FIFA will be forced to delay by one day the publication of the full match schedule for the 2026 World Cup, pushing it back from the date of the draw.
While the draw is set to take place next Friday evening in the U.S. capital, Washington, the complete match calendar will not be unveiled until the following Saturday.
This concerns each match, its date, kick-off time, and the stadium where it will be played.
The United States, Canada, and Mexico will jointly host the World Cup finals from June 11 to July 19, 2026.
The reason for the delay stems from the considerable distance between the host nations (the United States, Canada, and Mexico) and the heart of global football activity—particularly Europe, which FIFA has long been careful not to unsettle.
The organization led by Gianni Infantino does not want, for example, a British employee to be forced to watch his national team’s match at three in the morning or at a similarly inconvenient hour.
FIFA will therefore work to establish a schedule tailored to European audiences, both in terms of timing and stadium selection, while also taking into account the residential concentration of each country’s expatriate communities to determine host cities and venues.
During the 2002 World Cup in South Korea and Japan, the English — especially workers — voiced frustration over matches held in the morning. The discontent even echoed through the corridors of Tony Blair’s government at the time.
In any case, and due to the time difference, FIFA is bound to run into a formidable obstacle as it finalizes the tournament schedule.
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