England’s 2026 World Cup journey will kick off against Croatia at 9pm UK time after it was confirmed the match will be held in Dallas, Texas. The complete list of kickoff times and locations for all 104 matches between the United States, Canada and Mexico next summer was announced by FIFA on Saturday night after the group stage draw 24 hours earlier.
The Three Lions’ first match against Croatia is scheduled for Wednesday 17 June. England’s second match against Ghana will be played in Boston on Tuesday 23 June, starting at 9pm UK time. Thomas Tuchel’s side will complete their group stage fixtures on Saturday June 27th when they face Ghana in New York, kicking off at 10pm UK time. If England finish top of Group L, they could face co-hosts Mexico, Brazil and Argentina in hopes of reaching the final against France or Spain, whom they defeated in the Euro 2024 final.
As for Scotland, their match against Haiti begins in Boston in the early hours of Sunday 14th June. Steve Clarke’s side take on Morocco in Boston on Thursday 18th June at 11pm, followed by an exciting clash against Brazil in Miami on Wednesday 24th June at 11pm.
Unlike England, who were top seeds, Scotland were drawn from pot three and face the difficult task of finishing in the top two. However, the best eight of the 12 third-place teams will also advance to the final tournament.
As Tuchel admitted after Friday’s draw, England’s group stages at the World Cup will not be easy. “We have Croatia and Ghana, who are World Cup regulars, and we also have Panama,” he outlined.
Tuchel admitted that his knowledge of Panama is limited, but asserted: “I don’t know much about Panama, but once the tournament starts we will know everything. For me personally, we have to focus on the group, even in the Champions League. The group is always the most difficult team and we want to get away and win in the group. It’s a difficult game.”
“No one should underestimate us. Of course Croatia are an outstanding name and the highest placed team in pot 2 that we are in the group with. It’s a difficult opening game against Croatia. We will progress from here.”
Scotland manager Clark had a positive outlook on the draw, saying: “There were a lot of positives to come out of the draw. Obviously we play a lot against European teams so we’re happy not to draw against any teams.”
“It feels like a World Cup because you have three teams from three different continents playing against each other. That’s what the World Cup is all about. It’s a strange quirk of fate that two teams who played in the last World Cup in 1998 end up in a draw. Sometimes it happens in the draw.”
England group stage dates, kick-off times and venues
Wednesday 17 June – England v Croatia, Dallas, 9pm
Tuesday 23 June – England v Ghana, Boston, 9pm
Saturday 27 June – England v Panama, New York, 10pm
Scotland group stage dates, kick-off times and venues
Sunday, June 14 – Scotland vs. Haiti, Boston, 2 a.m.
Thursday, June 18 – Scotland vs. Morocco, Boston, 11 p.m.
Wednesday, June 24 – Scotland vs. Brazil, Miami, 11 p.m.
