Eight years after the hosts were announced, the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico is imminent, with the expanded 48-team tournament set to begin in June, according to ESPN. All listed kick-off times are given in BST.
ESPN notes the tournament uses 13 different kick-off times and that almost half of the group-stage matches will start after midnight in the UK, making it a more challenging schedule to follow than recent editions.
The opening fixtures begin on Thursday, June 11: Mexico face South Africa in Mexico City at 8 p.m. (ITV1), followed by South Korea against Czechia in Zapopan at 2 a.m. BST on June 12 (ITV1). Early group-stage fixtures across the first weekend include Canada v Bosnia and Herzegovina in Toronto on Friday, June 12 at 8 p.m. (BBC One) and the United States v Paraguay in Los Angeles at 2 a.m. BST on June 13 (BBC One).
Other notable early matches listed by ESPN include Brazil v Morocco in New Jersey on Saturday, June 13 at 11 p.m. (BBC One) and Haiti v Scotland in Foxborough at 2 a.m. BST on June 14 (BBC One). Matches spread across evening and late-night UK slots feature Australia v Türkiye in Vancouver at 5 a.m. BST on June 14 (ITV1), Germany v Curacao in Houston at 6 p.m. on June 14 (ITV1), Netherlands v Japan in Arlington at 9 p.m. (ITV1) and Ivory Coast v Ecuador in Philadelphia at midnight BST on June 15 (BBC One).
England’s early schedule includes England v Croatia in Arlington on Wednesday, June 17 at 9 p.m. (ITV1) and England v Ghana in Foxborough on Tuesday, June 23 at 9 p.m. (BBC One), per ESPN’s listings. The broadcaster split for the listed matches is primarily between BBC One and ITV1, with the full fixtures, results and broadcast details available in ESPN’s full breakdown.
