Here are the FIFA World Cup 2026 kick-off times in South Africa (SAST) — Bafana Bafana’s fixtures, the key dates, and the final.
South Africa is 6 hours ahead of the host cities, so most matches fall in the evening or the small hours.
Bafana Bafana’s Group A Matches
South Africa returns to the World Cup for the first time since 2010 — and opens the whole tournament against hosts Mexico. They share Group A with Mexico, South Korea and Czechia. All three group games, in South African time:
| Match | Date (SAST) | Kick-Off (SAST) | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mexico vs South Africa | Thu, 11 Jun | 9:00 p.m. | Estadio Azteca, Mexico City |
| Czechia vs South Africa | Thu, 18 Jun | 6:00 p.m. | Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta |
| South Africa vs South Korea | Thu, 25 Jun | 3:00 a.m. | Estadio BBVA, Monterrey |
The Azteca opener (9 p.m.) and the Atlanta game (6 p.m.) are prime-time; the Monterrey decider lands at 3 a.m., so set an alarm. Fans flying over can line up Mexico City hotels and compare South African Airways fares from Johannesburg or Cape Town.
Full Group-Stage Schedule
Every group-stage match in South African time. Late North American kick-offs roll into the early hours, so a game played on a US evening may show the next day’s date here. Bafana Bafana’s matches are in bold.
| Date (SAST) | Match | Kick-Off (SAST) |
|---|---|---|
| Thu, 11 Jun | Mexico vs South Africa | 9:00 p.m. |
| Fri, 12 Jun | South Korea vs Czechia | 4:00 a.m. |
| Fri, 12 Jun | Canada vs Bosnia & Herzegovina | 9:00 p.m. |
| Sat, 13 Jun | USA vs Paraguay | 3:00 a.m. |
| Sat, 13 Jun | Qatar vs Switzerland | 9:00 p.m. |
| Sun, 14 Jun | Brazil vs Morocco | 12:00 a.m. |
| Sun, 14 Jun | Haiti vs Scotland | 3:00 a.m. |
| Sun, 14 Jun | Australia vs Türkiye | 6:00 a.m. |
| Sun, 14 Jun | Germany vs Curaçao | 7:00 p.m. |
| Sun, 14 Jun | Netherlands vs Japan | 10:00 p.m. |
| Mon, 15 Jun | Ivory Coast vs Ecuador | 1:00 a.m. |
| Mon, 15 Jun | Sweden vs Tunisia | 4:00 a.m. |
| Mon, 15 Jun | Spain vs Cape Verde | 6:00 p.m. |
| Mon, 15 Jun | Belgium vs Egypt | 9:00 p.m. |
| Tue, 16 Jun | Saudi Arabia vs Uruguay | 12:00 a.m. |
| Tue, 16 Jun | Iran vs New Zealand | 3:00 a.m. |
| Tue, 16 Jun | France vs Senegal | 9:00 p.m. |
| Wed, 17 Jun | Iraq vs Norway | 12:00 a.m. |
| Wed, 17 Jun | Argentina vs Algeria | 3:00 a.m. |
| Wed, 17 Jun | Austria vs Jordan | 6:00 a.m. |
| Wed, 17 Jun | Portugal vs DR Congo | 7:00 p.m. |
| Wed, 17 Jun | England vs Croatia | 10:00 p.m. |
| Thu, 18 Jun | Ghana vs Panama | 1:00 a.m. |
| Thu, 18 Jun | Uzbekistan vs Colombia | 4:00 a.m. |
| Thu, 18 Jun | Czechia vs South Africa | 6:00 p.m. |
| Thu, 18 Jun | Switzerland vs Bosnia & Herzegovina | 9:00 p.m. |
| Fri, 19 Jun | Canada vs Qatar | 12:00 a.m. |
| Fri, 19 Jun | Mexico vs South Korea | 3:00 a.m. |
| Fri, 19 Jun | USA vs Australia | 9:00 p.m. |
| Sat, 20 Jun | Scotland vs Morocco | 12:00 a.m. |
| Sat, 20 Jun | Brazil vs Haiti | 2:30 a.m. |
| Sat, 20 Jun | Türkiye vs Paraguay | 6:00 a.m. |
| Sat, 20 Jun | Netherlands vs Sweden | 7:00 p.m. |
| Sat, 20 Jun | Germany vs Ivory Coast | 10:00 p.m. |
| Sun, 21 Jun | Ecuador vs Curaçao | 2:00 a.m. |
| Sun, 21 Jun | Tunisia vs Japan | 6:00 a.m. |
| Sun, 21 Jun | Spain vs Saudi Arabia | 6:00 p.m. |
| Sun, 21 Jun | Belgium vs Iran | 9:00 p.m. |
| Mon, 22 Jun | Uruguay vs Cape Verde | 12:00 a.m. |
| Mon, 22 Jun | New Zealand vs Egypt | 3:00 a.m. |
| Mon, 22 Jun | Argentina vs Austria | 7:00 p.m. |
| Mon, 22 Jun | France vs Iraq | 11:00 p.m. |
| Tue, 23 Jun | Norway vs Senegal | 2:00 a.m. |
| Tue, 23 Jun | Jordan vs Algeria | 5:00 a.m. |
| Tue, 23 Jun | Portugal vs Uzbekistan | 7:00 p.m. |
| Tue, 23 Jun | England vs Ghana | 10:00 p.m. |
| Wed, 24 Jun | Panama vs Croatia | 1:00 a.m. |
| Wed, 24 Jun | Colombia vs DR Congo | 4:00 a.m. |
| Wed, 24 Jun | Switzerland vs Canada | 9:00 p.m. |
| Wed, 24 Jun | Bosnia & Herzegovina vs Qatar | 9:00 p.m. |
| Thu, 25 Jun | Scotland vs Brazil | 12:00 a.m. |
| Thu, 25 Jun | Morocco vs Haiti | 12:00 a.m. |
| Thu, 25 Jun | Czechia vs Mexico | 3:00 a.m. |
| Thu, 25 Jun | South Africa vs South Korea | 3:00 a.m. |
| Thu, 25 Jun | Curaçao vs Ivory Coast | 10:00 p.m. |
| Thu, 25 Jun | Ecuador vs Germany | 10:00 p.m. |
| Fri, 26 Jun | Japan vs Sweden | 1:00 a.m. |
| Fri, 26 Jun | Tunisia vs Netherlands | 1:00 a.m. |
| Fri, 26 Jun | Türkiye vs USA | 4:00 a.m. |
| Fri, 26 Jun | Paraguay vs Australia | 4:00 a.m. |
| Fri, 26 Jun | Norway vs France | 9:00 p.m. |
| Fri, 26 Jun | Senegal vs Iraq | 9:00 p.m. |
| Sat, 27 Jun | Cape Verde vs Saudi Arabia | 2:00 a.m. |
| Sat, 27 Jun | Uruguay vs Spain | 2:00 a.m. |
| Sat, 27 Jun | Egypt vs Iran | 5:00 a.m. |
| Sat, 27 Jun | New Zealand vs Belgium | 5:00 a.m. |
| Sat, 27 Jun | Panama vs England | 11:00 p.m. |
| Sat, 27 Jun | Croatia vs Ghana | 11:00 p.m. |
| Sun, 28 Jun | Colombia vs Portugal | 1:30 a.m. |
| Sun, 28 Jun | DR Congo vs Uzbekistan | 1:30 a.m. |
| Sun, 28 Jun | Algeria vs Austria | 4:00 a.m. |
| Sun, 28 Jun | Jordan vs Argentina | 4:00 a.m. |
For the matchups, groups and venues across the whole tournament, see Wego’s full World Cup 2026 dates and schedule guide.
Knockout Rounds and Final
The knockout matchups are set once the group stage ends, but the dates and the headline kick-offs are already fixed. In South African time:
| Stage | Dates (SAST) | Kick-Off (SAST) |
|---|---|---|
| Round of 32 | 28 Jun – 4 Jul | To be confirmed |
| Round of 16 | 4 – 8 Jul | To be confirmed |
| Quarter-finals | 9 – 12 Jul | To be confirmed |
| Semi-finals | 14 & 15 Jul | 9:00 p.m. |
| Third-place play-off | 18 Jul | 11:00 p.m. |
| Final | 19 Jul | 9:00 p.m. |
Exact matchups and per-match times are confirmed once the group stage finishes. The final kicks off at 9 p.m. SAST on Sunday, 19 July — prime Sunday-night viewing in South Africa.
Watching from South Africa
Prime-Time Games
The friendliest slots run 6 p.m. to midnight SAST — including both of Bafana Bafana’s first two games, the semi-finals and the final. These are easy after-work or family watches.
Overnight Games
Many fixtures kick off between midnight and 6 a.m., so plan a nap and set an alarm. West Coast US games (Los Angeles, Seattle, Vancouver) run latest. Travelling fans can sort Atlanta hotels for the Czechia game.
Sources
Kick-off times and dates are subject to change by FIFA. All times are shown in South African Standard Time (SAST, UTC+2) and were accurate at the time of publishing. Please confirm fixtures closer to match day.
