Fifa to broadcast World Cup match schedule unveiling on Dec 6
Sign up now: Get the biggest sports news in your inbox
FIFA said the post-draw match allocation process aims to create optimal conditions for players and supporters.
PHOTO: REUTERS
Follow topic:
PARIS – FIFA will reveal the updated match schedule for the 2026 World Cup in a live global broadcast from Washington on Dec 6, nearly 24 hours after the Finals draw determines the tournament’s unprecedented 12 groups of four.
The show, set for noon Eastern Standard Time (1am on Dec 7, Singapore time), will confirm venues and kick-off times for all 104 matches of the expanded 48-team tournament to be staged across the United States, Canada and Mexico from June 11 to July 19, 2026, football’s world governing body said in a statement on Dec 1.
FIFA president Gianni Infantino will lead the presentation alongside former players, with representatives from the 42 teams already qualified – and those still in contention – expected to be in attendance.
Iran, however, said it will boycott the Dec 5 draw in protest at the limited allocation of visas, its football federation said on Nov 28.
FIFA did not respond to requests from comment from Reuters.
It said the post-draw match allocation process aims to create optimal conditions for players and supporters and, where possible, allow viewing across multiple time zones.
The final version of the schedule will be confirmed in March once the remaining six qualification spots have been filled through the play-offs.
The 2026 World Cup – the first to feature 48 teams and 104 matches – will be hosted by 16 cities across three countries, with almost two million tickets already sold.
On Dec 1, the White House confirmed US President Donald Trump would attend the draw for the Finals.
“On Friday, President Trump will attend the FIFA World Cup final draw at the Kennedy Center,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters.
Mr Trump has made the World Cup a centrepiece event of both his second presidency and the 250th anniversary of US independence in 2026. But the giant sporting extravaganza has not escaped the political turmoil caused by his hardline stance on a host of issues.
The 79-year-old Republican has raised the possibility of moving games from some US host cities, amid a crackdown on what he says is crime and illegal migration in some Democratic-run areas.
REUTERS, AFP
