Atlanta Β· Boston
Houston Β· Kansas City
Salt Lake City
San Francisco
All official FIFA kick-off times are listed in Eastern Time (ET). CT = ET β 1 hr Β· MT = ET β 2 hrs Β· PT = ET β 3 hrs.
The opening match of Group A at the 2026 FIFA World Cup features Mexico taking on South Africa on June 11 at the legendary Estadio Azteca in Mexico City. As a co-host of the tournament, Mexico enters with a massive home-crowd advantage; nevertheless, South Africa arrives as a genuine threat after a strong qualifying campaign. Worth noting, these two sides actually met in the very same situation back in 2010, when they opened that World Cup with a dramatic 1β1 draw at Soccer City in Johannesburg.
For American soccer fans, the kick-off lands at 3:00 PM ET / 2:00 PM CT / 1:00 PM MT / 12:00 PM PT β a prime afternoon slot that works perfectly across all four major US time zones. Furthermore, since the United States is co-hosting the 2026 World Cup, interest and coverage across the country is at an all-time high. Group A's other matches throughout June are also conveniently scheduled, with only the late Guadalajara games pushing past 10:00 PM ET.
Rounding out Group A are South Korea and Czechia, two experienced World Cup nations that are more than capable of pulling off an upset. Even so, Mexico remains the clear favorite on home soil. In any case, all six group-stage matches carry serious weight β only the top two teams advance automatically, so every result from matchday one through three will shape who moves on to the knockout rounds.
Full Group A Schedule β 2026 World Cup (US Times)
Below is the complete Group A fixture list with exact kick-off times for all four major US time zones. Keep in mind that Matchday 3 on June 24 features simultaneous kick-offs for both Group A games β a FIFA rule designed to keep the competition fair and prevent score-watching in the final round.
Where to Watch Group A in the United States
Every 2026 FIFA World Cup match will be broadcast in the United States across both English and Spanish platforms. In addition, every game from the Round of 16 onward airs exclusively on the main FOX broadcast network, making it free over-the-air for most American households.
πΊ Official US Broadcasters
Starting July 4 (Round of 16), every knockout match airs exclusively on main FOX. Group stage games are split between FOX and FS1.
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