World Cup 2026 kickoff times in GST
All 104 matches of the FIFA World Cup 2026, in Gulf Standard (GST). 69 kickoffs fall in overnight hours.
GST (UTC+4) is the Gulf — UAE, Oman, Kuwait. Saudi Arabia is an hour behind on AST. The opener is Thursday 11 June at 23:00 GST; the final is Sunday 19 July at 23:00 GST. Kickoffs split between the GST evening (East-Coast US afternoon games) and early mornings (West-Coast US evenings).
Group stage
Round of 32
Round of 16
Third-place play-off
Final
Frequently asked questions
What time does the 2026 World Cup start in GST?
The 2026 FIFA World Cup opening match kicks off at Thu 11 Jun 23:00 GST — Mexico vs South Africa at Estadio Azteca, Mexico City.
What time is the 2026 World Cup final in GST?
The 2026 FIFA World Cup final kicks off at Sun 19 Jul 23:00 GST at MetLife Stadium, New York/New Jersey on 2026-07-19.
How many late-night kickoffs are there in GST?
69 of 104 matches kick off in overnight hours (before 7am or after 11pm) in Gulf Standard (GST).
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 Gulf Standard (GST) (Asia/Dubai) using IANA timezone data.