2026 World Cup schedule: FIFA reveals match times, locations - ESPN

WASHINGTON — FIFA announced the start times for the tournament's 104 matches on Saturday, a day after the draw for the expanded 48-nation tournament, with the final set to kick off at 3 p.m. ET on July 19.

The kickoff time for the final at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, allows for prime-time viewing in continental Europe, where it will be 9 p.m., and Great Britain, where it will be 8 p.m.

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The average 3 p.m. temperature over the past 30 years in East Rutherford on July 19 is 83 degrees with a RealFeel index of 89, according to AccuWeather.

Nine of the 10 World Cup finals from 1978 through 2014 started in the 2-3:30 p.m. ET range. The exception was in 2002 in Japan, which began at 7 a.m. ET. The 2018 final started at 11 a.m. ET and the 2022 championship of a tournament shifted to winter in Qatar at 10 a.m. ET.

The 1994 final at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California, kicked off at 3:30 p.m. ET.

The World Cup opener at Mexico City on June 11 between El Tri and South Africa will start at 3 p.m. ET.

Semifinals will start at 3 p.m. ET on July 14 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, and 3 p.m. the following day at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, both of which have retractable roofs.

FIFA announced on Feb. 4 last year that the final was scheduled for New Jersey and that June 12 revealed site-specific matchups for games in the new round of 32, round of 16, quarterfinals and semifinals.

104 matches. Locked in.

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2026™ match schedule ⤵️ pic.twitter.com/ZYofjO8z41

Seventy-eight games will be