Full World Cup schedule is revealed. Who is playing in California?
The World Cup is coming to North America next summer. Will Lionel Messi and Argentina come to Northern California?
FIFA on Friday morning held its official draw, placing 42 teams and six placeholder berths into 12 groups to help solidify the schedule for the tournament that will span venues dotting the three host nations — the United States, Canada and Mexico.
Northern California will host six matches in the World Cup, all at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara. The participants and kickoff times of the first five of those matches, in the group stage, were revealed by FIFA on Saturday morning.
One Friday draw highlight held major implications for U.S. host venues: 2022 defending champion Argentina, which is currently ranked second worldwide by FIFA and captained by an all-time great in Messi, landed in Group J.
U.S. venues will host all six of the Group J matches during June — two in Santa Clara, two in Dallas and two in Kansas City — and Argentina will play in three of the six matches, once apiece against fellow Group J draws Algeria, Austria and Jordan.
Friday’s official draw took place at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., with President Donald Trump and a host of celebrities on hand in the nation’s capital, while countries around the globe tuned in. The Bay Area got in the World Cup spirit with a big watch party in San Francisco, highlights of which are included below.
California’s match schedule
The Golden State has two 2026 World Cup venues: Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, and SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles County (though, due to FIFA rules regarding naming rights partners, neither of those NFL stadiums will formally go by those names during the tournament).
Here’s the full slate of California action (all times Pacific).
Group B
June 13: Qatar vs. Switzerland, noon in Santa Clara
June 18: Switzerland vs. playoff qualifier (Italy, Northern Ireland, Wales or Bosnia and Herzegovina), noon in Los Angeles
Group D
June 12: U.S. vs. Paraguay, 6 p.m. in Los Angeles
June 18: Paraguay vs. playoff qualifier (Turkey, Romania, Slovakia or Kosovo), 9 p.m. in Santa Clara
June 25: U.S. vs. playoff qualifier, 7 p.m. in Los Angeles
June 25: Australia vs. Paraguay, 7 p.m. in Santa Clara
Group G
June 15: Iran vs. New Zealand, 9 p.m. in Los Angeles
June 21: Belgium vs. Iran, noon in Los Angeles
Group J
June 15: Austria vs. Jordan, 9 p.m. in Santa Clara
June 22: Jordan vs. Algeria, 8 p.m. in Santa Clara
Round of 32
June 28: Group A second place vs. Group B second place, noon in Los Angeles
July 1: Group D winner vs. Group B/E/F/I/J third place, 5 p.m. in Santa Clara
July 2: Group H winner vs. Group J second place, noon in Los Angeles
Quarterfinals
July 10: Teams TBD, noon in Los Angeles
Levi’s Stadium match schedule
All times Pacific.
Group stage
June 13: Group B, Qatar vs. Switzerland, noon
June 15: Group J, Austria vs. Jordan, 9 p.m.
June 18: Group D, Paraguay vs. playoff qualifier (Turkey, Romania, Slovakia or Kosovo), 9 p.m.
June 22: Group J, Jordan vs. Algeria, 8 p.m.
June 25: Group D, Australia vs. Paraguay, 7 p.m.
Round of 32
July 1: Group D winner vs. Group B/E/F/I/J third place, 5 p.m.
The Bee’s Chris Biderman has more details about the California schedule here.
Schedule release is complete
Host Andres Cantor, FIFA President Gianni Infantino and others proceeded alphabetically through the 12 groups over the course of about 45 minutes, laying out dates, times and venues for all of the matches in the group stage of the 2026 World Cup.
With that, the 48-team tournament field is set with the exception of six placeholder berths. Those six teams will be decided via playoffs that conclude in March.
Argentina, in Group J, won’t play in Bay Area
The Group J schedule reveal showed that Argentina will play two of its group stage matches in Dallas and one in Kansas City.
Levi’s Stadium will host matches involving the other three teams in the group: Austria vs. Jordan at 9 p.m. Pacific Time on June 15, and Jordan vs. Algeria at 8 p.m. Pacific on June 22.
Argentina is the reigning World Cup champion from the 2022 tournament in Qatar, captained by an all-time great in Lionel Messi. Argentina entered the 2026 World Cup draw ranked No. 2 worldwide by FIFA, behind Spain.
Time set for knockout match in Santa Clara
Levi’s Stadium will host one match in the knockout Round of 32. Saturday’s schedule release revealed that match will kick off at 5 p.m. Pacific Time on July 1, which is a Wednesday.
As established in advance of the draw, that match will pit the top finisher in Group D — in which the U.S. is considered a heavy favorite — against the third-place finisher from either Group B, E, F, I or J.
Group D matches revealed, including US
Paraguay will face the winner of the FIFA playoff group that includes Turkey, Romania, Slovakia and Kosovo at Levi’s Stadium at 9 p.m. Pacific on June 18.
Australia will face Paraguay at 7 p.m. Pacific on June 25.
As previously established, the Group D matches involving the U.S. will be played in Los Angeles (vs. Paraguay on June 12), followed by Seattle (vs. Australia on June 19), then Los Angeles again (winner of playoff between Turkey, Romania, Slovakia and Kosovo on June 25).
First Levi’s Stadium matchup announced
FIFA unveiled the Group B match schedule, showing Qatar will face Switzerland in Santa Clara at noon Pacific Time on June 13.
That is the only Group B match scheduled for Levi’s Stadium.
Schedule reveal underway
Host Andres Cantor welcomed FIFA President Gianni Infantino to the stage at the Kennedy Center shortly after 9 a.m. Pacific Time on Saturday to begin the ceremony for the full match schedule reveal.
By the end of the ceremony, soccer fans will know the dates, times and venues for the group stage of the 2026 World Cup.
Cantor on the live broadcast said the reveal would last about 30 minutes and proceed alphabetically, so the full slate should be known by 10 a.m. Pacific.
World Cup 2026 draw is complete
Just over two hours into the ceremony at the Kennedy Center, all 48 teams have been drawn into their 12 groups.
Levi’s Stadium in the San Francisco Bay Area will host group stage matches for Groups B, D and J.
Those groups are:
Group B: Canada, Switzerland, Qatar and winner of FIFA Playoff A (Denmark, North Macedonia, Czechia and Republic of Ireland)
Group D: U.S., Australia, Paraguay, and winner of FIFA Playoff C (Turkey, Romania, Slovakia and Kosovo)
Group J: Argentina, Algeria, Austria and Jordan
Levi’s Stadium — though it won’t formally be called that during the World Cup, due to FIFA rules — will play host to one Group B match, on June 13; two Group D matches, on June 19 and June 25; and two Group J matches, on June 16 and June 22. It’ll also host one Round of 32 knockout match, on July 1.
Though the groups are set, the exact matchups and kickoff teams for each match won’t be announced until 9 a.m. Pacific on Saturday.
The U.S. will play its three group stage matches at the other two West Coast venues — two in Los Angeles at SoFi Stadium, and one at Lumen Field in Seattle. And Canada will play all of its Group B matches within Canada.
This means the Group B match will involve some combination of Switzerland, Qatar and the FIFA Playoff A qualifier; the two Group D matches in Santa Clara will involve some combinations of the Australia, Paraguay and FIFA Playoff C qualifier; and the two Group J matches will involve some combinations of Argentina, Algeria, Austria and Jordan, all of which will be revealed Saturday morning.
The U.S. Men’s National Team is already considered a heavy favorite to advance beyond group play in Group D and perhaps win their group featuring Paraguay, Australia and the winner of play-off C between Turkey, Romania, Slovakia and Kosovo.
If they win the group, they would play a third-place country (from Group B, E, Fi, I or J) at Levi’s Stadium on July 1.
Analysis: US gets very favorable draw
It’s hard to imagine the U.S. getting a more favorable draw than they did.
All the teams the U.S. will face in Group D are lower-ranked by FIFA. The U.S. is No. 14 in those rankings, Australia is No. 26 and Paraguay is No. 39.
For those hoping to watch the U.S. Men’s National Team in the Bay Area, the favorable draw is important: The winner of Group D will play the third-place finisher in either Group B, E, F, I or J in the Round of 32. That match is slated for July 1.
The expanded 48-team format means the eight best third-place teams from the group stage will advance to the knockout rounds. They will be ranked by points, goal differential, goals scored and disciplinary record to reach the Round of 32.
Every World Cup tournament has what’s known as a “Group of Death,” a group where there are no easy draws and where all the teams are good enough to advance to the knockout rounds. In 2026, that appears to be Group I, where France, runners-up in 2022, will contend with Norway — which have the best striker in the world in Erling Haaland — and Senegal, which reached the quarterfinals in 2022.
Brazil and US fans on-hand in SF
The mood outside the Chase Center once the drawing began was a mix of nervousness and tepid excitement. Fans remained mostly quiet, except for the occasional rounds of applause or nods of heads.
Teams placed into Brazil’s Group C and the United States’ Group D drew the largest reactions with those countries having the most fans in attendance.
Marcielo Ramos slowly played his drum in anticipation each time another team was drawn into his country’s group.
Former Sacramento Councilmember Steven Hansen joined Friday’s festivities at the Chase Center. He hadn’t yet secured tickets to a game, but was hopeful he could return to San Francisco.
Hansen expected many Sacramentans to be there with him.
“I know that Sacramento is gonna show up to Levi’s Stadium and represent our soccer fandom, because Sac Republic (FC) has helped generate so much excitement about this region,” Hansen said.
Final pot drawn
Hockey legend Wayne Gretzky drew the final 12 teams in Pot 4 that included the six place-holders for teams that won’t qualify until tournament play in March.
Here’s where it gets complicated, if it wasn’t already.
The winner of the play-off D between Denmark, North Macedonia, Czechia and Republic of Ireland was placed in Group A with Mexico, South Africa and Korea Republic.
Another placeholder: the winner of play-off A between Italy, Northern Ireland, Wales and Bonsia and Herzegovina went to Group B with Canada, Switzerland and Qatar.
Haiti went into Group C with Brazil, Morocco and Scotland.
The placeholder for play-off C between Turkey, Romania, Slovakia and Kosovo will get placed into Group D with USA, Paraguay and Australia.
Curaçao joined Group E with the Germany, Cote D’Ivoire and Ecuador.
Then there’s another placeholder for the winner between Ukraine, Sweden, Poland and Albania in play-off B. They will go into Group F with the Netherlands, Japan and Tunisia.
New Zealand was the final draw of the day, with placeholders mixing up the order, landing in Group G with Belgium, Egypt and Iran.
Cabo Verde goes to Group H with Spain, Saudi Arabia and Uruguay.
Another place-holder: the winner of FIFA play-off 2 between Iraq, Bolivia and Suriname. It goes to Group I with France, Senegal and Norway.
Jordan goes to Group J with Argentina, Algeria and Austria.
The placeholder for play-off 1 between Congo DR, Jamaica and New Caledonia drew Group K with Portugal, Uzbekistan and Colombia.
Ghana went to Group L with England, Croatia and Panama.
So who comes to California?
The format makes it complicated, but the draw is three-quarters of the way done just before the 2-hour mark.
Nine teams so far have been drawn into in Groups B, D and J, which each have at least one match at Levi’s Stadium. Those teams are: Canada, Switzerland and Qatar in Group B; the U.S., Australia and Paraguay in Group D; and Argentina, Algeria and Austria in Group J.
Each team plays every opponent within their group one time, for six total matches per group.
The Bay Area hosts one Group B match and two in each of Groups D and J. All Group B matches involving Canada are in Canada, and the Group D matches involving the U.S. have already been slated for Los Angeles and Seattle.
This means Levi’s Stadium will host one of the three matches that involve some combination of Switzerland, Qatar and the remaining Group B team to be drawn from Pot 4.
It also means that Levi’s Stadium will host two of the three matches involving combinations of Australia, Paraguay and the remaining Pot 4 team.
And the two Group J matches in Santa Clara will be combinations of Argentina, Algeria, Austria and the final yet-to-be-drawn Group J team.
Australia drawn into USA’s group
Australia was the first nation drawn into Group D, the first in that group to join host U.S.
Levi’s Stadium will host two of the six Group D matches. It will also host the Round of 32 match between the winner of Group D and the third-place finisher in either Group B, E, F, I or J.
Australia’s draw is a favorable one for the U.S. Men’s National Team, and it led to applause by the fans looking up at the big screen at the Chase Center. The team is the lowest-ranked out of all the Pot 2 teams, said San Francisco resident Gautam Sarkar. He remained nervous about the upcoming draws.
“I’m pretty happy, it could have been worse,” Sarkar said.
Shaquille O’Neal drew Switzerland as the second Group B team. Levi’s Stadium also hosts one Group B matches — one of three not involving Canada, another host nation.
The remaining Pot 2 draws: Korea Republic to Group A, joining Mexico. Morocco to Group C, with Brazil. Ecuador to Group E, with Germany. Japan in Group F, with the Netherlands. Islamic Republic of Iran to Group G, with Belgium. Uruguay to Group H, with Spain. Senegal to Group I, with France. Austria to Group J with Argentina. Colombia to Group K, with Portugal. Croatia to Group L, with England.
Argentina drawn into Group J, which plays in Santa Clara
Argentina, the world’s second-ranked FIFA team entering the World Cup and defending champion from 2022, was drawn into the first position of Group J.
Two Group J match will be played at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, on June 16 and June 22. The exact matchups and kickoff time of each match won’t be announced until Saturday morning.
Of the four remaining Group J matches, two will be in Dallas and two in Kansas City.
Draw begins with Brazil
The draw finally begins, with Tom Brady drawing Brazil into Group C where they will look to win the World Cup in the U.S. for the second time after winning in 1994.
Group C plays its group stage matches on the East Coast of the U.S., at sites in Atlanta, Miami, Philadelphia and New York.
Brady then drew Germany into Group E, Netherlands into Group F, Belgium into Group G, top-ranked Spain into Group H, defending champs Argentina into Group J, France into Group I, Portugal into Group K and England into Group L.
Soccer stars watching in SF
Inside the Splash Sports Bar, which is located at the Chase Center plaza, fans could interact with Bay Area sports legends including former San Jose Earthquakes player Chris Wondolowski and Golden State Warriors and two-time FIFA Women’s World Cup Champion Brandi Chastain.
Wondolowski, who played in the 2014 World Cup and is Major League Soccer’s all-time scorer, said Friday’s drawing represented the start of the chase for the championship. Teams can start game planning for their games in the summer, he added.
He said the tournament will be particularly special this year given that the U.S. is hosting many games.
“When the host country is playing, there’s a tangible electricity and a buzz about it,” Wondolowski said. “I love it.”
Chastain reiterated the importance of the games being played in America. She recalled watching Brazil’s team practice in Santa Clara in 1994 and called the experience “transformational.”
Now, Chastain said soccer has become a driver of sports culture. She hoped that this summer’s World Cup would further that change and influence for children to play the game.
“I’m forever indebted to soccer and the World Cup being here hopefully will change somebody’s life that dramatically as it has mine,” Chastain said.
Sports legends ready to draw team names
More than an hour into the ceremony, the only three teams with official draws are the U.S., Canada and Mexico, the three host countries.
FIFA put together another video skit featuring Rio Ferdinand, Matthew McConaughey and Salma Hayek. Ferdinand was brought on stage to (mercifully) continue the draw.
Comedian Kevin Hart welcomed out broadcaster Samantha Johnson, and then there was another video montage with a skit featuring Ferdinand learning the rules of the World Cup.
MLB star Aaron Judge of the New York Yankees along with legendary retired athletes Tom Brady of the NFL, Shaquille O’Neal of the NBA and Wayne Gretzky of the NHL then took the stage with the rest of the draw about to begin.
No ‘Levi’s Stadium,’ at least in name
Per FIFA rules, stadiums with naming rights deals will not go by those names for the World Cup.
Therefore, Levi’s Stadium has been called “San Francisco Bay Area Stadium.” SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles is “Los Angeles Stadium,” and Lumen Field in Seattle is “Seattle Stadium.”
The same goes for the stadiums in New York/New Jersey, Kansas City, Atlanta, Boston, Dallas, Houston, Miami and Philadelphia.
Bay Area’s role in World Cup 2026
Levi’s Stadium will be the site of five matches in the group stage, scheduled for June 13, 16, 19, 22 and 25; and one in the Round of 32, on July 1.
The remaining venues in the Western Region will be BC Place Stadium in Vancouver, Canada; Lumen Field in Seattle; and SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Los Angeles County.
The Bay Area Host Committee is hosting an official watch party Friday morning at the Chase Center in San Francisco as organizers learn who will come to the region in the coming months for the world’s biggest sporting event of 2026.
Team draws about to begin
About 45 minutes after ceremonies began at the Kennedy Center, FIFA President Gianni Infantino invited Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum and U.S. President Donald Trump to the stage as his three official “draw assistants.”
It is an exceedingly rare sight to have all three heads of state for the United States, Mexico and Canada sharing the same stage.
Each leader selected a ball containing the name of their respective country, kicking off the draw.
“This is shocking,” Trump joked as he held up a black strip of paper reading “USA.”
FIFA Peace Prize awarded to President Donald Trump
FIFA is now awarding its 2025 FIFA Peace Prize to Trump.
It’s the first such time the soccer governing body has bestowed such an honor.
“We’ve saved millions of millions of lives” in the Congo, Trump said, before praising FIFA President Gianni Infantino.
“You’ve set new records on ticket sales,” Trump also said to the crowd. “I’ve never seen anything like it.”
Trump also gave shout outs to the leaders of Mexico and Canada, citing our country’s “tremendous” relationships with both countries, even though some in those countries might disagree.
Kicking the ball around
While they waited for the first draw in front of the Chase Center, some fans passed the time with a soccer ball.
Diego Cuin, originally from Guatemala, started by dribbling the ball by himself. Mouhamed Thiane joined in, and the two passed the ball between each other.
Thiane, a native of Senegal in West Africa, felt particularly confident about his team’s chances this summer. The team advanced to the round of 16 in 2022 before losing 3-0 to England.
Thiane believed this year would be different.
“I think they’re going to the final,” said Thiane, who lives in Sausalito.
Nearby, Berkeley resident Marcelio Ramos was banging his drum in preparation for the first draw. He had a Brazilian flag draped his shoulders and wore blue and green socks up to his knees.
Ramos called the World Cup drawing the beginning of “party time.” He reminisced about his country’s previous successes in World Cups, saying he attended the 1994 round of 16 game in the U.S. when Brazil won 1-0 against the home country.
He planned to watch his team again in-person if they played a game at Levi’s Stadium.
“We want to have fun,” Ramos said. “Sure winning is fun but having fun is the most important thing.”
Celebrities, sports stars in attendance
It’s been a celebrity affair so far with the World Cup Draw presentation, with FIFA now giving President Donald Trump center stage with a seemingly promotional video.
Sports legends from outside of soccer, including football’s Tom Brady, basketball’s Shaquille O’Neal, hockey’s Wayne Gretzky and current All-Star baseball player Aaron Judge, are assisting with the World Cup draw on Friday in Washington, D.C. as well.
Fans arrive at Chase Center
Dozens of soccer fans from across the world gathered in San Francisco on Friday morning to watch how their beloved teams would be grouped.
A stream of the World Cup drawing was playing on the large screen in the front of the Chase Center.
Among the international fans was Scotland native Pamela Colbron. She arrived to San Francisco earlier in the week with her partner to celebrate their 10th wedding anniversary. After learning about the watch party, Colbron — a lifelong soccer fan — said she had to attend.
Colbron hoped her team would be grouped with teams from South America or Africa, saying Scotland typically plays against European teams.
FIFA president boasts: ‘Like 104 Super Bowls’
Gianni Infantino, the president of FIFA, said there will be 7 million people attending games, 6 billion people watching worldwide.
He promised the greatest World Cup in history, calling it “the greatest event that humanity, that mankind has ever seen, and will ever see.”
“This is like 104 Super Bowls in one month. This is the magnitude of what we organized, ladies and gentlemen.”
Draw starts now
The draw begins at 9 a.m. Pacific, televised on Fox.
President Donald Trump and celebrity guests will be at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.
The broadcast will feature the draw, musical performances, celebrities and analysis from FOX’s soccer crew including former French star Thierry Henry and American Alexi Lalas.
The ceremony began with a performance from legendary Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli. The show was being hosted by Heidi Klum and Kevin Hart, who opened with jokes about calling soccer “football” while Klum noted the draw was being watched by “between 500 million to 1 billion people right now.”
After an awkward back-and-forth between Hart and Klum about their favorite World Cup memories, Gianni Infantino, FIFA president, took the stage and said, “You should know that FIFA is the official happiness provider for humanity (for) over 100 years.”
Infantino welcomed Trump and First Lady Melania Trump along with other special guests, including Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and First Lady Diana Fox Carney.
New format this year
The final six teams of the 48-country field will be determined in March through via UEFA and interconfederation playoffs. All 42 teams, plus those six spots, have been split into four pots, and each group will consist of one team from each pot.
FIFA added a new wrinkle in the format for the World Cup, expanding to 48 teams from the previous 32.
In the new format, the world’s top-four ranked teams — Spain, Argentina, France and England — will also be prevented from being in the same group, meaning they wouldn’t be able to play until the semifinals. It’s being called a “tennis-style” form of seeding that sets the stage for premier match ups later in the tournament.
Friday morning’s draw will determine the 12 groups, lettered A through L. But groups for the host nations have already been established: Mexico is in Group A, Canada in Group B and the U.S. in Group D.
Who will play in Santa Clara?
Group stage matches at Levi’s Stadium will involve Groups B, D and J.
Each host nation plays all three of its group stage matches at its own venues. This means neither the Mexican nor Canadian teams will play at Levi’s Stadium or SoFi Stadium.
Additionally, the U.S. Men’s National Team’s three group stage matches have already been set and will take place at the other U.S. venues: first in Los Angeles, then in Seattle and back in Los Angeles for the third and final match in that portion of the tournament.
USMNT team could play at Levi’s Stadium in the Round of 32, but only if the U.S. finishes the group stage atop the Group D standings. That knockout match, slated for July 1, will pit the top finisher from Group D against the third-place finisher in either Group B, E, F, I or J.
Match schedules coming Saturday
The draw Friday will only determine which teams will be placed into which groups. The exact matchups, including which specific teams will play at each site on the already-scheduled dates, will be revealed Saturday morning.
This much has been determined already for the five group stage matches at Levi’s Stadium:
- June 13: Group B
- June 16: Group J
- June 19: Group D
- June 22: Group J
- June 25: Group D
Each group involves six total matches. With the sites for host nations’ matches already determined, this means June 13 will feature one of the three Group B that does not involve Canada; and June 19 and June 25 will feature two of the three Group D matches that do not involve the U.S.
The exact participants of each match, as well as kickoff times, will be announced at 9 a.m. Pacific Saturday.
This story was originally published December 4, 2025 at 3:56 PM with the headline "Full World Cup schedule is revealed. Who is playing in California?."
