The biggest World Cup in history kicks off on 11 June 2026 with hosts Mexico facing South Africa at the Estadio Azteca in Mexico City.
Across the following 39 days, 48 nations will play 104 matches in 16 cities across the United States, Canada, and Mexico — the first edition under the expanded format and the first tournament FIFA has shared between three hosts.
For UK fans, every game is free-to-air on the BBC and ITV. Here is the guide to fixtures, kick-off times, viewing setups, and the storylines worth tracking.
The Big Picture: 48 Teams, 16 Cities, 39 Days
England and Scotland are both at the tournament, drawn in Group L and Group C respectively. Wales, Northern Ireland, and the Republic of Ireland all fell short in March’s European playoffs, with Bosnia and Herzegovina, Czechia, and Turkey claiming the European spots ahead of them.
Italy, again, missed out — a third consecutive World Cup absence for the four-time champions. UK fans following along should know that every single one of the tournament’s 104 matches will be broadcast free-to-air by the BBC and ITV in the UK, with streaming via BBC iPlayer, ITVX, and STV Player. That covers travel within the UK and most situations at home. For fans abroad during June and July — on holiday, working overseas, or otherwise outside the UK — those streaming services apply geo-restrictions, which is why many travellers run a VPN to access UK broadcasters from their hotel Wi-Fi; ExpressVPN offers apps for most major operating systems, which matters because most fans are watching across phone, tablet, laptop, and smart TV during a tournament this long.
The format is new. Twelve groups of four. Top two from each group advance, plus the eight best third-place teams, into a Round of 32 that begins on 28 June. From there the knockouts run on a single-elimination bracket through to the final at MetLife Stadium (officially the New York New Jersey Stadium) on Sunday 19 July.
England And Scotland’s Group-Stage Schedule
Both home nations face genuinely tricky opening campaigns. England, drawn against Croatia, Ghana, and Panama, have a familiar foe in Croatia — a repeat of the 2018 semi-final that Croatia won in extra time. Scotland’s group is the harder draw on paper: Brazil, Morocco (current AFCON winners), and Haiti.
| Team | Opponent | Date | Kick-off (BST) | Venue | UK Channel |
| England | Croatia | Wed 17 June | 9pm | Dallas Stadium, Arlington | ITV |
| England | Ghana | Tue 23 June | 9pm | Boston Stadium, Foxborough | BBC |
| England | Panama | Sat 27 June | 10pm | NY/NJ Stadium, East Rutherford | ITV |
| Scotland | Haiti | TBC June | TBC | TBC | BBC |
| Scotland | Morocco | Fri 19 June | 11pm | TBC | ITV |
| Scotland | Brazil | TBC June | TBC | Miami Stadium | BBC |
A note on the kick-off times: all three of England’s group matches air in UK prime-time evening, which is convenient. Scotland’s Morocco fixture, however, has an 11pm BST start — late, but workable. Games taking place in Pacific Time venues (Los Angeles, Vancouver, Seattle) are the ones to watch out for, with several of those kicking off around 3am BST.
How the UK Broadcast Split Works
BBC Sport and ITV Sport have shared free-to-air World Cup rights in the UK since 1966, and the 2026 tournament continues that arrangement. ITV holds 29 group-stage matches including England’s opener against Croatia and the tournament’s opening fixture (Mexico vs South Africa). The BBC holds the rest of the group-stage allocation, plus headline matches involving Argentina, France, Portugal, Brazil, and the Netherlands.
For the knockout rounds, ITV has first pick of the Round of 16 and one of the semi-finals, while the BBC takes the bulk of England’s knockout fixtures — should Tuchel’s side progress, the Round of 32, Round of 16, and a potential semi-final will all be on BBC One and iPlayer. The final on 19 July is broadcast on both. In Scotland, STV carries the ITV games via the STV Player streaming service alongside the main STV channel.
Streaming Considerations
The streaming side is straightforward in principle and slightly more complicated in practice:
- BBC iPlayer carries all BBC matches with a valid UK TV licence
- ITVX carries all ITV matches with a free account
- STV Player carries STV’s coverage in Scotland
- A reliable home broadband connection and a wired or Wi-Fi 5+ setup will handle 4K streams without issue
- Mobile data plans drop quality on iPlayer/ITVX by default — switch to Wi-Fi for any match you want to watch in HD
For viewing from abroad, the UK TV licence still applies to live BBC content even when accessed from outside the country.
Key Dates To Plan Around
A few moments are worth blocking out in advance:
- Thursday 11 June (8pm BST) — Opening match: Mexico vs South Africa, Estadio Azteca, on ITV
- Wednesday 17 June (9pm BST) — England’s opener vs Croatia, Dallas, ITV1
- Friday 19 June (11pm BST) — Scotland vs Morocco, ITV
- Tuesday 23 June (9pm BST) — England vs Ghana, Boston, BBC One
- Saturday 27 June (10pm BST) — England vs Panama, New Jersey, ITV; group stage ends
- Sunday 28 June — Round of 32 begins
- Tuesday 14 / Wednesday 15 July — Semi-finals at AT&T Stadium (Dallas) and Mercedes-Benz Stadium (Atlanta)
- Sunday 19 July (8pm BST) — Final at MetLife Stadium, broadcast on both BBC and ITV
What To Actually Watch For
England’s tactical question this summer is Tuchel’s settled XI versus the depth he has in midfield and forward areas. Croatia in the opener will be the immediate test, with Luka Modrić expected to be appearing at what is widely assumed to be his final World Cup at 40. Scotland’s challenge is sharper still: surviving a group with Brazil is hard, but Morocco’s AFCON form makes the Atlas Lions a serious second-place threat, and Haiti are a genuine wildcard rather than the formality casual observers might expect.
Beyond the home nations, the storylines are everywhere. Ronaldo is set for a sixth World Cup appearance for Portugal. Lionel Messi returns to defend Argentina’s title after the dramatic 2022 run in Qatar. Curaçao, under Dick Advocaat, become the smallest nation by population ever to appear at a men’s World Cup. Italy, again, will be watching from home.
For UK fans, the practical setup is the easy part — pick BBC iPlayer or ITVX, set your alarm for the late kick-offs in Pacific Time venues, and accept that there will be at least one knockout match airing at 1am BST that you’ll be tempted to watch live. The harder part is the actual football. After 39 days and 104 matches, somewhere in North America on 19 July, one of 48 teams will lift the trophy. If you want to follow the home nations into the knockouts, the live blogs and match reports at The Football Freak cover England, Scotland, and the wider tournament throughout. For tournament data, the official FIFA tournament page carries the live schedule, results, and statistics as they update.