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The Independent UK
The Independent UK
Sport
Lawrence Ostlere

World Cup fixtures: Which teams are playing this week?

  • The 2026 World Cup kicks off this week with a new format for Fifa’s giant 48-team tournament .
  • Thursday (local time) sees Mexico play South Africa, while South Korea goes head-to-head with the Czech Republic.
  • On Friday , Group B’s Canada takes on Bosnia & Herzegovina, while the USA plays Paraguay.
  • Looking ahead to the weekend, on Saturday , Qatar will challenge Switzerland, Brazil takes on Morocco, Haiti plays Scotland and Group D’s Australia goes up against Turkey.
  • Rounding up the first week, on Sunday , Germany plays Curacao, the Netherlands takes on Japan, the Ivory Coast goes head-to-head with Ecuador and Sweden face Tunisia.

IN FULL

World Cup 2026 fixtures: Full schedule, kick-off times and groups

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