The expanded 2026 Fifa World Cup will see 48 teams play 104 matches in 16 host cities in the United States of America, Canada and Mexico.
The large geographical area – we are talking about a whole continent encompassing four time zones – means that matches will take place 12 hours apart on the same day! For fans in Kenya who are more than seven hours ahead of the USA’s east coast time, it will mean watching some matches as early as 8pm or as late as the following morning at 7 o’clock.
Thursday’s opening match at Mexico City between hosts Mexico and South Africa will kick off at 10pm Kenyan time, and so will the final match on July 19 at New York New Jersey Stadium. It will be a Group A match.
Many matches will start at the friendly hours of 7pm and 8pm, including the Group F tie between the Netherlands and Sweden on June 20, and the Group H meeting between Spain and Saudi Arabia on June 21.
Others will be at the more familiar timings of 10pm and 11pm that Kenyan followers of European football are used to.
England will take on Ghana at 11pm on June 23, while the Group I clash between Norway and France will kick off at 10pm on June 26 as former champions Germany tackle dark horses Ecuador in Group E on June 25 from 11pm
Many matches, though, will take place at the ungodly hours of 1am, 2am, 3am, and 4am, Kenyan time. You could stay awake and wait for the match, or wake up early for the potentially Group H decider between two-time champions Uruguay and 2010 winners Spain from 3am on June 27, or watch potential champions Portugal test their strength against Colombia at 2.30am on June 28.
Morocco will get the African challenge going against five-time record champions Brazil in a Group C opener from 1am on June 13 (Saturday in the USA, but Sunday in Kenya) at the MetLife Stadium. While most of the knock-out matches have varied kick-off times, from 7pm to 3am, the two semi-final times will be considerate to Kenyans. The first semis on July 9 will start at 11pm Kenyan time and the second semis a day later, at 10pm.
