The USA Guides

FIFA World Cup 2026: Semifinals and Final Week Schedule

· 2 min read Travel News
World Cup 2026 banner in an American stadium

Contents

  1. Semifinal Schedule
  2. The Final — 19 July, MetLife Stadium
  3. Getting to MetLife Stadium
  4. Where to Watch in New York

The FIFA World Cup 2026 enters its final week with both semifinals and the Final taking place between 14 and 19 July. With an expanded 48-team tournament now at its concluding stages across the United States, Canada, and Mexico, the remaining matches are concentrated in the New York/New Jersey area.

Semifinal Schedule

Semifinal 1 — 14 July: France vs Spain at MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey. Kick-off 20:00 ET (01:00 BST / 02:00 CEST).

Semifinal 2 — 15 July: England vs Argentina at MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey. Kick-off 20:00 ET.

Both semifinals are sold out, but secondary market tickets remain available via FIFA’s authorised reseller partners.

The Final — 19 July, MetLife Stadium

The FIFA World Cup Final takes place on Sunday 19 July 2026 at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. Kick-off is 18:00 ET (23:00 BST / midnight CEST). The stadium holds 82,500 for soccer configuration and is the largest venue in the United States to host the tournament.

MetLife Stadium is shared between the New York Giants and New York Jets NFL franchises. For World Cup purposes it operates under FIFA protocols including bag policy, security procedures, and prohibited items — review FIFA’s specific ground regulations before arriving.

Getting to MetLife Stadium

The stadium is not accessible by NYC subway. The primary public transport option is the New Jersey Transit train from New York Penn Station to Meadowlands Sports Complex station — journey time approximately 20 minutes. Trains run on a special event schedule on match days. Given anticipated demand for the Final, arriving by train is strongly recommended over driving: parking is extremely limited and road congestion around the stadium is severe on event nights.

Expect New York Penn Station to be extremely crowded from 14:00 onwards on Final day. Factor in extra time.

Where to Watch in New York

If you don’t have match tickets, multiple official and unofficial FIFA fan zones are operating across New York City, with major screenings in Times Square, Central Park (Great Lawn), and Brooklyn Bridge Park. Our practical World Cup guide has the full fan zone listings.

For getting between New York locations during the tournament, our US transport guide covers public transit, rideshare, and intercity options across the host cities.