England and Scotland will learn their opponents for the group stage of the 2026 World Cup this evening – but they will have to wait another day to learn when and where those fixtures take place.
Next summer’s competition will feature more games than ever in the now-expanded tournament with today’s glamorous ceremony in Washington DC dividing the 48 nations into 12 groups.
Over the years, we have traditionally learned final groups, dates, venues and kick-off times all on the same night.
But anyone looking to get their flights and hotels booked early doors will have to hold off until Saturday.
When are England’s World Cup fixture dates and venues confirmed?
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Given the sheer size of next summer’s competition with 104 matches on the docket, FIFA have taken the decision to give themselves an extra 24 hours to ensure logistics are all correctly in place.
A separate ceremony will take place in Washington DC on Saturday evening, underway at 5pm in the UK.
England and Scotland fans will then find out when and where their group stage games will be taking place.
A FIFA spokesman said: ‘FIFA will unveil the updated match schedule for the FIFA World Cup 2026 in a live global broadcast on Saturday, 6th December from Washington DC.
‘This will take place nearly 24 hours after the world learns of the 12 unprecedented 12 groups of four the at the tournament’s highly anticipated Final Draw.
Confirmed World Cup draw teams and pots
Pot 1: Canada, Mexico, USA, Spain, Argentina, France, England, Brazil, Portugal, Netherlands, Belgium, Germany.
Pot 2: Croatia, Morocco, Colombia, Uruguay, Switzerland, Japan, Senegal, Iran, South Korea, Ecuador, Austria, Australia.
Pot 3: Norway, Panama, Egypt, Algeria, Scotland, Paraguay, Tunisia, Cote d’Ivoire, Uzbekistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, South Africa.
Pot 4: Jordan, Cabo Verde, Ghana, Curacao, Haiti, New Zealand, European play-off winners from path A, B, C, D, and FIFA inter-confederation play-off winners 1 and 2.
European play-off teams and fixtures:
Path A: Winner of Wales/Bosnia & Herzegovina vs winner of Italy/Northern Ireland.
Path B: Winner of Ukraine/Sweden vs winner of Poland/Albania.
Path C: Winner of Slovakia/Kosovo vs winner of Turkiye/Romania.
Path D: Winner of Czechia/Republic of Ireland vs winner of Denmark/North Macedonia.
Each semi-final takes place on March 26, 2026, with the play-off finals scheduled for March 31, 2026.
FIFA inter-confederation play-off teams and fixtures:
Path 1: Winner of New Caledonia/Jamaica vs DR Congo.
Path 2: Winner of Bolivia/Suriname vs Iraq.
Games will take place in a one-off playoff tournament in Mexico on March 26 and March 31, 2026.
‘Unveiled by FIFA President Gianni Infantino, who will be joined on stage by FIFA Legends, and in the audience, by representatives of all 42 qualified teams as well as those still in contention, the reveal show promises to be one of the most significant moments on the road to 2026.
‘Throughout the show, expert insights and reactions will be offered, breaking down the match-ups, analysing key storylines and providing perspectives on the host venues that will welcome the world in June and July next year.’
When does the World Cup start?
The opening game of the 2026 World Cup will take place between hosts Mexico and another of their group stage opponents at the Mexico City Stadium on June 11, 2026.