Here are the FIFA World Cup 2026 kick-off times in Japan (JST) — your Samurai Blue fixtures, the key dates, and the final.
Japan is 13 to 16 hours ahead of the host cities, so most matches fall in the early morning and through the morning.
Japan’s Group F Matches
Japan is in Group F with the Netherlands, Sweden and Tunisia. All three group-stage kick-offs, in Japan local time:
| Match | Date (JST) | Kick-Off (JST) | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|
| Netherlands vs Japan | Mon 15 Jun | 5:00 a.m. | AT&T Stadium, Dallas |
| Tunisia vs Japan | Sun 21 Jun | 1:00 p.m. | Estadio BBVA, Monterrey |
| Japan vs Sweden | Fri 26 Jun | 8:00 a.m. | AT&T Stadium, Dallas |
The Tunisia game is the easy one — a 1 p.m. Sunday kick-off. The Netherlands opener (5 a.m.) and the Sweden decider (8 a.m.) are for early risers. Fans travelling in person can compare Japan Airlines routes from Tokyo and book a base in Dallas, where two of the three matches are played.
Full Group-Stage Schedule
Every group-stage match in Japan local time, in order. Most North American evening kick-offs roll into the early hours of the next JST day, so the date shown is the real local day. Japan’s matches are in bold.
| Date (JST) | Match | Kick-Off (JST) |
|---|---|---|
| Fri 12 Jun | Mexico vs South Africa | 4:00 a.m. |
| Fri 12 Jun | South Korea vs Czechia | 11:00 a.m. |
| Sat 13 Jun | Canada vs Bosnia & Herzegovina | 4:00 a.m. |
| Sat 13 Jun | USA vs Paraguay | 10:00 a.m. |
| Sun 14 Jun | Qatar vs Switzerland | 4:00 a.m. |
| Sun 14 Jun | Brazil vs Morocco | 7:00 a.m. |
| Sun 14 Jun | Haiti vs Scotland | 10:00 a.m. |
| Sun 14 Jun | Australia vs Türkiye | 1:00 p.m. |
| Mon 15 Jun | Germany vs Curaçao | 2:00 a.m. |
| Mon 15 Jun | Netherlands vs Japan | 5:00 a.m. |
| Mon 15 Jun | Ivory Coast vs Ecuador | 8:00 a.m. |
| Mon 15 Jun | Sweden vs Tunisia | 11:00 a.m. |
| Tue 16 Jun | Spain vs Cape Verde | 1:00 a.m. |
| Tue 16 Jun | Belgium vs Egypt | 4:00 a.m. |
| Tue 16 Jun | Saudi Arabia vs Uruguay | 7:00 a.m. |
| Tue 16 Jun | Iran vs New Zealand | 10:00 a.m. |
| Wed 17 Jun | France vs Senegal | 4:00 a.m. |
| Wed 17 Jun | Iraq vs Norway | 7:00 a.m. |
| Wed 17 Jun | Argentina vs Algeria | 10:00 a.m. |
| Wed 17 Jun | Austria vs Jordan | 1:00 p.m. |
| Thu 18 Jun | Portugal vs DR Congo | 2:00 a.m. |
| Thu 18 Jun | England vs Croatia | 5:00 a.m. |
| Thu 18 Jun | Ghana vs Panama | 8:00 a.m. |
| Thu 18 Jun | Uzbekistan vs Colombia | 11:00 a.m. |
| Fri 19 Jun | Czechia vs South Africa | 1:00 a.m. |
| Fri 19 Jun | Switzerland vs Bosnia & Herzegovina | 4:00 a.m. |
| Fri 19 Jun | Canada vs Qatar | 7:00 a.m. |
| Fri 19 Jun | Mexico vs South Korea | 10:00 a.m. |
| Sat 20 Jun | USA vs Australia | 4:00 a.m. |
| Sat 20 Jun | Scotland vs Morocco | 7:00 a.m. |
| Sat 20 Jun | Brazil vs Haiti | 9:30 a.m. |
| Sat 20 Jun | Türkiye vs Paraguay | 1:00 p.m. |
| Sun 21 Jun | Netherlands vs Sweden | 2:00 a.m. |
| Sun 21 Jun | Germany vs Ivory Coast | 5:00 a.m. |
| Sun 21 Jun | Ecuador vs Curaçao | 9:00 a.m. |
| Sun 21 Jun | Tunisia vs Japan | 1:00 p.m. |
| Mon 22 Jun | Spain vs Saudi Arabia | 1:00 a.m. |
| Mon 22 Jun | Belgium vs Iran | 4:00 a.m. |
| Mon 22 Jun | Uruguay vs Cape Verde | 7:00 a.m. |
| Mon 22 Jun | New Zealand vs Egypt | 10:00 a.m. |
| Tue 23 Jun | Argentina vs Austria | 2:00 a.m. |
| Tue 23 Jun | France vs Iraq | 6:00 a.m. |
| Tue 23 Jun | Norway vs Senegal | 9:00 a.m. |
| Tue 23 Jun | Jordan vs Algeria | 12:00 p.m. |
| Wed 24 Jun | Portugal vs Uzbekistan | 2:00 a.m. |
| Wed 24 Jun | England vs Ghana | 5:00 a.m. |
| Wed 24 Jun | Panama vs Croatia | 8:00 a.m. |
| Wed 24 Jun | Colombia vs DR Congo | 11:00 a.m. |
| Thu 25 Jun | Switzerland vs Canada | 4:00 a.m. |
| Thu 25 Jun | Bosnia & Herzegovina vs Qatar | 4:00 a.m. |
| Thu 25 Jun | Scotland vs Brazil | 7:00 a.m. |
| Thu 25 Jun | Morocco vs Haiti | 7:00 a.m. |
| Thu 25 Jun | Czechia vs Mexico | 10:00 a.m. |
| Thu 25 Jun | South Africa vs South Korea | 10:00 a.m. |
| Fri 26 Jun | Curaçao vs Ivory Coast | 5:00 a.m. |
| Fri 26 Jun | Ecuador vs Germany | 5:00 a.m. |
| Fri 26 Jun | Japan vs Sweden | 8:00 a.m. |
| Fri 26 Jun | Tunisia vs Netherlands | 8:00 a.m. |
| Fri 26 Jun | Türkiye vs USA | 11:00 a.m. |
| Fri 26 Jun | Paraguay vs Australia | 11:00 a.m. |
| Sat 27 Jun | Norway vs France | 4:00 a.m. |
| Sat 27 Jun | Senegal vs Iraq | 4:00 a.m. |
| Sat 27 Jun | Cape Verde vs Saudi Arabia | 9:00 a.m. |
| Sat 27 Jun | Uruguay vs Spain | 9:00 a.m. |
| Sat 27 Jun | Egypt vs Iran | 12:00 p.m. |
| Sat 27 Jun | New Zealand vs Belgium | 12:00 p.m. |
| Sun 28 Jun | Panama vs England | 6:00 a.m. |
| Sun 28 Jun | Croatia vs Ghana | 6:00 a.m. |
| Sun 28 Jun | Colombia vs Portugal | 8:30 a.m. |
| Sun 28 Jun | DR Congo vs Uzbekistan | 8:30 a.m. |
| Sun 28 Jun | Algeria vs Austria | 11:00 a.m. |
| Sun 28 Jun | Jordan vs Argentina | 11:00 a.m. |
For the full picture of dates and rounds, see Wego’s FIFA World Cup 2026 dates and schedule guide and the opening match rundown.
Knockout Rounds and Final
The matchups are confirmed once the group stage ends, but the dates and headline kick-offs are fixed. In Japan local time:
| Stage | Dates (JST) | Kick-Off (JST) |
|---|---|---|
| Round of 32 | 29 Jun – 4 Jul | Early mornings (TBD) |
| Round of 16 | 5 – 8 Jul | Early mornings (TBD) |
| Quarter-finals | 10 – 12 Jul | Early mornings (TBD) |
| Semi-finals | 15 & 16 Jul | 4:00 a.m. |
| Third-place play-off | 19 Jul | 6:00 a.m. |
| Final | 20 Jul | 4:00 a.m. |
The final kicks off at 4:00 a.m. on Monday 20 July in Japan. See Wego’s final date guide for the venue details.
Watching from Japan
Prime-Time Games
The most sociable slots are the 1:00 p.m. JST kick-offs — including Tunisia vs Japan on Sunday 21 June. A handful of others land late morning, good for a lunchtime watch.
Early-Morning Games
Most matches kick off between 1:00 a.m. and noon JST; the marquee 3 p.m. ET slots — both semi-finals and the final — all hit 4:00 a.m. Set an alarm. West Coast (Pacific) fixtures run latest, into the late morning.
Sources
- FIFA — World Cup 2026 fixtures
- FOX Sports — Japan World Cup 2026 schedule
- ESPN — 2026 World Cup match schedule
Kick-off times are converted to Japan Standard Time (JST, UTC+9) and may change; always confirm against the official FIFA fixtures page before a match. This article is for general information only.
