Khaberni - The International Football Federation "FIFA" has released the schedule for the 2026 World Cup, set to take place next summer in the United States, Mexico, and Canada.
The tournament starts on June 13, 2026, and continues until the final match scheduled at MetLife Stadium in Washington, D.C., on July 19 of the same year.
The upcoming edition will see a record Arab participation with the presence of 7 teams: Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Egypt, Tunisia, Algeria, and Morocco, with the possibility of increasing to 8 teams if the Iraqi team qualifies for the World Cup through the international play-offs.
Schedule and Timings of Arab National Teams in the 2026 World Cup
Upon the release of the competition schedule, the Arab teams learned their match dates in the group stage, noting that two of them will wait until next March to determine the fourth team in their groups.
This applies to the Qatar national team, which was placed in Group B alongside Canada and Switzerland, with a fourth team to join them being the qualifier from the first European play-off (Wales, Bosnia, Italy, Ireland).
The same applies to the Tunisia national team, which will play in Group F with the teams of Japan and the Netherlands, then a fourth team will join them from the second European play-off (Ukraine, Sweden, Poland, Albania).
Match dates for Qatar in Group B of the 2026 World Cup in Mecca time:
• Qatar – Switzerland: Saturday, June 13, 2026 (22:00)
• Canada – Qatar: Thursday, June 18, 2026 (1:00 AM)
• Qualifier from the first European play-off – Qatar: Wednesday, June 22, 2026 (22:00).
Match dates for Morocco in Group C of the 2026 World Cup in Mecca time:
• Morocco – Brazil: Saturday, June 13, 2026 (1:00 AM)
• Scotland – Morocco: Friday, June 19, 2026 (1:00 AM)
• Morocco – Haiti: Wednesday, June 24, 2026 (1:00 AM)
Match dates for Tunisia in Group F of the 2026 World Cup in Mecca time:
• Qualifier from the second European play-off – Tunisia: Monday, June 15, 2026 (5:00 AM).
• Tunisia – Japan: Sunday, June 21, 2026 (7:00 AM)
• Tunisia – Netherlands: Thursday, June 25, 2026 (2:00 AM)
Match dates for Egypt in Group G of the 2026 World Cup in Mecca time:
• Belgium – Egypt: Monday, June 15, 2026 (22:00)
• New Zealand – Egypt: Monday, June 22, 2026 (4:00 AM)
• Egypt – Iran: Saturday, June 27, 2026 (6:00 AM)
Match dates for Saudi Arabia in Group H of the 2026 World Cup in Mecca time:
• Saudi Arabia – Uruguay: Monday, June 15, 2026 (1:00 AM)
• Spain – Saudi Arabia: Sunday, June 21, 2026 (19:00)
• Cape Verde – Saudi Arabia: Saturday, June 27, 2026 (3:00 AM)
Match dates for Algeria in Group J of the 2026 World Cup in Mecca time:
• Argentina – Algeria: Wednesday, June 17, 2026 (4:00 AM)
• Jordan – Algeria: Tuesday, June 23, 2026 (6:00 AM)
• Algeria – Austria: Sunday, June 28, 2026 (5:00 AM)
Match dates for Jordan in Group J of the 2026 World Cup in Mecca time:
• Austria – Jordan: Wednesday, June 17, 2026 (7:00 AM)
• Jordan – Algeria: Tuesday, June 23, 2026 (6:00 AM)
• Jordan – Argentina: Sunday, June 28, 2026 (5:00 AM)
It is mentioned that if the Iraqi team succeeds in qualifying for the World Cup through the global play-off, it will join Group I along with the teams of France, Senegal, and Norway.
Possible match dates for Iraq if it qualifies for the 2026 World Cup in Group I in Mecca time:
• Iraq – Norway: Tuesday, June 16, 2026 (1:00 AM)
• France – Iraq: Monday, June 22, 2026 (12 midnight)
• Senegal – Iraq: Friday, June 26, 2026 (22:00).
