The FIFA World Cup 2026 kicks off on June 11 with hosts Mexico taking on South Africa in the opening match of the football tournament at Estadio Azteca in Mexico City and ends on July 19 with the final at the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.
The upcoming FIFA World Cup is the 23rd edition of the quadrennial men’s football showpiece tournament and will feature 48 teams for the first time in its history. It has been expanded from 32 teams which featured in the previous edition.
The competition will be jointly hosted by Canada, Mexico and the USA, with a total of 104 matches set to be played across 16 venues spanning across North America.
The FIFA World Cup 2026 will be available to watch on live streaming and telecast in India.
According to the format of the tournament, all teams will square off against the other teams from their respective group once.
The top two teams from each group, along with the eight best third-placed teams, will qualify for the round of 32, from where the tournament will progress in a knockout format.
Argentina are the defending champions and will begin their title defence against Austria in Group J. Lionel Messi, now 38, could be in line for his final World Cup appearance along with Portuguese rival and fellow great Cristiano Ronaldo, now 41.
Record five-time champions Brazil will be eyeing their first title since 2002 and hope Neymar Jr can provide the spark.
Four-time champions Germany are in Group E while England’s bid to win their second World Cup will take them through a tricky pool which also features Croatia, Ghana and Panama. Last year’s runners-up France are in Group I.
Where to watch FIFA World Cup 2026 live in India
Live streaming and live telecast of the FIFA World Cup 2026 football matches will be available on the Zee5 platform and app in India. Subscription will be needed.
Live telecast of the FIFA World Cup 2026 will be available on the Unite8 Sports 1, Unite8 Sports 1 HD, Unite8 Sports 2, and Unite8 Sports 2 HD TV channels in India.
With matches scheduled in North America, match start times in India will vary between 9:30 PM and 9:30 AM in India.
Indian football fans can also look forward to watching a handful of Indian origin players in action during this year’s World Cup, including New Zealand ace Sarpreet Singh and Qatar duo Niall Mason and Tahsin Mohammed Jamshid.
read more: https://www.olympics.com/en/news/fifa-world-cup-2026-football-schedule-india-time-watch-live-streaming-telecast
