As anticipation builds for the start of the FIFA World Cup 2026, fans around the world will need to check their clocks to make sure they don’t miss their nation’s opening games. With the tournament in North America and covering four time zones, FIFA considered a number of factors when setting match times, including global broadcast requirements to maximize audience and weather. While the substantial time difference means unique start times for Asian nations -- Japan’s 4 p.m. ET opener in Dallas is 5 a.m. the next day at home, for example -- there are some quirks. Scotland opens at 9 p.m. in Boston, which is 2 a.m. BST (the Scots’ two other group games start at 11 p.m. BST). Sweden’s opener is a 10 p.m. start in Monterrey, meaning a 4 a.m. CEST kickoff. (Note: For non-North American nations with multiple time zones, time listed is for the capital city.)
— Chart compiled by Emma Grace Patrick
