USA 2026 World Cup Schedule: EST Kick-Off Times & Possible Knockout Opponents

“SoFi Stadium, 23 March 2025” by Nowoco, originally uploaded to Wikimedia Commons; licensed under Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication (CC0 1.0)

As the 2026 FIFA World Cup draws closer, the United States is preparing to host its second edition of the tournament.

Allocated 78 of the 104 games, the US will be sharing hosting responsibilities with Mexico and Canada as part of the expanded 48-team format that FIFA President Gianni Infantino has predicted will be: “The biggest global event that humanity has ever seen.”

Qualifying as host nations, the US has been drawn into Group D with Australia, Paraguay, and a UEFA nation to be decided by the qualification play-offs later this month. The possible opponents are Slovakia, Kosovo, Türkiye and Romania.

Below is USMNT’s schedule ahead of their opener on June 13. 

*All kick-off times mentioned are in Eastern Standard Time.

USA Group D Fixture Dates, Opponents, Venues and EST Kick-Off Times

How to Watch the World Cup in the USA

In the US, all 104 games of the World Cup will be available to watch in English on FOX, and in Spanish on Telemundo and Peacock.

Possible Knockout Opponents

The USMNT made their World Cup debut in the same year as the tournament itself: 1930.

Reaching the semi-finals of the inaugural edition, this is the US’ best finish to date. All in all, they have played in 10 World Cups, with the upcoming tournament being their 11th. 

Despite a spell between 1954 and 1986 where they did not qualify once, recent decades have been more favourable, qualifying for seven of the last eight editions.

The team has reached the knockout rounds of the tournament six times, most recently in 2022.

Should they do the same this year, US fans can expect to face the following teams in the newly-added Round of 32:

• If USA top Group D, they will play a third-placed team from one of groups B/E/F/I/J. This would be at 8pm on July 2 at San Francisco Bay Area Stadium.

• If USA finish second in their group, they will play the runner-up of Group G. This would be at 2pm on July 3 at Dallas Stadium.

US Viewing Experience

Since 2006, the FIFA World Cup has organised the Official FIFA Fan Fest, aimed at providing fans without a ticket a stadium-like atmosphere.

Host cities across the US are set to do the same, though recent reductions have been made. However, other unofficial events will be set up, including at the Rockefeller Centre in New York and various fan zones across Los Angeles.

Article by Zakaria Anani