Calendar, schedules, television: practical information about the Football World Cup
The World Championship is expanded to 48 teams and represents a generational change of footballers
BarcelonaThe World Cup, the most important and anticipated sporting event of the year, is now entering its final phase. From now on, there is no room for error for the 48 teams that, from Thursday, June 11, are competing with a single objective: to be in the final on Sunday, July 19 (9 p.m.) which will be played at the MetLife Stadium located in New Jersey (near New York).
The United States, Canada, and Mexico are hosting the 2026 World Cup this June and July, the first to feature 48 teams (instead of the previous 32). Three countries and sixteen cities are hosting the 104 matches of an event that represents a generational shift in the world of football. It is – in principle – the last World Cup for Leo Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, among others, and for the emergence of new global stars like Lamine Yamal, who is playing in his first World Cup.
When are the World Cup qualifiers for the United States, Canada and Mexico played?
A total of 32 teams have qualified for the final stage of this World Cup, which will begin on Sunday, June 28, with the first round of 32 match between South Africa and Canada (9 p.m.) in Los Angeles.
The round of 16 will begin on Saturday, July 4 (7 PM), the quarterfinals on Thursday, July 9 (10 PM), and the semifinals will be on Tuesday, July 14 (9 PM) and Wednesday, July 15 (9 PM). Finally, the third and fourth place match will be played on Saturday, July 18 (11 PM) in Miami, and the grand final in New Jersey will be on Sunday, July 19 at 9 PM.
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When does the Spain of the eight FC Barcelona players play?
The Spanish team – which has up to eight Barcelona players and no Real Madrid player– will play the round of 32 on Thursday, July 2 at 9 p.m. in the Los Angeles stadium. As first in group H, it will face Austria, second in group J. If they advance, Luis de la Fuente's team will play in the round of 16 on Monday, July 6, against PortugalorCroatiato Dallas at 9 p.m. The quarterfinals would be on Friday, July 10 (9 p.m.) in Los Angeles, and the semifinals would again be in Dallas on Tuesday, July 14 (9 p.m.).
Joan Garcia, Pau Cubarsí, Eric Garcia, Pedri, Gavi, Lamine Yamal, Ferran Torres and Dani Olmo are the eight Barça players who are competing in the World Cup with the Spanish national team, who arrive as the reigning European champions.
When do the favorite World Cup teams play?
One of the main favorites for the title is France. Didier Deschamps' team – first in group I – will play the round of 16 against Sweden on Tuesday, June 30 in New Jersey (11 p.m.). If they win, they would face the winner of Germany-Paraguay in the quarter-finals, which will be played on Monday, June 29 (10:30 p.m.) in Boston. Before that, at 7 p.m., on Monday the 29th, Brazil will play the round of 16against Japan in Houston. Everything is indicated in Catalan hours.
What path will Leo Messi's Argentina take in his last World Cup?
After winning the World Cup in 2022 and lifting the last major title missing in the world of football, Leo Messi continues to make history and break records in the World Cups. At 39 years old, he has led the Argentine national team to first place in group J with six goals in three matches, placing him as the top scorer in the World Cups with 19 goals. The team of Lionel Scaloni has a very accessible path to the semifinals, where they could face Brazil or England.
Argentina will play the round of 32 against Cape Verde – one of the teams that has surprised in the group stage and knocked out Uruguay –. It will be on Saturday, July 4 in Miami (00 h). If they advance, they would play against Australia or Egypt in the round of 16.
Another of the footballers who will experience his last World Cup is Cristiano Ronaldo. Portugal will play the round of 16 against Croatia on Friday, July 3 (1 p.m.) in Toronto, and in the round of 16 they would face Spain or Austria.
Both Leo Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are competing in their sixth World Cup.
On which television channel can the World Cup matches be watched?
Spanish Television, through La 1, will offer one match per day free of charge during the group stage, starting with the inaugural match on Thursday, June 11. It will also broadcast all of Spain's matches, some of the round of 16 and quarter-finals, both semi-finals, and the final. Additionally, as a new feature, in Catalonia these matches can be followed in Catalan through La 2. For those who don't want to miss anything, Movistar and DAZN will offer all 104 matches.