KickoffTimesworldcupkickofftimes.com

Central European (CEST)

World Cup 2026 kickoff times in CEST

All 104 matches of the FIFA World Cup 2026, in Central European (CEST). 69 kickoffs fall in overnight hours.

Central European Summer Time (CEST, UTC+2) is the clock for most of continental Europe through the tournament. 69 of the 104 kickoffs fall between 22:00 and 06:00 CEST, 50 of them after midnight. The tournament opens Thursday 11 June at 21:00 CEST with Mexico vs South Africa at the Azteca; the final is Sunday 19 July at 21:00 CEST.

For Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Netherlands, Belgium, Portugal, Austria and Switzerland fans, East-Coast US kickoffs sit roughly 21:00–03:00 CEST. West-Coast games push into 04:00–06:00 CEST — early-alarm matches for anything played in Los Angeles, Seattle or Vancouver.

Group stage

Group A · Thu 11 Jun

Group A · Fri 12 Jun

Group B · Fri 12 Jun

Bosnia and Herzegovina

Group D · Sat 13 Jun

Group C · Sun 14 Jun

Group D · Sun 14 Jun

Group C · Sun 14 Jun

Group B · Sat 13 Jun

Group E · Mon 15 Jun

Group E · Sun 14 Jun

Group F · Sun 14 Jun

Group F · Mon 15 Jun

Group H · Tue 16 Jun

Group H · Mon 15 Jun

Group G · Tue 16 Jun

Group G · Mon 15 Jun

Group I · Tue 16 Jun

Group I · Wed 17 Jun

Group J · Wed 17 Jun

Group J · Wed 17 Jun

Group L · Wed 17 Jun

Group L · Wed 17 Jun

Group K · Wed 17 Jun

Group K · Thu 18 Jun

Group A · Thu 18 Jun

Group B · Thu 18 Jun

Bosnia and Herzegovina

Group B · Fri 19 Jun

Group A · Fri 19 Jun

Group C · Sat 20 Jun

Group C · Sat 20 Jun

Group D · Sat 20 Jun

Group D · Fri 19 Jun

Group E · Sat 20 Jun

Group E · Sun 21 Jun

Group F · Sat 20 Jun

Group F · Sun 21 Jun

Group H · Mon 22 Jun

Group H · Sun 21 Jun

Group G · Mon 22 Jun

Group G · Mon 22 Jun

Group I · Tue 23 Jun

Group I · Mon 22 Jun

Group J · Mon 22 Jun

Group J · Tue 23 Jun

Group L · Tue 23 Jun

Group L · Wed 24 Jun

Group K · Tue 23 Jun

Group K · Wed 24 Jun

Group C · Thu 25 Jun

Group C · Thu 25 Jun

Group B · Wed 24 Jun

Group B · Wed 24 Jun

Bosnia and Herzegovina

Group A · Thu 25 Jun

Group A · Thu 25 Jun

Group E · Thu 25 Jun

Group E · Thu 25 Jun

Group F · Fri 26 Jun

Group F · Fri 26 Jun

Group D · Fri 26 Jun

Group D · Fri 26 Jun

Group I · Fri 26 Jun

Group I · Fri 26 Jun

Group G · Sat 27 Jun

Group G · Sat 27 Jun

Group H · Sat 27 Jun

Group H · Sat 27 Jun

Group L · Sat 27 Jun

Group L · Sat 27 Jun

Group J · Sun 28 Jun

Group J · Sun 28 Jun

Group K · Sun 28 Jun

Group K · Sun 28 Jun

Round of 32

Round of 32 · Sun 28 Jun

Runner-up Group A

Runner-up Group B

Round of 32 · Mon 29 Jun

3rd place (A/B/C/D/F)

Round of 32 · Tue 30 Jun

Runner-up Group C

Round of 32 · Mon 29 Jun

Runner-up Group F

Round of 32 · Tue 30 Jun

3rd place (C/D/F/G/H)

Round of 32 · Tue 30 Jun

Runner-up Group E

Runner-up Group I

Round of 32 · Wed 1 Jul

3rd place (C/E/F/H/I)

Round of 32 · Wed 1 Jul

3rd place (E/H/I/J/K)

Round of 32 · Thu 2 Jul

3rd place (B/E/F/I/J)

Round of 32 · Wed 1 Jul

3rd place (A/E/H/I/J)

Round of 32 · Fri 3 Jul

Runner-up Group K

Runner-up Group L

Round of 32 · Thu 2 Jul

Runner-up Group J

Round of 32 · Fri 3 Jul

3rd place (E/F/G/I/J)

Round of 32 · Sat 4 Jul

Runner-up Group H

Round of 32 · Sat 4 Jul

3rd place (D/E/I/J/L)

Round of 32 · Fri 3 Jul

Runner-up Group D

Runner-up Group G

Round of 16

Round of 16 · Sat 4 Jul

Round of 16 · Sat 4 Jul

Round of 16 · Sun 5 Jul

Round of 16 · Mon 6 Jul

Round of 16 · Mon 6 Jul

Round of 16 · Tue 7 Jul

Round of 16 · Tue 7 Jul

Round of 16 · Tue 7 Jul

Third-place play-off

Third-place play-off · Sat 18 Jul

Final

Final · Sun 19 Jul

Frequently asked questions

What time does the 2026 World Cup start in CEST?

The 2026 FIFA World Cup opening match kicks off at Thu 11 Jun 21:00 CEST — Mexico vs South Africa at Estadio Azteca, Mexico City.

What time is the 2026 World Cup final in CEST?

The 2026 FIFA World Cup final kicks off at Sun 19 Jul 21:00 CEST at MetLife Stadium, New York/New Jersey on 2026-07-19.

How many late-night kickoffs are there in CEST?

69 of 104 matches kick off in overnight hours (before 7am or after 11pm) in Central European (CEST).

Is this schedule official?

All times are converted from FIFA's official 2026 World Cup schedule and verified manually. Kickoffs are stored in UTC and converted to Central European (CEST) (Europe/Berlin) using IANA timezone data.

Related pages

Opening match The Final Knockout stage Today's matches All timezones