The FIFA World Cup 2026 runs from June 11 to July 19, hosted by Canada, Mexico, and the United States across 16 cities. All 104 matches on this page are converted to South African Standard Time (SAST, UTC+2), the year-round offset for South Africa with no daylight-saving adjustment to apply.

Match-day rhythms place most fixtures in evening and overnight South African windows. Matches in Mexico City and on the US Eastern Time coast (Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Atlanta, Miami) and in Toronto typically kick off between 18:00 and 03:00 SAST. US Central Time hosts (Dallas, Houston, Kansas City) push starts to 19:00 to 04:00 SAST. US Pacific Time hosts (Seattle, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Vancouver) put marquee evening matches as late as 21:00 to 06:00 SAST.

Bafana Bafana play in Group A alongside hosts Mexico, Korea Republic, and Czech Republic. The squad opens the entire tournament against Mexico at the Estadio Azteca in Mexico City (Thursday, June 11, 21:00 SAST, the World Cup 2026 opening match), faces Czech Republic in Atlanta (Thursday, June 18, 18:00 SAST), and closes the group against Korea Republic in Monterrey (Wednesday, June 24, 03:00 SAST on Thursday June 25). South Africa previously played the opening match of a FIFA World Cup as hosts in 2010, drawing 1-1 with Mexico at Soccer City in Johannesburg; the 2026 Mexico vs South Africa fixture is a rematch of that 2010 opener, this time at the Estadio Azteca.

The FIFA World Cup 2026 runs June 11 to July 19, 2026. All 104 matches converted to South Africa local time (SAST, UTC+02:00). Opening match is Mexico vs South Africa on Thu Jun 11 at 9:00 PM SAST. Final is Sun Jul 19 at 9:00 PM SAST.

Frequently asked questions

When does South Africa play at the FIFA World Cup 2026?

South Africa plays three Group A matches: vs Mexico on Thursday, June 11 at the Estadio Azteca, Mexico City (kick-off 21:00 SAST, the FIFA World Cup 2026 opening match); vs Czech Republic on Thursday, June 18 in Atlanta (kick-off 18:00 SAST); and vs Korea Republic on Wednesday, June 24 in Monterrey (kick-off 03:00 SAST on Thursday June 25). Knockout fixtures depend on Group A finishing positions and run from June 28 through the Final on July 19.

What group is South Africa in at the FIFA World Cup 2026?

South Africa is in Group A with hosts Mexico, Korea Republic, and Czech Republic. The top two teams from each of the twelve groups plus the eight best third-placed teams advance to the Round of 32. This is South Africa's fourth World Cup appearance after 1998, 2002, and 2010 (as host). Bafana Bafana have never advanced past the group stage, so progression to the Round of 32 would be a historic first.

What time will World Cup 2026 matches be on South African TV?

Most matches will air between 18:00 and 06:00 SAST. Mexico City and US Eastern Time matches air between 18:00 and 04:00 SAST. US Pacific Time matches air from 21:00 to 06:00 SAST. The opening match (South Africa vs Mexico itself) kicks off at 21:00 SAST on Thursday, June 11. The Final is 21:00 SAST on Sunday, July 19. SABC typically holds South African free-to-air rights for major FIFA tournaments.

Will South Africa observe daylight saving time during the World Cup 2026?

No. South Africa does not observe daylight saving time. South African Standard Time (SAST, UTC+2) is constant year-round. Every kick-off time on this page applies without adjustment for Johannesburg, Cape Town, Durban, and Pretoria. Namibia abolished daylight saving in 2017 and now uses Central African Time (CAT, UTC+2) year-round, identical to SAST. Botswana, Zimbabwe, Zambia, and Mozambique also share this offset.