FIFA World Cup 2026 Time Zones: Watch Schedule for Every Country
The 2026 World Cup was played in the US, Canada and Mexico from June 11 to July 19, 2026. This guide shows which time zones the 16 host cities used and how the kick-off times landed in the UK, India, East Asia and Australia.
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Common Kick-off Times in Major Time Zones
FIFA did not use fixed daily slots. Across the 104 matches, kick-offs ranged from 12:00 PM to midnight US Eastern time. The most common was 3:00 PM ET (19 matches), followed by 9:00 PM ET (11) and 4:00 PM ET (10). The table converts four kick-off times that came up often. The whole tournament fell within US daylight saving time, so Eastern time was EDT (UTC-4) throughout.
| Kick-off (matches) | EDT (US East) | CDT (Chicago) | PDT (LA) | GMT/BST (UK) | IST (India) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Noon ET (5 matches) | 12:00 PM EDT | 11:00 AM CDT | 9:00 AM PDT | 5:00 PM BST | 9:30 PM IST |
| 3 PM ET (19 matches) | 3:00 PM EDT | 2:00 PM CDT | 12:00 PM PDT | 8:00 PM BST | 12:30 AM IST (+1 day) |
| 6 PM ET (9 matches) | 6:00 PM EDT | 5:00 PM CDT | 3:00 PM PDT | 11:00 PM BST | 3:30 AM IST (+1 day) |
| 9 PM ET (11 matches) | 9:00 PM EDT | 8:00 PM CDT | 6:00 PM PDT | 2:00 AM BST (+1 day) | 6:30 AM IST (+1 day) |
Extended Time Zone Table: Asia and Pacific
For viewers in South Asia, East Asia and Australia, the same kick-offs landed at very different hours. Early kick-offs suited South Asia (evening), while late kick-offs suited East Asia and Australia (next morning).
| Kick-off (EDT) | IST (India, UTC+5:30) | PKT (Pakistan, UTC+5) | SGT / MYT (UTC+8) | JST / KST (UTC+9) | AEST (Sydney, UTC+10) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12:00 PM EDT | 9:30 PM IST (same day) | 9:00 PM PKT | 12:00 AM SGT (+1) | 1:00 AM JST (+1) | 2:00 AM AEST (+1) |
| 3:00 PM EDT | 12:30 AM IST (+1 day) | 12:00 AM PKT (+1) | 3:00 AM SGT (+1) | 4:00 AM JST (+1) | 5:00 AM AEST (+1) |
| 6:00 PM EDT | 3:30 AM IST (+1 day) | 3:00 AM PKT (+1) | 6:00 AM SGT (+1) | 7:00 AM JST (+1) | 8:00 AM AEST (+1) |
| 9:00 PM EDT | 6:30 AM IST (+1 day) | 6:00 AM PKT (+1) | 9:00 AM SGT (+1) | 10:00 AM JST (+1) | 11:00 AM AEST (+1) |
World Cup 2026 Host Cities and Their Time Zones
The 16 host cities used four different UTC offsets during the tournament. The same kick-off moment was therefore a different local time in each: the opening match in Mexico City started at 1:00 PM local time, which was 3:00 PM in New York and 12:00 PM in Los Angeles. During the tournament FIFA used neutral stadium names (for example "New York New Jersey Stadium" for MetLife Stadium).
Eastern Time (EDT, UTC-4)
- New York / New Jersey (MetLife Stadium)
- Boston (Gillette Stadium)
- Philadelphia (Lincoln Financial Field)
- Miami (Hard Rock Stadium)
- Atlanta (Mercedes-Benz Stadium)
- Toronto, Canada (BMO Field)
Central Time (CDT, UTC-5)
- Dallas (AT&T Stadium)
- Houston (NRG Stadium)
- Kansas City (Arrowhead Stadium)
Pacific (UTC-7)
- Los Angeles (SoFi Stadium) - PDT
- San Francisco Bay Area (Levi's Stadium) - PDT
- Seattle (Lumen Field) - PDT
- Vancouver, Canada (BC Place) - UTC-7; British Columbia stopped changing its clocks in 2026 and now stays on UTC-7 all year
Mexico (CST, UTC-6, no DST)
- Mexico City (Estadio Azteca)
- Guadalajara (Estadio Akron)
- Monterrey (Estadio BBVA)
Mexico stopped daylight saving time in 2022, so these cities were 1 hour behind Dallas and Houston during the tournament, even though both use "Central" time.
Key Match Windows: Opening, Semifinals and Final
Dates and kick-off times below are from FIFA's official match schedule. Times are US Eastern (EDT, UTC-4) with conversions to UK (BST) and India (IST). Dates are US Eastern dates.
| Match / Round | Date | Kick-off (ET) | BST (UK) | IST (India) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Opening Match (Mexico v South Africa, Mexico City) | June 11, 2026 | 3:00 PM (1:00 PM local) | 8:00 PM BST | 12:30 AM IST (Jun 12) |
| Group Stage (72 matches) | Jun 11 to Jun 27, 2026 | 12:00 PM to midnight | 5:00 PM to 5:00 AM (+1) | 9:30 PM to 9:30 AM (+1) |
| Round of 32 (16 matches) | Jun 28 to Jul 3, 2026 | 12:00 PM to 11:00 PM | 5:00 PM to 4:00 AM (+1) | 9:30 PM to 8:30 AM (+1) |
| Round of 16 (8 matches) | Jul 4 to Jul 7, 2026 | 12:00 PM to 9:00 PM | 5:00 PM to 2:00 AM (+1) | 9:30 PM to 6:30 AM (+1) |
| Quarter-finals (4 matches) | Jul 9 to Jul 11, 2026 | 3:00, 4:00, 5:00 and 9:00 PM | 8:00, 9:00, 10:00 PM and 2:00 AM (+1) | 12:30, 1:30, 2:30 and 6:30 AM (+1) |
| Semi-finals (Dallas, Atlanta) | Jul 14 and Jul 15, 2026 | 3:00 PM | 8:00 PM BST | 12:30 AM IST (+1) |
| Third-place match (Miami) | Jul 18, 2026 | 5:00 PM | 10:00 PM BST | 2:30 AM IST (+1) |
| Final | July 19, 2026 (MetLife Stadium, New Jersey) | 3:00 PM | 8:00 PM BST | 12:30 AM IST (Jul 20) |
"+1" means the next calendar day. Source: FIFA official match schedule.
Regional Viewing Guide: How the Kick-offs Landed
United States and Canada
Kick-offs ran from noon to midnight Eastern time, which was 9:00 AM to 9:00 PM Pacific time. The three midnight ET kick-offs were evening matches on the West Coast and in Monterrey. The final (3:00 PM ET) was at 12:00 PM Pacific time.
United Kingdom and Western Europe
Noon ET was 5:00 PM in the UK (BST) and 6:00 PM in France and Germany (CEST). The common 3:00 PM ET kick-off, used for both semi-finals and the final, was 8:00 PM BST. Kick-offs at 7:00 PM ET or later started at or after midnight in the UK, and the latest (midnight ET) started at 5:00 AM BST.
India and South Asia
India (IST, UTC+5:30) is 9 hours 30 minutes ahead of EDT. Noon ET was 9:30 PM IST, 3:00 PM ET was 12:30 AM, 6:00 PM ET was 3:30 AM and 9:00 PM ET was 6:30 AM the next day. Pakistan (UTC+5) was 30 minutes behind these times.
Japan, South Korea and East Asia
Japan and South Korea (UTC+9) are 13 hours ahead of EDT. Late US kick-offs landed the next morning: 9:00 PM ET was 10:00 AM JST/KST and midnight ET was 1:00 PM. Afternoon US kick-offs fell overnight: noon ET was 1:00 AM and 3:00 PM ET, including the final, was 4:00 AM.
Australia
Eastern Australia was on standard time (AEST, UTC+10) in June and July, 14 hours ahead of EDT. 6:00 PM ET was 8:00 AM AEST and 9:00 PM ET was 11:00 AM the next day. The final (3:00 PM ET on July 19) was at 5:00 AM AEST on Monday, July 20.
Frequently Asked Questions
What time was the FIFA World Cup 2026 Final?
The final was played on Sunday, July 19, 2026, at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey (called "New York New Jersey Stadium" during the tournament). It kicked off at 3:00 PM EDT (UTC-4), which was 8:00 PM BST in the UK, 12:30 AM IST on July 20 in India, and 5:00 AM AEST on July 20 in Sydney.
Was the World Cup 2026 played on daylight saving time or standard time in the US?
Daylight saving time. The whole tournament (June 11 to July 19) fell inside the US DST period, so US Eastern clocks were on EDT (UTC-4), not EST (UTC-5). The Mexican host cities were the exception: Mexico no longer uses DST, so Mexico City, Guadalajara and Monterrey stayed on UTC-6.
How many matches were in the 2026 World Cup?
104 matches between 48 teams, up from 64 matches with 32 teams in 2022. The extra matches came from the larger group stage (72 matches) and a new Round of 32.
Which kick-offs were easiest to watch from India?
The noon ET kick-offs (5 matches) were at 9:30 PM IST and the 1:00 PM ET kick-offs (8 matches) at 10:30 PM IST. Everything later fell after midnight in India: 3:00 PM ET was 12:30 AM IST, 6:00 PM ET was 3:30 AM and 9:00 PM ET was 6:30 AM.
Sources
- FIFA – Updated FIFA World Cup 2026 match schedule reveals venues and kick-off times for all 104 matches
- FIFA – World Cup 2026 match schedule, fixtures and results
- FIFA – FIFA World Cup 2026 stadiums in Canada, Mexico and the USA
- IANA – Time Zone Database
- IANA – Time zone database release notes (Mexico 2022, British Columbia 2026)
- Government of British Columbia – B.C.'s new time zone (Pacific time)
- GOV.UK – When do the clocks change?
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