FIFA will air the World Cup schedule announcement on Saturday
The 2026 World Cup’s revised fixture schedule will be unveiled by FIFA in a live worldwide broadcast from Washington on Saturday, about twenty-four hours after the final draw establishes the tournament’s record-breaking twelve groups of four.
The governing body said in a statement on Monday that the event, which is scheduled at 12:00 p.m. EST (1700 GMT), will confirm the locations and kickoff times for all 104 matches of the expanded 48-team tournament that will be held in the United States, Canada, and Mexico in June and July of next year.
Representatives from the 42 teams who have already qualified and those that are still in the running are anticipated to attend the presentation, which will be led by FIFA President Gianni Infantino and feature former players.
Iran, meanwhile, declared it will not participate in Friday’s draw. FIFA did not reply to Reuters’s requests for comment.
The post-draw match allocation process, according to FIFA, tries to provide the best possible circumstances for players and fans and, whenever feasible, permit watching across time zones.
Once the final six qualifying positions have been filled through FIFA and European playoffs, the schedule will be finalized in March.
Nearly two million tickets have already been sold for the 2026 World Cup, which will be the first to include 48 teams and 104 matches. It will be held in 16 locations across three countries.
