World Cup 2026, calendar made official: "European" schedule for Italy (if it qualifies)

On the heels of the draws made in Washington, FIFA made official the 104-match schedule for the 2026 World Cup, hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico. Italy, whose qualification necessarily hinges on winning the Uefa Zone Playoff A, would make its debut in Toronto against Canada on Friday, June 12, at 9 p.m. Italian time (3 p.m. local time). The Azzurri would then play their second match six days later, on Thursday, June 18, against Switzerland in Los Angeles, also at 9 p.m. Italian time (it will be noon in California), after a 3,500-kilometer move.

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last match of the round would instead be with Qatar, scheduled again at 9 p.m. Italian time again on the West Coast, this time in Seattle (it will also be noon at Lumen Field). The match will be played at the same time as the’other final match in Group B, that between Canada and Switzerland. Schedules “European” therefore, which would rule out the need to set the alarm clock during the night to follow Italy, always assuming that the team coached by Rino Gattuso overcomes in the playoff first Northern Ireland in the semifinal in Bergamo and then, away, the winner of Wales-Bosnia Herzegovina.

Turning to the World Cup schedule, the round of 16 will be played June 28-July 3, the round of 16 July 4-7, the quarterfinals July 9-11, the semifinals July 14 and 15, the final for third place July 18, and the grand final July 19 at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, home of New York&#8217s two NFL member franchises, the Giants and Jets. The d’starting time of the final will still be at 9 p.m. Italian time, thus confirming the desire to make viewing easily available to European audiences. Italy, after its two consecutive failures to qualify for the 2018 and 2022 reviews, is hoping to at least make a repeat appearance in the group stage.

The 2026 World Cup will be played in sixteen different stadiums: in the United States in Seattle, San Francisco (Santa Clara), Los Angeles, Houston, Dallas, Kansas City, Atlanta, Miami, Boston, Philadelphia, and New York (East Rutherford); in Canada in Vancouver and Toronto; and in Mexico in Guadalajara, Mexico City, and Monterrey.

Francesco Lucivero