What time are the 2026 World Cup games? Complete schedule in every time zone

The 2026 FIFA World Cup runs from June 11 to July 19, across 16 host cities in the United States, Mexico and Canada. With four different time zones and 104 matches spread across 39 days, knowing what time each game kicks off in your local time is essential. This guide covers everything you need — kickoff windows, time zone formulas, and a full reference table for converting any World Cup 2026 game time to your city.

What time zone is the 2026 World Cup in?

The 2026 World Cup uses four time zones across its 16 host cities. All four are in summer (daylight saving) time during the entire tournament:

• Eastern Time (EDT, UTC-4): New York, Miami, Boston, Philadelphia, Atlanta, Toronto
• Central Time (CDT, UTC-5): Dallas, Houston, Kansas City, Mexico City, Guadalajara, Monterrey
• Mountain Time (MDT, UTC-6): Denver
• Pacific Time (PDT, UTC-7): Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, Vancouver

The Eastern Time zone hosts the most high-profile matches, including all three Brazil group stage games and the Final on July 19 at MetLife Stadium in New York.

What time do World Cup 2026 games start?

FIFA schedules games in four standard kickoff windows, always announced in the local time of the host city. Most international broadcasters use Eastern Time (ET) as the reference. The four windows are:

• 12:00 PM ET — early afternoon on the East Coast
• 3:00 PM ET — mid-afternoon, prime time in Europe
• 6:00 PM ET — evening on the East Coast, prime time in Brazil
• 9:00 PM ET — late evening on the East Coast, overnight in Europe

The 6:00 PM ET slot is the most important for Brazilian fans — it corresponds to 19:00 in Brasília and is the kickoff time for Brazil's opening match against Morocco on June 13 at New York's MetLife Stadium. See the full match page at: /world-cup-2026/match/brazil-vs-morocco-jun13

World Cup 2026 kickoff times by time zone — full reference table

Use this table to convert any World Cup 2026 game time to your local time:

• 12:00 PM ET = 11:00 AM CT = 9:00 AM PDT = 13:00 Brasília = 17:00 Lisbon = 17:00 London = 18:00 Paris = 01:00 next day Tokyo = 20:00 Dubai
• 3:00 PM ET = 2:00 PM CT = 12:00 PM PDT = 16:00 Brasília = 20:00 Lisbon = 20:00 London = 21:00 Paris = 04:00 next day Tokyo = 23:00 Dubai
• 6:00 PM ET = 5:00 PM CT = 3:00 PM PDT = 19:00 Brasília = 23:00 Lisbon = 23:00 London = 00:00 next day Paris = 07:00 next day Tokyo = 02:00 next day Dubai
• 9:00 PM ET = 8:00 PM CT = 6:00 PM PDT = 22:00 Brasília = 02:00 next day Lisbon = 02:00 next day London = 03:00 next day Paris = 10:00 next day Tokyo = 05:00 next day Dubai

(+1 = next day)

How daylight saving time affects World Cup 2026 kickoff times

During June and July, daylight saving time is active across the entire United States (except Arizona) and Canada. This means all four time zones are shifted one hour forward compared to their standard winter offsets.

Brazil has not observed daylight saving time since 2019 and stays fixed at UTC-3 (BRT) year-round — including during the entire World Cup. This makes the time difference between Brazil and the US one hour smaller than it would be in winter:

In winter: Brasília is 2 hours ahead of New York. During the Cup: Brasília is only 1 hour ahead of New York.

Europe is also on summer time during the World Cup. Lisbon and London are both on UTC+1 (WEST and BST respectively), placing them 5 hours ahead of Eastern Time. This means a 6:00 PM ET kickoff lands at 23:00 in Lisbon and London — late but still watchable. For a full breakdown of how US daylight saving works and which states don't change clocks, read: USA daylight saving time 2026.

What time are the Brazil games at the 2026 World Cup?

Brazil is in Group C and plays all three group stage matches in Eastern Time cities. Here is a quick reference:

• Brazil vs Morocco — June 13, 6:00 PM ET, 19:00 Brasília, 23:00 Lisbon, 23:00 London
• Brazil vs Haiti — June 19, 9:00 PM ET, 22:00 Brasília, 02:00 next day Lisbon, 02:00 next day London
• Scotland vs Brazil — June 24, 6:00 PM ET, 19:00 Brasília, 23:00 Lisbon, 23:00 London

For a full guide to Brazil's schedule with times in 8 time zones, read: Brazil World Cup 2026 schedule — complete kickoff times.

What time are the other key matches at World Cup 2026?

Beyond Brazil, here are the kickoff times for some of the most-watched matches of the group stage:

• England vs Croatia — June 17, Dallas. 4:00 PM ET | 5:00 PM CT | 9:00 PM Brasília | 9:00 PM Lisbon | 9:00 PM London
• Argentina vs Algeria — June 16, Kansas City. 9:00 PM ET | 8:00 PM CT | 10:00 PM Brasília | 02:00 next day Lisbon
• France vs Senegal — June 16, New York. 3:00 PM ET | 4:00 PM Brasília | 8:00 PM Lisbon | 8:00 PM London
• Portugal vs DR Congo — June 17, Houston. 1:00 PM ET | 2:00 PM Brasília | 6:00 PM Lisbon | 6:00 PM London
• World Cup 2026 Final — July 19, New York / New Jersey. 3:00 PM ET | 4:00 PM Brasília | 8:00 PM Lisbon | 8:00 PM London

Quick time zone conversion formulas for World Cup 2026

If you know the Eastern Time (ET) kickoff, use these fixed formulas for the entire tournament:

• Brasília (BRT) = ET + 1 hour
• Lisbon (WEST) = ET + 5 hours
• London (BST) = ET + 5 hours
• Paris (CEST) = ET + 6 hours
• Dubai (GST) = ET + 8 hours
• Tokyo (JST) = ET + 13 hours
• Sydney (AEST) = ET + 14 hours

If you know the Central Time (CT) kickoff — for games in Dallas, Houston, Kansas City or Mexico — add 1 hour to get ET, then apply the formulas above.