When does the 2026 Men's World Cup Start?
2026 World Cup
The 2026 Men's FIFA World Cup will take place in Canada/Mexico/United States from late June 11th until July 19th. The World Cup begins with 48 teams in the Group Stage, where the 2 teams from each of the 12 different groups/pools, along with the 8 best 3rd place finishers advance to play in the World Cup Tournament, which is a single elimination knockout style bracket..
World Cup Group Stage Dates
The first match in the group stage will be in Pool A, with the final group stage matches being played in Pool K and Pool L. To help determine which teams advance, please read our World Cup Group Stage Tiebreaker Procedures article.
Dates of the Tournament
| Date | Team | Team | Match # | |
| Round of 16 | ||||
Winner Group C |
Runner-up Group D |
50 |
||
Winner Group A |
Runner-up Group B |
49 |
||
Winner Group B |
Runner-up Group A |
51 |
||
Winner Group D |
Runner-up Group C |
51 |
||
Winner Group E |
Runner-up Group F |
53 |
||
Winner Group G |
Runner-up Group H |
54 |
||
Winner Group F |
Runner-up Group E |
55 |
||
Winner Group H |
Runner-up Group G |
56 |
||
| Quarterfinals | ||||
Winner Match 49 |
Winner Match 50 |
57 |
||
Winner Match 53 |
Winner Match 54 |
58 |
||
Winner Match 55 |
Winner Match 56 |
60 |
||
Winner Match 51 |
Winner Match 52 |
59 |
||
| Semifinals | ||||
Winner Match 57 |
Winner Match 58 |
61 |
||
Winner Match 59 |
Winner Match 60 |
62 |
||
| Third Place Match | ||||
|
Loser Match 61 |
Loser Match 62 |
63 |
|
| Championship | ||||
|
Winner Match 61 |
Winner Match 62 |
64 |
|
Office Pools
We have created a complete list of unique office pools to use for the World Cup. A few of our favorites are the World Cup Tournament Square Pool, the World Cup Survivor Pool, and the World Cup Confidence Pool.