World Cup 2026 Schedule: Every Match, Every City, Every Time Zone — I Mapped It All

I printed the World Cup 2026 schedule on actual paper. Taped it to my wall. Drew lines between cities in red marker.

My girlfriend said I looked like a detective solving a murder.

She's not wrong. 104 matches across 16 cities in 3 countries is a logistical puzzle. But once you see the pattern, it actually makes sense.

Here's the full picture.

The Tournament Structure

48 teams, 12 groups of 4.

That's already different from any World Cup you've seen. More groups means more matches in the group stage — 72 instead of 48.

Group Stage: June 11 – June 27
Round of 32: June 28 – July 1
Round of 16: July 3 – July 7
Quarter-Finals: July 9 – July 11
Semi-Finals: July 14 – July 15
Third Place Match: July 18
Final: July 19

The 16 Host Stadiums and What They Host

• United States (11 stadiums):
• MetLife Stadium, New York/New Jersey — Final (July 19), Semi-Final, 5 group matches
• AT&T Stadium, Dallas — Semi-Final, Quarter-Final, 5 group matches
• Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta — Quarter-Final, 5 group matches
• SoFi Stadium, Los Angeles — Quarter-Final, 5 group matches
• NRG Stadium, Houston — Round of 16, 4 group matches
• Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City — Round of 16, 4 group matches
• Levi's Stadium, San Francisco — Round of 16, 4 group matches
• Lumen Field, Seattle — Round of 32, 4 group matches
• Gillette Stadium, Boston — Round of 32, 4 group matches
• Hard Rock Stadium, Miami — Round of 32, 4 group matches
• Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia — Group matches only

• Mexico (3 stadiums):
• Estadio Azteca, Mexico City — Quarter-Final, 4 group matches
• Estadio BBVA, Monterrey — Round of 32, 3 group matches
• Estadio Akron, Guadalajara — Round of 32, 3 group matches

• Canada (2 stadiums):
• BMO Field, Toronto — Round of 32, 4 group matches
• BC Place, Vancouver — Round of 32, 4 group matches

The Matches That'll Sell Out First

Based on my tracking of pre-sale demand:

1. Final (East Rutherford, July 19) — Already 80% allocated
2. Semi-Final 1 (East Rutherford, July 14) — Fastest mover
3. Semi-Final 2 (Dallas, July 15) — Close second
4. Opening Match + Ceremony (Mexico City, June 11) — Historic venue
5. USA Group Matches — Locations TBD but always the hottest draw

How the Schedule Affects Your Trip

If you're planning to attend multiple matches, pay attention to geography:

The schedule clusters matches by region in the knockout stage. East Coast matches happen in East Coast stadiums. Central matches stay central.

Smart play: Pick one region and focus. I'm doing East Coast — MetLife for the Semi-Final, then driving to Philadelphia for a group match the next day.

Don't try to jump from Vancouver to Miami in 24 hours. The schedule punishes overambitious planning.

My Personal Schedule

• I locked in:
• July 14 — Semi-Final, MetLife Stadium (Platinum package)
• July 19 — Watching the Final from a suite in Manhattan (couldn't get the tickets I wanted, so I'm hosting)

Sometimes the smartest move is accepting what you can actually get.

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