FIFA World Cup 2026 Schedule in IST & Where to Watch in India
The biggest World Cup ever — 48 teams, 104 matches, across the United States, Canada and Mexico. Because matches are played in North American time zones, kickoffs in India fall late at night or early morning. Here's everything you need: match timings in IST, the full group lineup, and exactly where to stream every game live in India.
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Tournament Dates
June 11 – July 19, 2026
39 days of football
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Host Countries
USA · Canada · Mexico
16 host cities
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Teams
48 Teams
104 Matches
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Final
July 19, 2026
New York/New Jersey Stadium
Upcoming Matches (IST)
Full schedule →TomorrowGroup D
12:30 AM
USA vs Australia
Seattle
TomorrowGroup C
3:30 AM
Scotland vs Morocco
Boston
TomorrowGroup C
6:00 AM
Brazil vs Haiti
Philadelphia
TomorrowGroup D
8:30 AM
Turkey vs Paraguay
San Francisco Bay Area
TomorrowGroup F
10:30 PM
Netherlands vs Sweden
Houston
SundayGroup E
1:30 AM
Germany vs Ivory Coast
Toronto
Match Timings: What IST Should Expect
Stadiums across the US, Canada and Mexico span Eastern, Central, Mountain and Pacific time zones — roughly 9.5 to 12.5 hours behind IST. In practice, that means World Cup 2026 matches kick off in India between 9:30 PM and 9:30 AM.
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Late Night Kickoffs (IST)
12:30 AM – 9:30 AM
Most matches
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Prime Time Kickoffs (IST)
9:30 PM – 10:30 PM
Early afternoon games in the US
- 🌙 Evening (ET 7–8 PM) → 4:30–5:30 AM IST (next day)
- ☀️ Early afternoon (ET 12–1 PM) → 9:30–10:30 PM IST (same day)
Tournament Format
- ✓48 teams — the largest World Cup field ever, up from 32
- ✓12 groups of 4 teams (Group A through Group L)
- ✓Group stage: June 11 – June 27, 2026
- ✓Top 2 from each group, plus the best 8 third-placed teams, advance to a 32-team knockout round
- ✓Opening match: Mexico vs South Africa — Estadio Azteca, Mexico City, June 11
- ✓Final: July 19, New York/New Jersey Stadium
Groups A–L
AGroup A
- 🇲🇽Mexico
- 🇰🇷South Korea
- 🇿🇦South Africa
- 🇨🇿Czechia
BGroup B
- 🇨🇦Canada
- 🇨🇭Switzerland
- 🇶🇦Qatar
- 🇧🇦Bosnia and Herzegovina
CGroup C
- 🇧🇷Brazil
- 🇲🇦Morocco
- 🏴Scotland
- 🇭🇹Haiti
DGroup D
- 🇺🇸USA
- 🇦🇺Australia
- 🇵🇾Paraguay
- 🇹🇷Turkey
EGroup E
- 🇩🇪Germany
- 🇪🇨Ecuador
- 🇨🇮Ivory Coast
- 🇨🇼Curacao
FGroup F
- 🇳🇱Netherlands
- 🇯🇵Japan
- 🇹🇳Tunisia
- 🇸🇪Sweden
GGroup G
- 🇧🇪Belgium
- 🇮🇷Iran
- 🇪🇬Egypt
- 🇳🇿New Zealand
HGroup H
- 🇪🇸Spain
- 🇺🇾Uruguay
- 🇸🇦Saudi Arabia
- 🇨🇻Cape Verde
IGroup I
- 🇫🇷France
- 🇸🇳Senegal
- 🇳🇴Norway
- 🇮🇶Iraq
JGroup J
- 🇦🇷Argentina
- 🇦🇹Austria
- 🇩🇿Algeria
- 🇯🇴Jordan
KGroup K
- 🇵🇹Portugal
- 🇨🇴Colombia
- 🇺🇿Uzbekistan
- 🇨🇩DR Congo
LGroup L
- 🏴England
- 🇭🇷Croatia
- 🇵🇦Panama
- 🇬🇭Ghana
📺 Where to Watch in India
Stream every match on Zee5 · TV on Unite8 Sports · Select matches free on DD Sports
❗ Kickoff times are in Indian Standard Time (IST) for convenience and should be verified with official broadcaster listings.