Following the conclusion of qualifying, the match schedule for the biggest FIFA World Cup ever has been updated, the world football governing body has said.

FIFA said in a statement made available to The Guardian yesterday that, in addition to the groups being finalised and the match schedule confirmed, the kick-off time for the match between Türkiye and Paraguay on June 19 in the San Francisco Bay Area has been moved one hour earlier and will now begin at 11.00 p.m. Eastern time.

This means that the preceding match between Brazil and Haiti in Philadelphia has been moved 30 minutes earlier and will now start at 8.30 p.m. Eastern time.

Iraq defeated Bolivia in the last play-off tournament on Tuesday to become the 48th and final team to clinch a spot at the first edition of the expanded finals tournament.

Five more teams earned places on Tuesday, as the global qualifying campaign ended after 899 matches across 937 days.
More than six million fans are expected to attend the tournament’s 104 matches across Canada, Mexico and the United States from June 11 to July 19.

Iraq were the last team to qualify, defeating Bolivia in the FIFA World Cup 2026 play-off tournament at Monterrey Stadium, Mexico, to earn the final spot in Group I, where they will play alongside France, Senegal and Norway.

A day of high drama began in Europe, where from Zenica to Solna, Pristina to Prague, the remaining four of the continent’s 16 representatives were decided. Czechia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Türkiye and Sweden came through gripping play-off games to claim a place in
FIFA World Cup 2026 Groups A (Czechia), B (Bosnia and Herzegovina), D (Türkiye), and F (Sweden) respectively.

The focus then switched across the Atlantic to Mexico, where the FIFA World Cup 2026 co-hosts provided the stage on which the remaining two places were determined. Fans of DR Congo can now look forward to seeing their team play Portugal on June 17 in Houston, Texas, after they defeated Jamaica 1-0 in Guadalajara to clinch the final spot in Group K.

It was fitting that the final berth at the FIFA World Cup 2026 came down to a match between Iraq and Bolivia. Iraq (21) played the most matches throughout qualifying, with Bolivia, as well as the United Arab Emirates and Indonesia, featuring in 20. Iraq’s Aymen Hussein netted the last of the global qualifying campaign’s 2,527 goals, which were scored at an average of 2.8 goals per game, as a journey that started on September 7, 2023, came to an end.

The FIFA World Cup 2026 play-off tournament also served as the ideal dress rehearsal for the venues in Guadalajara and Monterrey, which will host eight FIFA World Cup 2026 games between them, as they welcomed a total of 163,799 fans for four matches over the two matchdays.

Now, an unprecedented cast of 48 teams can prepare for the 104 matches that will be played across the 16 host cities in Canada, Mexico and the United States from June 11 to July 19.