Germany's 2026 FIFA World Cup schedule

Find out all you need to know as Germany prepare for the 2026 FIFA World Cup in Canada, Mexico and the USA.

Germany booked their spot at the FIFA World Cup 2026 courtesy of a comprehensive 6-0 win over nearest challengers Slovakia in their final group game of qualifying. But what happens next for Julian Nagelsmann's charges and how does their schedule look prior to next summer's tournament? Let's take a deep dive ...

Dates for the diary

The first important date from a German perspective is 5 December. That's when the groups for the expanded 48-team World Cup will be drawn at the "John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts" in Washington DC. The teams will be divided into twelve groups of four, from which the group winners and runners-up - as well as the eight best third-placed teams - will qualify for the knockouts.

Watch: The Bundesliga stars bound for 2026

Who could Germany play at the World Cup?

Thanks to their FIFA World Ranking of ninth, Germany head to the tournament as one of the top seeds. It means they will avoid the three hosts, plus Argentina, Belgium, Brazil, England, France, Netherlands, Portugal and Spain - who will all be drawn from Pot 1 and are unable to meet until the knockouts.

Potential group opponents will come from Pots 2, 3 and 4, with six nations still to be decided by the playoffs. Those final spots will not be decided until March 2026.

When are Germany's pre-World Cup friendlies?

In the lead-up to the tournament, Nagelsmann's team will play four friendly matches to prepare for the tournament. Two of those fixtures have already been confirmed:

• 30 March 2026, Stuttgart
  Germany vs. Ivory Coast
• 31 May 2026, Mainz
  Germany vs. Finland

A third friendly is yet to be confirmed and will take place in March, with the final fixture scheduled to take place in the USA just before the World Cup officially starts.

Julian Nagelsmann's side will play four friendly matches before the World Cup. - RONNY HARTMANN

When does the World Cup take place?

Due to the large number of participants, the tournament will span more than five weeks in the summer of 2026, with Mexico contesting the opening match on 11 June at Mexico City's famous Azteca Stadium. The three co-hosts will play all their group games on home soil, with Canada and the USA both getting their campaigns underway on 12 June.

The final will be held on Sunday 19 July 2026, at the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, which NFL fans will know as the shared home of the New York Giants and New York Jets.