Atlanta FIFA World Cup 2026 match schedule revealed
ATLANTA, GA - Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, GA. (Photo by Robin Alam/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
ATLANTA - The FIFA World Cup 2026 schedule has been revealed. We now know the match details for games in Atlanta at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
The 23rd FIFA World Cup will be the "biggest and most inclusive ever," according to FOX Sports, with 104 matches across 16 venues in the following cities across Canada, Mexico and the USA: Atlanta, Boston, Dallas, Guadalajara, Houston, Kansas City, Los Angeles, Mexico City, Miami, Monterrey, New York New Jersey, Philadelphia, San Francisco Bay Area, Seattle, Toronto and Vancouver.
The schedule was released in a live broadcast Sunday on FOX.
Atlanta has been chosen to host 8 matches, including one of the semi-final matches in 2026. Atlanta will host five group stage matches along with a Round of 32, Round of 16 and semifinal knockout matches. Here is the schedule:
- June 15 - Group Stage
- June 18 - Group Stage
- June 21 - Group Stage
- June 24- Group Stage
- June 27 - Group Stage
- July 1 - Round of 32
- July 7 - Round of 16
- July 15 - Semifinal
The U.S. Men's National Team will play all three of their group stage games on the West Coast: Two games in Los Angeles and one game in Seattle.
The 2026 World Cup final will take place in New York/New Jersey on July 19.
FIFA World Cup 2026 format
The World Cup group stage format for 2026 was changed to 12 groups of four teams from 16 groups of three teams, increasing the total to 104 matches from 64 in the 2022 tournament in Qatar.
To win a World Cup, a nation will have to play eight games, up from the seven in place since 1974.
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A general view of Brazuca and the FIFA World Cup Trophy (Photo by Alexandre Loureiro/Getty Images for adidas)
The top two teams in each group and the top eight third-place teams will advance to a new round of 32 that starts the knockout phase. Advancement for third-place teams was eliminated for 1998, when the tournament expanded from 24 teams to 32.
More matches mean more content for television broadcasters and more tickets to sell, increasing revenue for FIFA. The 2026 FIFA World Cup will be broadcast on FOX.