From 11 June to 19 July 2026, the heart of world football beats in North America: for the first time in the tournament's history, three nations share hosting duties for the FIFA World Cup. The United States, Canada and Mexico are turning the entire continent into one giant football stage. With 48 teams, 104 matches and 39 tournament days, the 2026 World Cup will be the biggest and longest World Cup of all time – a mammoth event that sets new standards and ushers the game into a new era.
The host cities stretch across half a continent – from Vancouver in the north-west all the way down to Mexico City in the south. In the United States, the ball rolls in eleven cities, including New York/New Jersey, Los Angeles, Boston, Miami, Dallas, Houston, Seattle, Atlanta, Philadelphia, Kansas City and San Francisco. Canada is represented by Toronto and Vancouver, while Mexico contributes the metropolises of Mexico City, Guadalajara and Monterrey. The legendary Estadio Azteca in Mexico City has the honour of staging the opening match, while the final will be played on 19 July 2026 at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, just outside New York. Nearly 4,000 kilometres separate the northernmost and southernmost venues – a logistical challenge the tournament has never faced before.
With the expansion to 48 nations, FIFA has rolled out an entirely new tournament format. The teams are split into twelve groups of four and play a total of 72 matches in the group stage. Alongside the group winners and runners-up, the eight best third-placed sides also advance to the knockout phase. This creates, for the first time, a Round of 32 featuring 32 teams – one more knockout round than in previous tournaments. The path to the trophy is now longer than ever: the eventual champion will have to win eight matches rather than the traditional seven. For fans, that means even more drama, more tension and significantly more live football than ever before.
Darren Bazeley's All Whites face Iran, Egypt and Belgium in Group G. The squad has set up its tournament headquarters in San Diego, California, training at the University of San Diego's Torero Stadium – a deliberate West Coast choice that keeps travel to all three group venues straightforward. The group fixtures take New Zealand up the west coast of North America: the opener against Iran at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles (16 June NZT, 1pm kick-off), followed by back-to-back fixtures at BC Place in Vancouver against Egypt (22 June NZT, 1pm) and the heavily-fancied Belgian Red Devils (27 June NZT, 3pm). Particularly noteworthy: this is the All Whites' third World Cup appearance and their first since 2010, with FIFA's expansion to 48 teams handing Oceania its first-ever guaranteed direct slot at a World Cup finals. Ranked 85th by FIFA – the lowest-ranked side at the entire tournament – New Zealand will be chasing the one milestone that has eluded them across both previous campaigns: an outright World Cup win. The famous undefeated run at South Africa 2010 ended with three hard-fought draws and no victories. Leading the charge is 34-year-old captain Chris Wood, the country's all-time top scorer with 45 goals from 88 caps, almost certainly playing his final World Cup.
The tournament's geographic spread across four North American time zones might sound daunting on paper, but for fans back in New Zealand it actually plays out as one of the most viewer-friendly World Cups in living memory. Depending on the venue, the time difference between New Zealand and the host cities ranges from 16 to 19 hours – and because the host nations all sit well behind NZT, that translates to almost no late-night kick-offs at all. Matches in Mexico City and on the US East Coast typically land between early morning and early afternoon NZT, while West Coast and Vancouver fixtures – including all three All Whites group games – conveniently arrive between late morning and mid-afternoon NZT. Never before has a World Cup served up such a generous spread of viewing windows for the New Zealand audience.
The variety of kick-off times still calls for a bit of planning. Matches in Mexico City and at US East Coast venues generally land on New Zealand screens between roughly 5am and early afternoon NZT – right across the working day. Games in the middle US time zones – Dallas, Houston or Kansas City – tend to arrive between about 7am and midday NZT. The most viewer-friendly fixtures of all, including all three All Whites games at 1pm or 3pm NZT, are the West Coast matches in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle and Vancouver: these come on air between late morning and mid-afternoon NZT – tailor-made for a workplace radio stream or a long-lunch listen.
It's precisely this spread of kick-off times that makes the 2026 World Cup a tournament built for radio listeners. With so many matches landing right in the middle of the working day in New Zealand, parking yourself in front of a television for 90 minutes isn't always realistic – but tuning in to a live radio stream certainly is. Audio coverage slips effortlessly into daily life: over breakfast, on the morning commute, in the car, at your desk through the headphones, or on a lunchtime walk. While many TV broadcasts are tied to fixed schedules and video streaming services demand a rock-solid internet connection, radio comes into its own with its flexibility, modest data usage and the emotional power of great commentary voices – with all the relevant New Zealand and international streams bundled into one place.
The 2026 World Cup is about much more than just football – it's also a meeting of three cultures. The three official mascots reflect the character of the host nations: Maple the Canadian moose, Zayu the Mexican jaguar and Clutch the American bald eagle. For the first time, the final will also feature a halftime show – inspired by the Super Bowl and headlined by Coldplay. Weather conditions vary dramatically: while Vancouver and Toronto enjoy mild summer temperatures, players and fans in Dallas, Houston and Monterrey will have to brace themselves for heat well above 35°C. High humidity in Miami and Mexico City's altitude of more than 2,200 metres above sea level add further sporting challenges on top.
Whether it's the opening ceremony at the Estadio Azteca, the All Whites' group-stage matches or the big final in New York: with nz.radio.net, you can follow the entire 2026 FIFA World Cup by audio – flexibly, and in top quality. Choose between full match commentary, score updates and behind-the-scenes shows built around the World Cup, and experience the biggest sporting event of the year entirely on your own schedule – whether you're listening over your morning coffee or catching an early-afternoon kick-off at your desk.
Listen to the matches of the 2026 FIFA World Cup live via the radio web stream on nz.radio.net and back your team along the road to the most coveted trophy in the world. Whether you're on the go with your smartphone, in the car or at home – you'll find match results and live radio broadcasts of selected fixtures all in one place. Live and free!
Countless radio stations around the world run reports, analysis and live commentary around the clock throughout the tournament. On our 2026 FIFA World Cup overview page, we bundle these streams together – so you can quickly find the right station in your language and won't miss a match, no matter what time zone you're in.
South Africa
Czech Republic
Bosnia & Herzegovina
Paraguay
Switzerland
Morocco
Scotland
Turkey
Curaçao
Japan
Ecuador
Tunisia
Cape Verde
Egypt
Uruguay
New Zealand
Senegal
Norway
Algeria
Jordan
DR Congo
Croatia
Panama
Colombia
New Zealand