FAQ
Bigger than ever, longer than ever: the 2026 World Cup will set new standards. What’s new? And when does Germany play? An overview.
When and where will the 2026 World Cup take place?
The 2026 World Cup will take place in Canada, Mexico and the USA. The opening game will take place on June 11th at 9 p.m. German time in Mexico City. Mexico and South Africa meet there. The final will take place more than five weeks later in New York/New Jersey. The World Cup final kicks off on July 19th at 9 p.m. CEST.
Which countries qualified for the World Cup?
So far, 47 of 48 World Cup participants have been confirmed. Jordan, Cape Verde, Uzbekistan and German opponents Curacao will be taking part in a World Cup for the first time in 2026. With its 156,000 inhabitants, the Caribbean island state is even the smallest participant in World Cup history. It is currently unclear whether Iran, which is qualified to compete in sports, will take part in the World Cup. Iran recently asked for its games to be moved to Mexico and brought up a possible boycott of the World Cup.
| Association | Countries |
|---|---|
Europe (16) | England, France, Croatia, Portugal, Norway, Germany, Netherlands, Switzerland, Spain, Belgium, Austria, Scotland, Turkey, Sweden, Czech Republic, Bosnia-Herzegovina |
Africa (10) | Morocco, Tunisia, Egypt, Algeria, Ghana, Cape Verde, South Africa, Senegal, Ivory Coast, DR Congo |
Asia and Australia (8 out of 8/9) | Japan, Iran, Uzbekistan, Jordan, South Korea, Australia, Qatar, Saudi Arabia |
South America (6 of 6/7) | Argentina, Ecuador, Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay, Colombia |
North and Central America (6) | USA, Mexico, Canada, Curacao, Haiti, Panama |
Oceania (1) | New Zealand |
How does it work? World Cup qualification further?
The final World Cup ticket will be determined tonight in the final of an intercontinental playoff tournament. Iraq and Bolivia meet in the Mexican World Cup venue Monterrey.
At what times do the World Cup games take place?
The kick-off times at a World Cup have never been so different as at the upcoming event in summer 2026. There are 16 different kick-off times throughout the tournament. The earliest kickoff on a match day is at 6 p.m. German time, the latest kick-off time is at 6 a.m. In the group phase – with the exception of the first two days of the World Cup – there will be four games per match day. An example: On June 23rd, Portugal will play against Uzbekistan at 7 p.m., England against Ghana at 10 p.m., Panama against Croatia at 1 a.m. and Colombia against the playoff winner from DR Congo/Jamaica at 4 a.m.
Where are the World Cup games on TV and stream?
Of the 104 World Cup games, 30 will be shown live on Erste and 30 live on ZDF. In addition, these games are offered as a live stream in the ARD media library and on sportschau.de. There is also a large audio offering with live reports and inserts from the World Cup games – both on the radio and on the ARD digital platforms. The first German group game against Curacao and the third match against Ecuador are broadcast live on Erste. The second group game against Ivory Coast, as well as the opening game and the final, will be shown on ZDF. The provider MagentaTV shows all 104 games.
When and where does the German one play? National team?
For national coach Julian Nagelsmann’s DFB team, the World Cup tournament begins on June 14th with the game against World Cup newcomers Curacao. Kickoff in Houston is at 7 p.m. The German team continues in Group E with the game against the Ivory Coast (June 20th, 10 p.m. in Toronto). At the end of the group phase, Germany meets Ecuador in New York/New Jersey (June 25th, 10 p.m.). The venues and dates in the knockout phase depend on Germany’s placement in World Cup Group E.
What are World Cup venues in Canada, USA and Mexico?
There are a total of 16 venues, and the majority of all World Cup games are played in the USA. In addition to the final venue New York/New Jersey, the ball rolls in Boston, Philadelphia, Atlanta, Miami, Kansas City, Dallas, Houston, Seattle, San Francisco and Los Angeles. In Mexico, the World Cup stadiums are in the capital Mexico City, Monterrey and Guadalajara. There are also two venues in Canada – Toronto and Vancouver. The venue with the most World Cup games is Dallas (nine games).
Fifa
The venues of the 2026 World Cup
Where is the DFB team’s World Cup headquarters?
National coach Julian Nagelsmann’s team will live and train in the southeast of the USA in the state of North Carolina. The hotel “The Graylyn Estate” is located in the small town of Winston-Salem. Training takes place on the nearby grounds Wake Forest University. Winston-Salem has a population of approximately 250,000 and is an hour and a half from Charlotte, the largest city in the state of North Carolina.
What’s new at the 2026 World Cup?
For the first time there will be a round of 16 after the group phase. This means: 32 of the 48 participating teams will reach the knockout rounds. In addition to the first and second teams, the eight best third-placed teams from the twelve World Cup groups also advance. In addition, for the first time in all World Cup games there will be a drinking break per halftime – regardless of the weather. The drinking breaks should take place after 22 minutes and 67 minutes and last three minutes each. The 22 and 67 minutes serve as orientation, the three minutes are firmly planned.
Will the World Cup ball roll every day?
No – but almost everyone. From June 11th to July 7th there will be at least one World Cup game every day. July 8th is the first day without games and marks the transition from the round of 16 to the quarter-finals. Other game-free days are July 12th and 13th (after the quarter-finals) and July 16th and 17th (after the semi-finals).
who is Defending champion?
Argentina is going into the 2026 World Cup as defending champions. At the 2022 edition in Qatar, the team led by superstar Lionel Messi beat France in the final. After extra time, the score was 3-3 in a thrilling final, and the South Americans prevailed 4-2 in the penalty shootout. In 2022, like four years before in Russia, the German team did not make it past the group stage and experienced a major sporting disappointment. From the DFB team’s perspective, significantly more positive headlines should be written again at the 2026 World Cup.
