FIFA World Cup 2026 Teams & Fixtures

After 16 years, we finally see South Africa back in the FIFA World Cup, the last time being when they hosted it back in 2010. This 2026 instalment runs from June 11 to July 19, and it will be like no other, taking place across 16 different cities in the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Not to mention, we are seeing an extended format that features 48 nations across 104 matches in 39 days.

Interestingly, South Africa is involved in the opening fixture against Mexico at the Estadio Azteca on June 11. Beyond that, as you read on, I will talk about every fixture in South African Standard Time, the venues with their tournament capacity, full knockout bracket, and where Bafana Bafana fits in from the betting point of view.

All 48 nations that qualified come from the six FIFA confederations; here is a look at all of them from their respective regions:

• AFC (Asia, 9): Australia, Iran, Iraq, Japan, Jordan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Uzbekistan.

• CAF (Africa, 10): Algeria, Cape Verde, Côte d'Ivoire, DR Congo, Egypt, Ghana, Morocco, Senegal, South Africa, Tunisia.

• CONCACAF (North/Central America & Caribbean, 6): Canada (H), Curaçao, Haiti, Mexico (H), Panama, United States (H).

• CONMEBOL (South America, 6): Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay, Uruguay.

• OFC (Oceania, 1): New Zealand

• UEFA (Europe, 16): Austria, Belgium, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Croatia, Czechia, England, France, Germany, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Scotland, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Türkiye.

I have the (H) in front of Canada, Mexico, and the United States to symbolise that they are the host nations. Then I should also mention that we have four World Cup debutants in Cape Verde, Curaçao, Jordan, and Uzbekistan. Plus, Curaçao makes history by being the smallest country by population to qualify.

Allow me to walk you through each of the 12 World Cup 2026 groups:

Group A

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• Mexico

• South Africa

• Korea Republic

• Czechia

The tournament kicks off with Group A, and on paper, it is a soft landing for South Africa with the absence of any European giants. Mexico are the favourites because they have a clear home advantage. But then, statistics tells us that no host has gone past the round of 16 in the last seven installments.

As for Korea, they had an unconvincing March international window and Czechia are back for the first time since 2006, under a 74-year-old coach. So, if I were to call it, I’d say the most exciting matchup should be the Mexico vs South Africa kickoff. I’d love to see them run it back again after the same matchup that opened the 2010 World Cup ended in 1-1.

Group B

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• Canada

• Switzerland

• Qatar

• Bosnia & Herzegovina

This is a relatively friendly draw for the co-hosts, with Switzerland being the more threatening on paper. However, I wouldn’t write off Bosnia & Herzegovina; in fact, I’ll call them a wildcard after witnessing their run through Italy in the playoffs. At the same time, Qatar will also be desperate to avoid the winless 2022 home tournament. These events make Group B potentially fun too.

Group C

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• Brazil

• Morocco

• Scotland

• Haiti

I’ve had some people tell me that this is the most loaded Group in this tournament, and while I may not agree 100%, I can see why they think so. Just thinking about Brazil vs Morocco on the opening weekend makes me excited, especially when I remember Morocco’s 2026 run.

We also have Scotland who are in the World Cup for the first time since 1998, so they literally have nothing to lose. And as for Haiti, no one expects much from a team that has not been in the tournament for over 50 years. So, I can only wish them the best.

Group D

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• United States

• Paraguay

• Australia

• Türkiye

Of the three hosts, I would say the USMNT got the kindest draw. In this group, I’d say Paraguay offers a very solid structure that is hard to break down. Surely, the US opener vs Paraguay at SoFi Stadium will set the tone for the USMNT’s tournament run.

Group E

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• Germany

• Ecuador

• Côte d'Ivoire

• Curaçao

Well, there is almost no way you can imagine Germany not going through. But then, this is still football, and there is still a slight chance that anything can happen. I say this because Côte d'Ivoire are one of the strongest nations from AFCON, plus Ecuador are very physical and well-coached. Even Curaçao will go all out as they have nothing to lose. This group is more likely to have an upset if you ask me.

Group F

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• Netherlands

• Japan

• Tunisia

• Sweden

This group is tighter than it looks. As expected, the Netherlands are the favourites, but I can’t help but remember Japan beating Germany and Spain in 2022; they don’t fear anybody. Not to mention, Sweden is a physical test for any team that goes against them. Even Tunisia has their way of grinding it out against bigger names. Surely, Netherlands vs Japan will be an interesting watch.

Group G

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• Belgium

• Iran

• Egypt

• New Zealand

Although Belgium’s “golden generation” is gone, I still strongly believe that Kevin De Bruyne and his mates have one more tournament in them. We also get to see Mohamed Salah lead Egypt for a potentially deep run. At the same time, Iran are a very organised and tough side, with the All Whites back in the World Cup for the first time since 2010. Whatever you do, don’t miss Belgium vs Egypt.

Group H

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• Spain

• Uruguay

• Saudi Arabia

• Cape Verde

Spain are the favourites to win the tournament and they find themselves in the same group with two-time champions, Uruguay. That is the most difficult fixture in this group on paper; it could even be the fixture of the round.

But then, I remember Saudi Arabia’s surprise win over Argentina in the 2022 World Cup. And with Cape Verde, they are the smallest African nation to qualify. That means they will be playing without pressure; that, in itself, makes them dangerous.

Group I

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• France

• Norway

• Senegal

• Iraq

I think this is one of the interesting groups in this tournament. France are the favourites, but Senegal are no joke too. They won the 2021 AFCON and also won the 2025 installment on the pitch, before it was overturned to favour Morocco.

As for Norway, I see them as one of the dark horses of the group and tournament generally. They are in the World Cup for the first time since 1998, and this time, they are back with the likes of Haaland, Odegaard, and Sorlorth. That makes them very formidable. Iraq just completes the group, and they could make themselves a nuisance to any team. 

Group J

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• Argentina

• Austria

• Algeria

• Jordan

This is certainly Lionel Messi’s World Cup final and this group shouldn't be much of a problem for the defending champions. Austria are balanced, Algeria have a quality team from Africa, and Jordan are debutants. On paper, I’d say Argentina vs Algeria would be an interesting watch.

Group K

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• Portugal

• Columbia

• Uzbekistan

• DR Congo

This is also probably Cristiano Ronaldo's final World Cup, but if you ask him, he'd probably say otherwise. Either way, time will tell. But that could only mean Portugal will be out to finish the job for their legend.

I find Columbia to be a bit inconsistent lately, but on their day, they are a force to reckon with. Uzbekistan are debutants with not much to lose, and DR Congo are back after 52 years of absence. Surely, Columbia vs Portugal will be an exciting watch, considering the fact that it is in the final round of the group games, so it'll most likely decide the first place too.

Group L

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• England

• Croatia

• Panama

• Ghana

England vs Croatia is a familiar fixture lately, but an interesting stat is that England has never beaten The Blazers at the World Cup. They have an opportunity to run it back once more, so that is one I look forward to. Ghana and Panama are also solid sides, making the group a decent one all-round.

Here is a full look at the World Cup 2026 schedule. Note that all times are in South African Standard Time (SAST, UTC+2).

Group Games Schedule

Knockout Round 32

Because of the extended 48-team format, there is now a round of 32, with 16 matches across 6 days, to narrow it down to 16 nations.

Last 16

Quarter-finals

Semi-finals

Third-place playoff: Saturday 18 July, 23:00 SAST – Hard Rock Stadium, Miami

Final: Sunday 19 July, 21:00 SAST — MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey

As I have established earlier, three countries are co-hosting the tournament, so they'll be sharing the venues. Note that FIFA replaced commercial sponsor names with neutral tournament names during the competition; I'll list both of them alongside each other.

United States

The United States hosts most of the tournament, having 78 matches across 11 stadiums. Basically, all fixtures from the quarterfinals onwards will take place here. The venues are essentially the country's NFL mega-arenas adapted for football, which means they all have modern infrastructure and can accommodate big crowds, with most cities having hosted CONCACAF Gold Cup, Copa América or 2025 Club World Cup matches as warm-ups. AT&T Stadium in Arlington will host nine games (more than any other venue) and MetLife Stadium hosts the final.

Canada

Among all three co-hosts, this is Canada's first time having the men's World Cup on their home turf. As it stands, 13 matches will take place there, split between Toronto and Vancouver. BC Place is somewhere I'm familiar with as it once hosted the winter Olympics. As for the BMO Field, I'm curious to see how it holds up, being the smallest stadium in the tournament.

Mexico

Mexico makes history by being the first country to host or co-host a men's World Cup three times. Likewise, the Estadio Azteca becomes the first stadium ever to host matches at three editions. I'm curious to see how teams will fare at Azteca and Akron, with both stadiums being well above sea levels. This alone slightly edges the game against pressing European and Asian sides. South Africa will also play in two of the three Mexican stadiums (Azteca and BBVA).

What are South Africa’s odds of winning the World Cup?

If I'm being honest, nobody expects Bafana Bafana to win the World Cup. In fact, Betway prices the nation at 501.00 odds to win the tournament, 12.00 to top Group A, and 251.00 to reach the final. They literally have an implied probability of 0.20% to win the tournament.

Even historically, South Africa has never made it past the group stage. All eliminations in 1998, 2002, and 2010 were in the group stage. In fact, the 2010 drop out was historical as they became the first host in World Cup history to exit at group stage level.

But even with all the stats against them, I can also make a case of the 2026 installment being different. I base my case on three factors:

1. This is one of South Africa’s strongest squads in a long time. They topped their CAF group over even Nigeria, and finished with bronze in the 2023 AFCON.

2. The new extended 48-team format means the eight best third-placed teams will scale through. So some teams will go through with just a win and a draw. 

3. Hugo Brood, their coach, has a decent international history as he won the AFCON with Cameroon back in 2017. He has also hinted at this being his final job, which could mean that his side may play with more freedom, knowing that they have nothing to lose.

Game Schedule for Bafana Bafana

Two of the three fixtures come at viewer-friendly hours for supporters at home. Only the match against Korea comes up at 03:00, but the committed ones will still stay up for it. Here are the three group stage games:

Read more World Cup Content

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