The World Cup Full Fixtures has six stages and 104 matches. Here is a complete stage-by-stage guide to every fixture from the June 11 opener through the July 19 Final.
STAGE 1: GROUP STAGE (JUNE 11 TO JUNE 27)
72 matches across 12 groups. Each team plays three games.
Advancing teams: Top 2 from each group (24 teams) plus the 8 best third-place finishers = 32 teams total.
Group Summaries:
Group A: Mexico (host), South Africa, South Korea, UEFA PO-D Winner. Venue: Mexico City.
Group B: Canada (host), Switzerland, Qatar, UEFA PO-A Winner. Venues: Toronto, Vancouver.
Group C: Brazil, Morocco, Scotland, Haiti. Venues: East Rutherford NJ, Miami, Boston.
Group D: USA (host), Paraguay, Australia, UEFA PO-C Winner. Venues: Los Angeles, Seattle.
Group E: Germany, Curaçao, Ivory Coast, Ecuador. Venues: Houston, Kansas City, Miami.
Group F: Netherlands, Iran, New Zealand, UEFA PO-B Winner. Venues: Vancouver, Seattle.
Group G: Belgium, Egypt (plus two confirmed teams). Venues: Seattle, San Francisco.
Group H: Spain, Saudi Arabia, Uruguay, Cape Verde. Venues: Atlanta, San Francisco, Houston.
Group I: France, Senegal, Norway, IC PO-2 Winner. Venues: East Rutherford NJ, Boston, Philadelphia.
Group J: Argentina, Algeria, Austria, Jordan. Venues: Kansas City, Santa Clara.
Group K: Portugal, Colombia, Uzbekistan, IC PO-1 Winner. Venues: Houston, Mexico City, Guadalajara.
Group L: England, Croatia, Ghana, Panama. Venues: Dallas, Toronto, Boston.
Must-See Group Stage Fixtures:
June 11: Mexico vs. South Africa (opener)
June 12: USA vs. Paraguay
June 13: Brazil vs. Morocco
June 16: France vs. Senegal
June 16: Argentina vs. Algeria
June 17: England vs. Croatia
STAGE 2: ROUND OF 32 (JUNE 28 TO JULY 3)
16 matches. 32 teams enter. 16 survive. This round is brand new to the World Cup. No previous edition has ever had it.
The bracket for this round is determined by group standings. Matchups follow a pre-set pattern based on which group each team finished in and their position. This round runs at a pace of two to three games per day.
If a match is tied after 90 minutes: 30 minutes of extra time.
Still tied: Penalty shootout.
STAGE 3: ROUND OF 16 (JULY 4 TO JULY 6)
8 matches over 3 days. Sixteen teams enter. Eight survive. July 4 is Independence Day in the USA. Games on this date will draw huge domestic viewership.
STAGE 4: QUARTERFINALS (JULY 9 TO JULY 11)
4 matches. All played in the United States. Venues and dates:
July 10: SoFi Stadium, Los Angeles, California
July 10: Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, Massachusetts (Boston area)
July 11: Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens, Florida
July 11: GEHA Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri
SoFi has a canopy roof. All other quarterfinal venues are open air.
STAGE 5: SEMIFINALS (JULY 14 TO JULY 15)
2 matches. Both in the USA. Both in climate-controlled stadiums.
Semifinal 1: July 14, AT&T Stadium, Arlington, Texas (Dallas area). Kickoff: 3:00 PM local.
Semifinal 2: July 15, Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, Georgia. Kickoff: 3:00 PM local.
AT&T Stadium holds 100,000 fans for a World Cup match. It is the biggest venue hosting a semifinal. Mercedes-Benz Stadium holds around 72,000.
STAGE 6: THIRD-PLACE MATCH (JULY 18)
Venue: Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens, Florida
Kickoff: 5:00 PM ET
Teams: The two semifinal losers.
STAGE 7: WORLD CUP FINAL (JULY 19)
Venue: MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey
Kickoff: 3:00 PM ET
Capacity: 82,500
First-ever live halftime show at a World Cup Final. Global Citizen produces it with Chris Martin of Coldplay as creative partner. FIFA also hosts a Times Square fan event on July 18 and 19.
The winner lifts the FIFA World Cup trophy, one of the most recognized trophies in all of sports.