 17 matchdays. Each team plays 3 games. All times are local to the venue.

Thu, Jun 11

#1AMexicovsSouth AfricaMexico City

#2ASouth KoreavsCzechiaGuadalajara

Fri, Jun 12

#3BCanadavsBosnia and HerzegovinaToronto

#4DUnited StatesvsParaguayInglewood

Sat, Jun 13

#5CHaitivsScotlandFoxborough

#6DAustraliavsTürkiyeVancouver

#7CBrazilvsMoroccoEast Rutherford

Sun, Jun 14

#8BQatarvsSwitzerlandSanta Clara

#9FNetherlandsvsJapanArlington

#10EGermanyvsCuraçaoHouston

#11FSwedenvsTunisiaMonterrey

Mon, Jun 15

#12EIvory CoastvsEcuadorSanta Clara

#13HSpainvsCape VerdeAtlanta

#14GBelgiumvsEgyptSeattle

#15HSaudi ArabiavsUruguayMiami Gardens

Tue, Jun 16

#16GIranvsNew ZealandInglewood

#17IFrancevsSenegalEast Rutherford

#18IIraqvsNorwayFoxborough

#19JArgentinavsAlgeriaKansas City

Wed, Jun 17

#20JAustriavsJordanSanta Clara

#21KPortugalvsDR CongoHouston

#22LEnglandvsCroatiaArlington

#23LGhanavsPanamaToronto

Thu, Jun 18

#24KUzbekistanvsColombiaMexico City

#25ACzechiavsSouth AfricaAtlanta

#26BSwitzerlandvsBosnia and HerzegovinaInglewood

#27BCanadavsQatarVancouver

#28AMexicovsSouth KoreaGuadalajara

Fri, Jun 19

#29CScotlandvsMoroccoFoxborough

#30DUnited StatesvsAustraliaSeattle

#32CBrazilvsHaitiPhiladelphia

Sat, Jun 20

#31DTürkiyevsParaguaySanta Clara

#33EEcuadorvsCuraçaoKansas City

#34FJapanvsSwedenMiami Gardens

#36EGermanyvsIvory CoastPhiladelphia

Sun, Jun 21

#35FTunisiavsNetherlandsMonterrey

#37HSpainvsSaudi ArabiaAtlanta

#38GBelgiumvsIranInglewood

#39HUruguayvsCape VerdeMiami Gardens

#40GEgyptvsNew ZealandVancouver

Mon, Jun 22

#41INorwayvsSenegalEast Rutherford

#42JArgentinavsAustriaArlington

#43IFrancevsIraqPhiladelphia

Tue, Jun 23

#44JJordanvsAlgeriaSanta Clara

#45LEnglandvsGhanaFoxborough

#46KColombiavsDR CongoGuadalajara

#47KPortugalvsUzbekistanHouston

#48LCroatiavsPanamaToronto

Wed, Jun 24

#49CMoroccovsHaitiAtlanta

#50CScotlandvsBrazilMiami Gardens

#51ASouth AfricavsSouth KoreaMonterrey

#52ACzechiavsMexicoMexico City

Thu, Jun 25

#53FTunisiavsJapanKansas City

#54FNetherlandsvsSwedenArlington

#55DParaguayvsAustraliaGuadalajara

#57EEcuadorvsGermanyEast Rutherford

#58ECuraçaovsIvory CoastFoxborough

#59BBosnia and HerzegovinavsQatarInglewood

#60BSwitzerlandvsCanadaToronto

Fri, Jun 26

#56DTürkiyevsUnited StatesInglewood

#61HCape VerdevsSaudi ArabiaSeattle

#62HUruguayvsSpainGuadalajara

#63GNew ZealandvsBelgiumArlington

#64GEgyptvsIranVancouver

Sat, Jun 27

#65JAlgeriavsAustriaKansas City

#66JJordanvsArgentinaArlington

#67LPanamavsEnglandEast Rutherford

#68LGhanavsCroatiaPhiladelphia

#69KDR CongovsUzbekistanAtlanta

#70KColombiavsPortugalMiami Gardens

#71ISenegalvsIraqHouston

#72INorwayvsFranceSeattle

Round of 32

#732Avs2BSun, Jun 28Inglewood

#741Evs3rd ABCDFMon, Jun 29Foxborough

#751Fvs2CMon, Jun 29Monterrey

#761Cvs2FMon, Jun 29Houston

#771Ivs3rd CDFGHTue, Jun 30East Rutherford

#782Evs2ITue, Jun 30Arlington

#791Avs3rd CEFHITue, Jun 30Mexico City

#801Lvs3rd EHIJKWed, Jul 1Atlanta

#811Dvs3rd BEFIJWed, Jul 1Santa Clara

#821Gvs3rd AEHIJWed, Jul 1Seattle

#832Kvs2LThu, Jul 2Toronto

#841Hvs2JThu, Jul 2Inglewood

#851Bvs3rd EFGIJThu, Jul 2Vancouver

#861Jvs2HFri, Jul 3Miami Gardens

#871Kvs3rd DEIJLFri, Jul 3Kansas City

#882Dvs2GFri, Jul 3Arlington

Round of 16

#89W74vsW77Sat, Jul 4Philadelphia

#90W73vsW75Sat, Jul 4Houston

#91W76vsW78Sun, Jul 5East Rutherford

#92W79vsW80Sun, Jul 5Mexico City

#93W83vsW84Mon, Jul 6Arlington

#94W81vsW82Mon, Jul 6Seattle

#95W86vsW88Tue, Jul 7Atlanta

#96W85vsW87Tue, Jul 7Vancouver

Quarter-Finals

#97W89vsW90Thu, Jul 9Foxborough

#98W93vsW94Fri, Jul 10Inglewood

#99W91vsW92Fri, Jul 10Miami Gardens

#100W95vsW96Sat, Jul 11Kansas City

Semi-Finals

#101W97vsW98Tue, Jul 14Arlington

#102W99vsW100Wed, Jul 15Atlanta

Third-Place Play-off

#103L101vsL102Sat, Jul 18Miami Gardens

Final

#104W101vsW102Sun, Jul 19East Rutherford

About the 2026 World Cup Schedule

The 2026 FIFA World Cup schedule is the most expansive in tournament history. With 48 teams competing across 16 venues in three countries, the logistics are unprecedented. The group stage alone features 72 matches over 17 days, with multiple games played simultaneously on the final matchday of each group to ensure fair competition.

The introduction of the Round of 32 means the knockout stage starts with 16 simultaneous ties, creating a packed calendar of must-win matches. The extra round adds 16 more knockout matches compared to previous World Cups, extending the tournament by several days.

Time zones play a role in the schedule — venues span from the Pacific Time Zone (Seattle, Los Angeles, San Francisco) to Eastern Time (New York, Miami, Atlanta, Philadelphia, Boston) and Central Standard Time (Mexico City, Guadalajara, Monterrey). This means kickoff times will vary significantly depending on the venue, catering to global audiences across multiple continents.

Predict Every Match on the Calendar

Don't just watch the schedule — predict it. Use our free simulator to fill in scores for all 104 matches and see who you think will lift the trophy on July 19.

Start Simulating View All Venues