World Cup final will be an afternoon match at MetLife Stadium, allowing prime-time viewing in Europe

By NOAH TRISTER, AP Sports Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) — The World Cup final will kick off at 3 p.m. EDT next July 19 at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

FIFA announced the start times for the tournament’s 104 matches on Saturday, a day after the draw for the expanded 48-nation tournament. The kickoff time allows for prime-time viewing in Europe, where it will be 9 p.m., and Britain, where it will be 8 p.m.

The average 3 p.m. temperature over the past 30 years in East Rutherford on July 19 is 83 degrees (28 Celsius) with a RealFeel index of 89 (32), according to AccuWeather.

Nine of the 10 World Cup finals from 1978 through 2014 started in the 2-3:30 p.m. EDT range, the exception 2002 in Japan, which began at 7 a.m. EDT. The 2018 final started at 11 a.m. EDT and the 2022 championship of a tournament shifted to winter in Qatar at 10 a.m. EST.

The 1994 final at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California, kicked off at 12:30 p.m. local time (3:30 p.m. EDT).

FIFA announced the schedule and sites after factoring in travel and broadcast.

“Let’s just say it’s been a long night — or a short night,” chief tournament officer Manolo Zubiria said. “As I explained earlier to some of the coaches, we’ve tried to basically strike the right balance looking at the preparation, the recovery that the teams have to do in this very large footprint, the biggest World Cup ever, 16 cities, three countries, different climatic conditions, time zones.”

Zubira said goals included “trying to minimize travel for the teams and the fans to try to see their teams play, and obviously trying to see how to best expose this competition to the world, trying to find the right times for the kickoff times in specific cities, taking into consideration some restrictions.”

The opener at Mexico City on June 11 between El Tri and South Africa will start at 1 p.m. local (3 p.m. EDT).

Semifinals will start at 2 p.m. (3 p.m. EDT) on July 14 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, and 3 p.m. the following day at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, both of which have retractable roofs.

Quarterfinals will begin at 4 p.m. on July 9 at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, and noon (3 p.m. EDT) the following day at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California. The last two quarterfinals are on July 11, starting at 5 p.m. at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida, and 8 p.m. (9 p.m. EDT) at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri. Of the quarterfinal venues, SoFi has a roof but air from the outside can flow in, and the other three are open air.

FIFA announced on Feb. 4 last year that the final was scheduled for New Jersey and that June 12 revealed site-specific matchups for games in the new round of 32, round of 16, quarterfinals and semifinals.

Seventy-eight games will be in the U.S., including all from the quarterfinals on, and 13 apiece in Canada and Mexico.

During an event at the Capital Hilton, FIFA also announced sites of the 54 group stage games not finalized with Friday’s draw, which fixed venues for only Groups A, B and D — which include co-hosts Mexico, Canada and the United States.

South Korea is the only team other than Canada and Mexico with no games in the U.S., playing its opener in Guadalajara against the Czech Republic, Denmark, Ireland or North Macedonia, then facing El Tri at the same venue and finishing the round against South Africa in Monterrey.

The U.S. first-round games will be a 6 p.m. local start (9 p.m. EDT) against Paraguay at Inglewood on June 12, a noon kickoff (3 p.m. EDT) vs. Australia at Seattle seven days later and a 7 p.m. start on June 25 at SoFi against Turkey, Romania, Slovakia or Kosovo.

Japan’s Group F game against Tunisia at Monterrey, Mexico, on June 20 will be the 1,000th World Cup match.

Germany’s June 14 Group E opener against Curaçao will kick off at noon local (1 p.m. EDT) at NRG Stadium. Curaçao has the smallest population of a country to reach the World Cup at about 150,000.

“It will be played in Houston, which is a closed venue, indoor, so nobody can complain about heat or weather or wind or whatever,” FIFA president Gianni Infantino said.

AP Sports Writer Ronald Blum contributed to this report.

2026 World Cup Schedule

United States, Mexico, Canada

FIRST ROUND

GROUP A

Thursday, June 11

Mexico City

Mexico vs. South Africa 2000 GMT

Guadalajara

South Korea vs. Denmark/North Macedonia/Czech Republic/Ireland, 0300 GMT Friday

Thursday, June 18

Atlanta

Denmark/North Macedonia/Czech Republic/Ireland vs. South Africa, 1700 GMT

Guadalajara

Mexico vs. South Korea, 0200 GMT Friday

Wednesday, June 24

Mexico City

Denmark/North Macedonia/Czech Republic/Ireland vs. Mexico, 0200 GMT Thursday

Monterrey

South Africa vs. South Korea, 0200 GMT Thursday

GROUP B

Friday, June 12

Toronto

Canada vs. Italy/Northern Ireland/Wales/Bosnia-Herzegovina, 2000 GMT

Saturday, June 13

Santa Clara, California

Qatar vs. Switzerland, 2000 GMT

Thursday, June 18

Los Angeles

Switzerland vs. Italy/Northern Ireland/Wales/Bosnia-Herzegovina, 2000 GMT

Vancouver

Canada vs. Qatar, 2300 GMT

Wednesday, June 24

Vancouver

Switzerland vs. Canada, 2000 GMT

Seattle

Italy/Northern Ireland/Wales/Bosnia-Herzegovina vs. Qatar, 2000 GMT

GROUP C

Saturday, June 13

East Rutherford, New Jersey

Brazil vs. Morocco, 2300 GMT

Boston

Haiti vs. Scotland, 0200 GMT Sunday

Friday, June 19

Boston

Scotland vs. Morocco, 2300 GMT

Philadelphia

Brazil vs. Haiti, 0200 GMT Saturday

Wednesday, June 24

Miami

Scotland vs. Brazil, 2300 GMT

Atlanta

Morocco vs. Haiti, 2300 GMT

GROUP D

Friday, June 12

Los Angeles

United States vs. Paraguay, 0200 GMT Saturday

Saturday, June 13

Vancouver

Australia vs. Turkey/Romania/Slovakia/Kosovo, 0500 GMT Sunday

Friday, June 19

Santa Clara, California

Turkey/Romania/Slovakia/Kosovo vs. Paraguay, 0500 GMT Saturday

Seattle

United States vs. Australia, 2000 GMT

Thursday, June 25

Los Angeles

Turkey/Romania/Slovakia/Kosovo vs. United States, 0300 GMT Friday

Santa Clara, California

Paraguay vs. Australia, 0300 GMT Friday

GROUP E

Sunday, June 14

Houston

Germany vs. Curacao, 1800 GMT

Philadelphia

Ivory Coast vs. Ecuador, 0000 GMT Monday

Saturday, June 20

Toronto

Germany vs. Ivory Coast, 2100 GMT

Kansas City

Ecuador vs. Curacao, 0100 GMT Sunday

Thursday, June 25

East Rutherford, New Jersey

Ecuador vs. Germany, 2100 GMT

Philadelphia

Curacao vs. Ivory Coast, 2100 GMT

GROUP F

Sunday, June 14

Dallas

Netherlands vs. Japan, 2100 GMT

Monterrey

Ukraine/Sweden/Poland/Albania vs. Tunisia, 0300 GMT Monday

Saturday, June 20

Houston

Netherlands vs. Ukraine/Sweden/Poland/Albania, 1800 GMT

Monterrey

Tunisia vs. Japan, 0500 GMT Sunday

Thursday, June 25

Dallas

Japan vs. Ukraine/Sweden/Poland/Albania, 0000 GMT Friday

Kansas City

Tunisia vs. Netherlands, 0000 GMT Friday

GROUP G

Monday, June 15

Seattle

Belgium vs. Egypt, 2000 GMT

Los Angeles

Iran vs. New Zealand, 0200 GMT Tuesday

Sunday, June 21

Los Angeles

Belgium vs. Iran, 2000 GMT

Vancouver

New Zealand vs. Egypt, 0200 GMT Monday

Friday, June 26

Seattle

Egypt vs. Iran, 0400 GMT Saturday

Vancouver

New Zealand vs. Belgium, 0400 GMT Saturday

GROUP H

Monday, June 15

Atlanta

Spain vs. Cape Verde, 1700 GMT

Miami

Saudi Arabia vs. Uruguay, 2300 GMT

Sunday, June 21

Atlanta

Spain vs. Saudi Arabia, 1700 GMT

Miami

Uruguay vs, Cape Verde, 2300 GMT

Friday, June 26

Houston

Cape Verde vs. Saudi Arabia, 0100 GMT Saturday

Guadalajara

Uruguay vs. Spain, 0100 GMT Saturday

GROUP I

Tuesday, June 16

East Rutherford, New Jersey

France vs. Senegal, 2000 GMT

Boston

Iraq/Bolivia/Suriname vs. Norway, 2300 GMT

Monday, June 22

Philadelphia

France vs. Iraq/Bolivia/Suriname, 2200 GMT

East Rutherford, New Jersey

Norway vs. Senegal, 0100 GMT Tuesday

Friday, June 26

Boston

Norway vs. France, 2000 GMT

Toronto

Senegal vs. Iraq/Bolivia/Suriname, 2000 GMT

GROUP J

Tuesday, June 16

Kansas City

Argentina vs. Algeria, 0200 GMT Wednesday

Santa Clara, California

Austria vs. Jordan, 0500 GMT Wednesday

Monday, June 22

Dallas

Argentina vs. Austria, 1800 GMT

Santa Clara, California

Jordan vs. Algeria, 0400 GMT Tuesday

Saturday, June 27

Kansas City

Algeria vs. Austria, 0300 GMT Sunday

Dallas

Jordan vs. Argentina, 0300 GMT Sunday

GROUP K

Wednesday, June 17

Houston

Portugal vs. DR Congo/Jamaica/New Caledonia, 1800 GMT

Mexico City

Uzbekistan vs. Colombia, 0300 GMT Thursday

Tuesday, June 23

Houston

Portugal vs. Uzbekistan, 1800 GMT

Guadalajara

Colombia vs. DR Congo/Jamaica/New Caledonia, 0300 GMT Wednesday

Saturday, June 27

Miami

Colombia vs. Portugal, 0030 Sunday

Atlanta

DR Congo/Jamaica/New Caledonia vs. Uzbekistan, 0030 GMT Sunday

GROUP L

Wednesday, June 17

Dallas

England vs. Croatia, 2100 GMT

Toronto

Ghana vs. Panama, 0000 GMT Thursday

Tuesday, June 23

Boston

England vs. Ghana, 2100 GMT

Toronto

Panama vs. Croatia, 0000 GMT Wednesday

Saturday, June 27

East Rutherford, New Jersey

Panama vs. England, 2200 GMT

Philadelphia

Croatia vs. Ghana, 2200 GMT