London: 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 across 16 cities, matches will be played across four time zones in North America: Eastern Time (GMT-4), Central Time (GMT-5), Mountain Time (GMT-6), and Pacific Time (GMT-7). As a result, the 2026 World Cup will feature 13 different kickoff times, allowing fans to use the Al Jazeera Sport widget to determine when their team is playing in their local time.
According to Ghana Web, fans in Europe must prepare for late nights or early mornings, particularly during the first two and a half weeks of the tournament. World Cup matches will kick off as early as midnight for fans in the United Kingdom and at 1am in Germany, Spain, France, Switzerland, and the Netherlands. Additionally, matches will begin at 3am BST/4am CEST and 5am BST/6am CEST. Up to 35 group-stage matches, nearly half of the opening round, will take place between midnight and 5am in the UK. Although some knockout-round matches are also at inconvenient times, European viewers will be relieved to know the semifinals and final are set for 8pm BST/9pm CEST. Sixteen European teams, including Spain, France, and England, will compete in the World Cup.
In the Middle East, most World Cup matches will occur between 10pm and 7am Qatar time or 11pm and 8am United Arab Emirates time. Some matches will start during the prime time slot of 7-10pm in the region. The semifinals and final will commence at 10pm local time in Qatar or 11pm in the UAE. Four teams from the Middle East-Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, and Jordan-will participate in the World Cup.
Africa will see a record 10 teams competing in the World Cup for the first time. Fans in North Africa, including Algeria, Tunisia, and Morocco, can watch most matches between 8pm and 5am. The semifinals and final are set for an 8pm kickoff. In South Africa, matches will take place between 9pm and 6am, while viewers in Senegal and Ghana can catch most of the action between 7pm and 4am.