After eight years or more of planning, the 2026 World Cup is about to begin.
The U.S., Mexico, and Canada were selected as the joint hosts of the FIFA tournament, beating Morocco, 134 to 65, on June 13, 2018.
It was the first time that the World Cup would be hosted by three nations, and the first time in 32 years that the event would be held in North America, US Soccer said at the time of the announcement.
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Nearly eight years to the day, the first match will take place on June 11 (Thursday) with the group stage, The Associated Press reported.
Mexico will face South Africa at 3 p.m. ET at Estadio Banorte in Mexico City.
Then South Korea will take on Czechia at the same venue at 10 p.m. ET.
Friday will be another two matchups with the other two host nations playing.
Canada will face Bosnia-Herzegovina at 3 p.m. ET from BMO Field in Toronto, while the U.S. will take on Paraguay in the first game on U.S. soil at 9 p.m. ET at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California.
The rest of the tournament will play out as follows:
- Group stage: June 11-June 27
- Round of 32: June 28-July 3
- Round of 16: July 4-7
- Quarterfinals: July 9-11
- Semifinals: July 14 and 15
- Third-place match: July 18
- World Cup final: July 19
The final match will be held at New York/New Jersey Stadium.
See the complete schedule here.
Over the course of the World Cup, 104 matches among 48 teams will be played.
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