World Cup 2026: What time can fans in Europe, Middle East and Africa watch?
With FIFA World Cup 2026 matches spread across the United States, Mexico and Canada, the kickoff timings will vary significantly during the June 11-July 19 tournament. Held in 16 venues in 16 cities, matches will be played across four time zones in North America: As a result, t
With FIFA World Cup 2026 matches spread across the United States, Mexico and Canada, the kickoff timings will vary significantly during the June 11-July 19 tournament.
Held in 16 venues in 16 cities, matches will be played across four time zones in North America:
As a result, the 2026 World Cup will have 13 different kickoff times. You can use the Al Jazeera Sport widget to find out exactly when your team is playing in your local time.
Fans in Europe have to brace themselves for late nights or early mornings, at least for the beginning two and a half weeks of the tournament.
World Cup matches kick off as early as midnight for fans in the United Kingdom, or at 1am in Germany, Spain, France, Switzerland and the Netherlands, among others.
There are also matches that begin at 3am BST/4am CEST, and 5am BST/6am CEST.
As many as 35 group-stage matches – almost half of the opening round – kick off between midnight and 5am in the UK.
Some of the knockout-round matches are also not at favourable timings, but European viewers will be relieved to know the semifinals and final are at 8pm BST/9pm CEST.
