World Cup 2026 Full Schedule: All Match Dates & Kick-Off Times (East Africa Time)

The World Cup 2026 schedule in East Africa Time is here – every single match, converted from US time zones to EAT (UTC+3) to spare football fans in Uganda‚ Kenya‚ Tanzania‚ Ethiopia and Rwanda the effort of converting from the local time zones․ It details all 104 matches of the tournament from the opening match on 11 June 2026 to the Final on 19 July․ There are nine African countries participating in the tournament‚ and we have highlighted the fixture of every one of them․

About the 2026 FIFA World Cup

The 2026 FIFA World Cup will be the 23rd edition‌ of the FIFA World Cup‚ the quadrennial international men’s‌ football championship contested by the men’s national teams of the member associations of FIFA․ It will be the largest World Cup to date‚ and‌ the first to‌ be hosted by three countries: The United States‚ Canada‚ and Mexico․ The 48-team tournament (the first with an expanded format due to Qatar‌ 2022 having 32 teams) will be held in 16 venues‌ across three host countries over 39 days․

There is a new Round of 32 between the group stage and customary Round of 16‚ meaning there will be even more football‚ even more upsets and even more chances for African countries to progress․ For East African fans‚ the Final will be on a Sunday night at 10:00pm EAT – the best slot․

The African teams for World Cup 2026 are Morocco (Group C) ‚ Senegal (Group I) ‚ Egypt (Group G) ‚ South Africa (Group A) ‚ DR Congo (Group K) ‚ Ivory Coast (Group E) ‚ Cape Verde (Group H) ‚ Algeria (Group J) ‚ and Ghana (Group L) ․

How East Africa Time Compares to US Time Zones

All times in this guide are given as US Eastern Time (UTC-5/UTC-4) converted into East Africa Time (UTC+3): to convert an ET kick-off time to EAT‚ add 7 hours to the ET time․

Note: All US times use Summer Daylight Saving Time. Games at 12:00 AM ET kick off at 7:00 AM EAT the same morning.

Best and Worst Kick-Off Times for East Africa Fans

Not every slot works for an East African audience․ Below is your guide to prime slots and the ones you’d need an alarm clock to see.

Prime-time for East Africa:

• 12:00 PM ET = 7:00 PM EAT
• 1:00 PM ET = 8:00 PM EAT
• 3:00 PM ET = 10:00 PM EAT
• 4:00 PM ET = 11:00 PM EAT

Challenging slots (set an alarm):

• 6:00 PM ET = 1:00 AM EAT
• 8:00 PM ET = 3:00 AM EAT
• 9:00 PM ET = 4:00 AM EAT
• 10:00 PM ET = 5:00 AM EAT

With all the group stage matches scheduled at the afternoon US slots‚ East Africa audiences are guaranteed to watch the games comfortably in the evening hours․ The Final on Sunday 19 July at 10:00 pm EAT is about as good as it gets․

Group Stage Schedule – East Africa Time (Jun 11 – Jun 27, 2026)

The group stage runs from 11 June to 27 June 2026. All 48 teams play three matches each across 12 groups (A through L). [AF] marks African nations.

Week 1: June 11 – June 17

Week 2: June 18 – June 23

Final Matchday: June 24 – June 27 (Simultaneous kick-offs per group)

Knockout Stage Schedule – East Africa Time (Jun 28 – Jul 19, 2026)

The knockout rounds consist of a new Round of 32‚ played on 28 June‚ through to the Final‚ played on 19 July 2026․ Each round is a single-elimination match‚ increasing the stakes with every match in the knockout phase.

Round of 32 (June 28 – July 3)

Round of 16 (July 4 – July 7)

Quarterfinals (July 9 – July 11)

Semifinals (July 14 – July 15)

Third-Place Match (July 18)

World Cup Final – Sunday, 19 July 2026

10:00 PM EAT | MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey

The biggest night in football comes at 10:00 PM EAT on a Sunday night․ For all the football fans from Kampala to Nairobi to Dar es Salaam‚ that is as good as it gets․ What does that mean? It means you get the full match‚ no alarm needed‚ no school night excuse to leave early․ So‚ put 19 July in your calendars․

Key Matches to Watch from East Africa

Some fixtures stand out more than others for East African viewers – whether for the African teams involved, the EAT kick-off time, or the sheer size of the occasion.

Mexico vs. South Africa (Opening Match)

Thu, 11 Jun | 10:00 PM EAT | Estadio Azteca, Mexico City

South Africa will kick off the tournament at the iconic Estadio Azteca – a match in the best evening time slot on the continent and the biggest game for the Bafana Bafana․ A strong performance here sets the tone for South Africa’s entire Group A campaign․

Brazil vs. Morocco

Sun, 14 Jun | 1:00 AM EAT | MetLife Stadium, NJ

Morocco opens Group C against five-time champions Brazil at MetLife Stadium․ This match will be the first indication of whether their historic semifinal run last year was a fluke‚ or if the Atlas Lions can repeat it․ Late kick-off at 1:00 AM EAT‚ but this is one that is truly worth staying up for․

France vs. Senegal

Tue, 16 Jun | 10:00 PM EAT | MetLife Stadium, NJ

The Lions of Teranga versus France is a highly anticipated match-up‚ with Senegal being one of the top African teams‚ in a tournament that customarily features France as one of the main favorites to win the tournament․ A 10:00 pm EAT kickoff would put the game in primetime across the entire region․

Tunisia vs. Japan – 1,000th World Cup Match

Sat, 20 Jun | 7:00 AM EAT | Estadio BBVA, Monterrey

Tunisia vs․ Japan is the 1000th World Cup match and that alone makes it one of the most memorable fixtures of the group stage․ Both side will be desperate for the three points – Tunisia to have any chance of progressing in Group F‚ and Japan always a threat․ The 7:00 AM EAT kick-off is an early one‚ but set your alarm and watch history happen live․

England vs. Ghana

Tue, 23 Jun | 11:00 PM EAT | Gillette Stadium, Foxborough

Ghana take on England in Group L at the Gillette Stadium․ As one of Europe’s big guns‚ the Black Stars will be looking for an upset in front of what will be a brilliant atmosphere․ The match kicks off shortly before midnight EAT‚ which is quite late‚ but it’s definitely worth it․

World Cup Final

Sun, 19 Jul | 10:00 PM EAT | MetLife Stadium, NJ

The best possible viewing slot for all of East Africa: the culmination of 39 days of football․ All of the teams still standing have already overcome 6 opponents in earlier rounds․ Sit back at 10:00 PM EAT on a Sunday and watch the two best teams in the world battle it out․

What Is the Round of 32?

All teams that progress through the group‌ stage will advance to the knockout stage‚ which from the 2026 tournament onwards will include an additional stage (the Round of 32)‌ before the Round of 16․ This allows‌ more teams to qualify for the knockout stage‚ but‌ also means that an African team that finishes first or second in their group faces an additional match․

Eight elimination matches will be played for fans who can attend the tournament matches between 28 June and 3 July․ Out of the sixteen matches played between 7:00 pm and 11:30 pm EAT‚ six matches will be conducted within the prime time period․

Alternatively, see the format and groups of the 2026 World Cup and complete Africa CAF qualifier table for how they reached this stage․ Want to know which African teams are most likely to reach the quarterfinals? Read our analysis here․ To see the qualifications of all 48 teams and group-stage fixtures‚ check out our Africa World Cup 2026 guide․