The Road to 2026: FIFA Unveils Official Match Schedule for Biggest World Cup in History
KATHMANDU: Get your coffee ready, Nepal. The FIFA World Cup 2026 is coming to the Americas, and for Nepali fans, that means a month of late nights and early mornings.
FIFA has released the official schedule for the expanded 48-team tournament hosted by the USA, Mexico, and Canada. Because Kathmandu (UTC+5:45) is significantly ahead of the host zones, the “football day” will look different here.
While official kick-off clock times are yet to be confirmed, afternoon and evening matches in North America will air live in Nepal during the **late night (approx. 11:00 PM) to early morning (approx. 7:00 AM)** the following day.
Below is the match calendar adjusted for **Nepal Standard Time (NST)**.
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NEPAL STANDARD TIME (NST) SCHEDULE
*Dates below represent when the matches will air in Nepal.*
— OPENING MATCHES —
Friday, June 12, 2026 (Morning NST)
– Opening Match: Mexico vs. TBD (Played in Mexico City)
– Group A Match (Played in Guadalajara)
Saturday, June 13, 2026 (Morning NST)
– Canada vs. TBD (Played in Toronto)
– USA vs. TBD (Played in Los Angeles)
— GROUP STAGES (Daily Action) —
June 13 – June 28, 2026
Matches will be played daily during this window. Based on time zones, Nepali fans can expect up to four matches per day, likely airing in these estimated windows:
– Slot 1: Approx. 10:45 PM or 11:45 PM NST (Previous Night)
– Slot 2: Approx. 1:45 AM or 2:45 AM NST
– Slot 3: Approx. 5:45 AM or 6:45 AM NST
– Slot 4: Approx. 8:45 AM NST (West Coast matches)
Key Group Stage Windows (Nepal Dates):
– June 12: Mexico Opening
– June 13: Canada & USA Openers
– June 19: Mexico Match 2
– June 20: USA Match 2
– June 25: Canada Match 3 & Mexico Match 3
– June 26: USA Match 3
– June 28: Final Group Stage Matches
— KNOCKOUT ROUNDS (NST) —
ROUND OF 32
Monday, June 29, 2026
– Matches from Los Angeles & Boston
Tuesday, June 30, 2026
– Matches from Seattle, Houston, Monterrey
Wednesday, July 1, 2026
– Matches from New York/NJ, Dallas, Mexico City
Thursday, July 2, 2026
– Matches from Atlanta, San Francisco, Vancouver
Friday, July 3, 2026
– Matches from Toronto, Los Angeles, Kansas City
Saturday, July 4, 2026
– Matches from Miami, Dallas
ROUND OF 16
Sunday, July 5, 2026
– Matches from Philadelphia, Houston
Monday, July 6, 2026
– Matches from New York/NJ, Mexico City
Tuesday, July 7, 2026
– Matches from Dallas, Seattle
Wednesday, July 8, 2026
– Matches from Atlanta, Vancouver
QUARTERFINALS
Friday, July 10, 2026
– Quarterfinal 1 (Boston)
Saturday, July 11, 2026
– Quarterfinal 2 (Los Angeles)
Sunday, July 12, 2026
– Quarterfinal 3 (Miami)
– Quarterfinal 4 (Kansas City)
SEMIFINALS
Wednesday, July 15, 2026
– Semifinal 1 (Played in Dallas) – Expected Early Morning NST
Thursday, July 16, 2026
– Semifinal 2 (Played in Atlanta) – Expected Early Morning NST
— THE FINALS (NST) —
Sunday, July 19, 2026
– Bronze Medal Match (Played in Miami)
– Expected Kick-off: Early Morning NST
Monday, July 20, 2026
– THE WORLD CUP FINAL (Played in New York / New Jersey)
– Expected Kick-off: Early Morning NST
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TIME ZONE CHEAT SHEET FOR NEPALI FANS
To help you calculate specific times once teams are drawn, here is the conversion:
– New York/Toronto Matches (Eastern Time):
Nepal is 9 hours 45 minutes AHEAD.
(e.g., A 8:00 PM match in NY airs at 5:45 AM next day in Kathmandu).
– Dallas/Mexico City Matches (Central Time):
Nepal is 10 hours 45 minutes to 11 hours 45 minutes AHEAD.
(e.g., A 8:00 PM match in Dallas airs at 6:45 AM next day in Kathmandu).
– Los Angeles/Vancouver Matches (Pacific Time):
Nepal is 12
