Every Key Date Left Before the July 19 Final
The 2026 World Cup runs from June 11 to July 19. As of early July the group stage and round of 32 are complete, and the calendar below covers what is still to come.
If you are planning a late trip, the venue for each remaining round is already fixed — only the teams change — so the dates and cities below are safe to book around.
Quick facts
- Tournament: June 11 – July 19, 2026 (39 days).
- Round of 16: July 4–7. Quarter-finals: July 9–11.
- Semi-finals: July 14 (Arlington) and July 15 (Atlanta).
- Third place: July 18 (Miami). Final: Sunday, July 19 (MetLife Stadium, New Jersey).
Sponsored
Frequently asked questions
- When did the 2026 World Cup start?
- June 11, with the opening match at Estadio Azteca in Mexico City — the same stadium that staged the finals of 1970 and 1986.
- When is the World Cup 2026 final?
- Sunday, July 19 at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, just across the Hudson from Manhattan.
- Are there rest days in the knockout schedule?
- A few. July 8 sits between the round of 16 and the quarter-finals, and July 12–13 separate the quarter-finals from the semis — useful travel days if you are following a team between cities.
- How long is the 2026 tournament overall?
- 39 days, the longest World Cup played to date — the stretch needed to fit 104 matches and 48 teams into one summer.
- Which travel dates should I book early?
- Departures from Newark, JFK and LaGuardia on Monday, July 20 — the day after the final — fill fastest with outbound fans. Flying home on July 21 or later is noticeably easier.