Why FIFA World Cup 2026 Final Will Be Played In The Afternoon?

The World Cup final is scheduled to start at 3 p.m. EDT on July 19 at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

FIFA announced the start times for the tournament’s 104 matches on Saturday, following

the draw for the expanded 48-nation tournament to be held in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico. The kickoff time allows for prime-time viewing in Europe at 9 p.m. and in Britain at 8 p.m.

MetLife Stadium is an open-air venue. According to AccuWeather, the average 3 p.m. temperature in East Rutherford on July 19 over the past 30 years is 83 degrees Fahrenheit (28 Celsius) with a RealFeel index of 89 (32).

Nine out of the 10 World Cup finals from 1978 to 2014 started between 2 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. EDT, except for the 2002 final in Japan, which began at 7 a.m. EDT. The 2018 final kicked off at 11 a.m. EDT, and the 2022 championship in Qatar, held in winter, started at 10 a.m. EST.

The 1994 final at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California, started at 12:30 p.m. local time (3:30 p.m. EDT).

FIFA announced the schedule and venues after considering travel and broadcast logistics.

Chief tournament officer Manolo Zubiria explained that the scheduling aimed to balance preparation and recovery for the teams in the largest World Cup ever, spanning 16 cities in three countries with varying climatic conditions and time zones.

Zubiria stated the goals included minimizing travel for teams and fans, optimizing global viewership, and finding suitable kickoff times for specific cities while considering some restrictions.

There are 54 day games and 50 starting at 6 p.m. or later local time. Twenty-four of the 32 knockout matches are day games, including 14 of the last 16 games.

FIFPRO, the global players’ union, warned in June that afternoon matches in Kansas City, Missouri, and Miami Gardens, Florida, posed an “extremely high risk” of heat-related injury. Foxborough, Guadalajara, and Philadelphia had a “very high risk,” while East Rutherford and Inglewood had a “high risk.”

Kansas City will host all night games, while Miami will have two 5 p.m. starts and five night matches.

In the 1994 U.S. tournament, there were seven night games among the 52 matches, none in the knockout phase.

The opener in Mexico City on June 11 between Mexico and South Africa will start at 1 p.m. local time (3 p.m. EDT).

Semifinals will begin at 2 p.m. (3 p.m. EDT) on July 14 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, and at 3 p.m. the following day at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, both of which have retractable roofs.

Quarterfinals will start at 4 p.m. on July 9 at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, and at noon (3 p.m. EDT) the following day at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California. The last two quarterfinals are set for July 11, starting at 5 p.m. at Miami’s Hard Rock Stadium and 8 p.m. (9 p.m. EDT) at Kansas City’s Arrowhead Stadium. SoFi Stadium has a roof, while the other three quarterfinal venues are open-air.

FIFA announced on February 4 last year that the final would be held in New Jersey and on June 12 revealed site-specific matchups for the round of 32, round of 16, quarterfinals, and semifinals.

Seventy-eight games will take place in the U.S., including all quarterfinals onward, with 13 matches each in Canada and Mexico.

At an event at the Capital Hilton, FIFA also announced the sites for the 54 group stage games not finalised with Friday’s draw, which determined venues for Groups A, B, and D, including the co-hosts.

South Korea is the only team, other than Canada and Mexico, not playing any games in the U.S. They will face the Czech Republic, Denmark, Ireland, or North Macedonia in their opener in Guadalajara, then play Mexico at the same venue and finish the group stage against South Africa in Monterrey.

The U.S. will play its first-round games against Paraguay at 6 p.m. local time (9 p.m. EDT) in Inglewood on June 12, against Australia at noon (3 p.m. EDT) in Seattle seven days later, and at 7 p.m. on June 25 at SoFi Stadium against Turkey, Romania, Slovakia, or Kosovo.

Japan’s Group F game against Tunisia in Monterrey, Mexico, on June 20 will be the 1,000th World Cup match, kicking off at 10 p.m. local time (midnight EDT).

FIFA president Gianni Infantino confirmed that Germany’s June 14 Group E opener against Curaçao would start at noon local time (1 p.m. EDT) at NRG Stadium in Houston, an indoor venue.

To accommodate games across the country, Canada will start in Toronto on June 12 against Italy, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Northern Ireland, or Wales, and then play in Vancouver, British Columbia, against Qatar and Switzerland. Canada coach Jesse Marsch expressed excitement about playing on home soil.

“We’re excited to play at home. Wish it was tomorrow,” he said.

With AP Inputs