The FIFA World Cup 2026 promises to be one of the biggest editions of the world’s most popular sporting event ever. Held across three host countries — the United States, Canada, and Mexico — this tournament introduces an expanded format featuring 48 teams and 104 matches from June 11 to July 19, 2026. For Indian fans, understanding the schedule in Indian Standard Time (IST) is essential to never miss a moment of the action.
This article breaks down FIFA World cup 2026 Schedule in IST Time along with important match dates and times in IST, how to convert local kick-offs to IST, and viewing tips for fans in India.
| DATE (IST) | GRP | MATCH | TEAMS | TIME (IST) | VENUE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fri, Jun 12 | A | 1 | Mexico vs South Africa | 12:30 AM | Estadio Azteca |
| Fri, Jun 12 | A | 2 | South Korea vs UEFA PO D | 7:30 AM | Estadio Guadalajara |
| Sat, Jun 13 | B | 3 | Canada vs UEFA PO A | 12:30 AM | Toronto Stadium |
| Sat, Jun 13 | D | 4 | USA vs Paraguay | 6:30 AM | Los Angeles Stadium |
| Sat, Jun 13 | D | 5 | Australia vs UEFA PO C | 9:30 AM | BC Place Vancouver |
| Sun, Jun 14 | B | 6 | Qatar vs Switzerland | 12:30 AM | SF Bay Area Stadium |
| Sun, Jun 14 | C | 7 | Brazil vs Morocco | 3:30 AM | NY/NJ Stadium |
| Sun, Jun 14 | C | 8 | Haiti vs Scotland | 6:30 AM | Boston Stadium |
| Sun, Jun 14 | E | 9 | Germany vs Curaçao | 10:30 PM | Houston Stadium |
| Mon, Jun 15 | F | 10 | Netherlands vs Japan | 1:30 AM | Dallas Stadium |
| Mon, Jun 15 | E | 11 | Ivory Coast vs Ecuador | 4:30 AM | Philadelphia Stadium |
| Mon, Jun 15 | F | 12 | UEFA PO B vs Tunisia | 7:30 AM | Estadio Monterrey |
| Mon, Jun 15 | H | 13 | Spain vs Cape Verde | 9:30 PM | Atlanta Stadium |
| Tue, Jun 16 | G | 14 | Belgium vs Egypt | 12:30 AM | Seattle Stadium |
| Tue, Jun 16 | H | 15 | Saudi Arabia vs Uruguay | 3:30 AM | Miami Stadium |
| Tue, Jun 16 | G | 16 | Iran vs New Zealand | 6:30 AM | LA Stadium |
| Wed, Jun 17 | I | 17 | France vs Senegal | 12:30 AM | NY/NJ Stadium |
| Wed, Jun 17 | I | 18 | IC PO 2 vs Norway | 3:30 AM | Boston Stadium |
| Wed, Jun 17 | J | 19 | Argentina vs Algeria | 6:30 AM | Kansas City |
| Wed, Jun 17 | J | 20 | Austria vs Jordan | 9:30 AM | SF Bay Area |
| Wed, Jun 17 | K | 21 | Portugal vs IC PO 1 | 10:30 PM | Houston |
| Thu, Jun 18 | L | 22 | England vs Croatia | 1:30 AM | Dallas |
| Thu, Jun 18 | L | 23 | Ghana vs Panama | 4:30 AM | Toronto |
| Thu, Jun 18 | K | 24 | Uzbekistan vs Colombia | 7:30 AM | Estadio Azteca |
| Thu, Jun 18 | A | 25 | UEFA PO D vs South Africa | 9:30 PM | Atlanta |
| Fri, Jun 19 | B | 26 | Switzerland vs UEFA PO A | 12:30 AM | LA Stadium |
| Fri, Jun 19 | B | 27 | Canada vs Qatar | 3:30 AM | Vancouver |
| Fri, Jun 19 | A | 28 | Mexico vs South Korea | 6:30 AM | Guadalajara |
| Fri, Jun 19 | D | 29 | UEFA PO C vs Paraguay | 9:30 AM | SF Bay Area |
| Sat, Jun 20 | D | 30 | USA vs Australia | 12:30 AM | Seattle |
| Sat, Jun 20 | C | 31 | Scotland vs Morocco | 3:30 AM | Boston |
| Sat, Jun 20 | C | 32 | Brazil vs Haiti | 6:30 AM | Philadelphia |
| Sat, Jun 20 | F | 33 | Tunisia vs Japan | 9:30 AM | Monterrey |
| Sat, Jun 20 | F | 34 | Netherlands vs UEFA PO B | 10:30 PM | Houston |
| Sun, Jun 21 | E | 35 | Germany vs Ivory Coast | 1:30 AM | Toronto |
| Sun, Jun 21 | E | 36 | Ecuador vs Curaçao | 5:30 AM | Kansas City |
| Sun, Jun 21 | H | 37 | Spain vs Saudi Arabia | 9:30 PM | Atlanta |
| Mon, Jun 22 | G | 38 | Belgium vs Iran | 12:30 AM | LA Stadium |
| Mon, Jun 22 | H | 39 | Uruguay vs Cape Verde | 3:30 AM | Miami |
| Mon, Jun 22 | G | 40 | New Zealand vs Egypt | 6:30 AM | Vancouver |
| Mon, Jun 22 | J | 41 | Argentina vs Austria | 10:30 PM | Dallas |
| Tue, Jun 23 | I | 42 | France vs IC PO 2 | 2:30 AM | Philadelphia |
| Tue, Jun 23 | I | 43 | Norway vs Senegal | 5:30 AM | NY/NJ |
| Tue, Jun 23 | J | 44 | Jordan vs Algeria | 8:30 AM | SF Bay Area |
| Tue, Jun 23 | K | 45 | Portugal vs Uzbekistan | 10:30 PM | Houston |
| Wed, Jun 24 | L | 46 | England vs Ghana | 1:30 AM | Boston |
| Wed, Jun 24 | L | 47 | Panama vs Croatia | 4:30 AM | Toronto |
| Wed, Jun 24 | K | 48 | Colombia vs IC PO 1 | 7:30 AM | Guadalajara |
| Thu, Jun 25 | B | 49 | Switzerland vs Canada | 12:30 AM | Vancouver |
| Thu, Jun 25 | B | 50 | UEFA PO A vs Qatar | 12:30 AM | Seattle |
| Thu, Jun 25 | C | 51 | Scotland vs Brazil | 3:30 AM | Miami |
| Thu, Jun 25 | C | 52 | Morocco vs Haiti | 3:30 AM | Atlanta |
| Thu, Jun 25 | A | 53 | UEFA PO D vs Mexico | 6:30 AM | Azteca |
| Thu, Jun 25 | A | 54 | South Africa vs South Korea | 6:30 AM | Monterrey |
| Thu, Jun 25 | E | 55 | Curaçao vs Ivory Coast | 1:30 AM | Philadelphia |
| Thu, Jun 25 | E | 56 | Ecuador vs Germany | 1:30 AM | NY/NJ |
| Fri, Jun 26 | F | 57 | Japan vs UEFA PO B | 4:30 AM | Dallas |
| Fri, Jun 26 | F | 58 | Tunisia vs Netherlands | 4:30 AM | Kansas City |
| Fri, Jun 26 | D | 59 | UEFA PO C vs USA | 7:30 AM | LA Stadium |
| Fri, Jun 26 | D | 60 | Paraguay vs Australia | 7:30 AM | SF Bay Area |
| Sat, Jun 27 | I | 61 | Norway vs France | 12:30 AM | Boston |
| Sat, Jun 27 | I | 62 | Senegal vs IC PO 2 | 12:30 AM | Toronto |
| Sat, Jun 27 | H | 63 | Cape Verde vs Saudi Arabia | 5:30 AM | Houston |
| Sat, Jun 27 | H | 64 | Uruguay vs Spain | 5:30 AM | Guadalajara |
| Sat, Jun 27 | G | 65 | Egypt vs Iran | 8:30 AM | Seattle |
| Sat, Jun 27 | G | 66 | New Zealand vs Belgium | 8:30 AM | Vancouver |
| Sun, Jun 28 | L | 67 | Panama vs England | 2:30 AM | NY/NJ |
| Sun, Jun 28 | L | 68 | Croatia vs Ghana | 2:30 AM | Philadelphia |
| Sun, Jun 28 | K | 69 | Colombia vs Portugal | 5:00 AM | Miami |
| Sun, Jun 28 | K | 70 | IC PO 1 vs Uzbekistan | 5:00 AM | Atlanta |
| Sun, Jun 28 | J | 71 | Algeria vs Austria | 7:30 AM | Kansas City |
| Sun, Jun 28 | J | 72 | Jordan vs Argentina | 7:30 AM | Dallas |
⭐ Tournament Overview: Dates & Format
The 2026 World Cup builds on a new format:
- Group Stage: June 11 – June 27, 2026
- Round of 32: June 28 – July 3, 2026
- Round of 16: July 4 – July 7, 2026
- Quarterfinals: July 9 – July 11, 2026
- Semifinals: July 14 – July 15, 2026
- Third-place Play-off: July 18, 2026
- Final: July 19, 2026
Matches will be hosted in 16 cities across the three countries, with venues ranging from the legendary Estadio Azteca in Mexico City to the iconic MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, USA.
🕐 Understanding Time Zones: How to Convert Schedule to IST
To follow the matches from India, here’s how FIFA World cup 2026 kick-off times convert to Indian Standard Time (IST):
- USA (Eastern Time – ET): IST = ET + 9 hours 30 minutes
- USA (Pacific Time – PT): IST = PT + 12 hours 30 minutes
- Canada (Eastern Time – also ET): IST = ET + 9 hours 30 minutes
- Mexico City (Central Time – CT): IST = CT + 11 hours 30 minutes
Also check : 2026 FIFA World Cup Schedule in USA Time
Example:
If a match in New York kicks off at 4:00 PM ET, it’ll be 1:30 AM IST on the next day.
Similarly, a 3:00 PM CT match in Mexico City becomes 2:30 AM IST.
Most matches will occur in afternoon and evening local times — meaning many will fall in late night to early morning times in India. Be prepared for football well past midnight!
🏁 Key Opening Matches in IST
📅 June 11, 2026 – Opening Day
- Match 1: Mexico vs South Africa — Kick-off at Estadio Azteca, Mexico City
✓ Local Time: ~13:00 (CT)
✓ IST: ~ 00:30 AM (June 12)
This historic opening kick-off ceremony and first match of the tournament will therefore be in the early hours of June 12 for fans in India. Inside FIFA - Match 2: Group A second fixture — Zapopan, Mexico
✓ Similar local times → late night IST kickoff
📅 June 12, 2026
- Match 3: Canada’s first group match — Toronto
✓ Kick-off ~15:00 ET → 00:30 AM IST (next day) - Match 4: USA’s opening fixture — Los Angeles
✓ Kick-off ~18:00 PT → 07:30 AM IST next day
For Indian fans, this means some early morning football delights as well as late night matches! FIFA 2026
📆 Group Stage: June 11 – June 27
Across these 17 days, 12 groups will battle it out. Because the host cities span multiple time zones, Indian viewers will mainly see matches scheduled in:
- Late nights (10:30 PM to 2:30 AM IST)
- Early mornings (3:30 AM to 7:30 AM IST)
This is especially true for matches on the Canadian west coast (like Vancouver) or U.S. west coast (like Los Angeles). FIFA 2026
Some noteworthy group matches likely to pique Indian interest:
- Brazil vs Morocco — USA venue
- Spain vs Saudi Arabia — Atlanta
- Argentina vs Austria — Dallas
Check out All 104 Matches of FIFA World cup 2026 Printable PDF Fixtures here.
📺 Viewing Tips for Indian Fans
To make the most of World Cup 2026 from India:
✔️ Mark Your Calendar
Match start times in IST are often late night or early morning. Use a calendar app and convert kick-offs in ET/CT/PT to IST ahead of time.
✔️ Follow Official Broadcasts
In India, broadcasters like Star Sports and streaming platforms will air matches live with commentary, schedules in IST, and reminders.
✔️ Adjust Sleep Schedules
Group stage matches may require tuning in at midnight or early morning hours — plan snacks and naps accordingly!
FAQs – FIFA World Cup 2026 Schedule in IST
When will the FIFA World Cup 2026 start and end in India (IST)?
The FIFA World Cup 2026 will start on 12 June 2026 (IST) and conclude on 19 July 2026 (IST). Due to time zone differences, some matches will be played late night or early morning in India.
What will be the match timings of FIFA World Cup 2026 in IST?
Most matches will kick off between 12:30 AM and 7:30 AM IST, while a few high-profile matches, including the final, may start in the evening IST depending on the venue.
How can Indian fans check FIFA World Cup 2026 match schedules in IST?
Indian fans can follow official FIFA announcements, broadcasters, and dedicated schedule websites that provide IST-converted match timings for all group and knockout games including this wc26schedule.com
At what time will the FIFA World Cup 2026 final start in IST?
The FIFA World Cup 2026 final is expected to start around 8:30 PM IST, making it one of the most convenient matches for Indian viewers.
Where can I watch FIFA World Cup 2026 live in India?
FIFA World Cup 2026 matches will be broadcast live in India on official TV sports channels and streaming platforms. To get List follow 2026 FIFA World cup Live stream guide article of wc26schedule.com