The 2030 World Cup will run from June 8 to July 21, 2030, making it the longest World Cup ever at 44 days. FIFA published the provisional schedule in March 2026, so the key dates are already fixed — even though the full match-by-match calendar will only arrive after the final draw. For fans planning time off work and flights, these are the dates that matter.

The tournament has an unusual shape: it opens twice. First the three centenary matches in South America, then the official opening ceremony and the main tournament in Spain, Portugal and Morocco. Here is how the six weeks unfold.

On Saturday June 8 and Sunday June 9, 2030, the three centenary matches will be played in South America to mark 100 years since the first World Cup in Uruguay in 1930. Uruguay will play at the Estadio Centenario in Montevideo, Argentina at the Estadio Monumental in Buenos Aires, and Paraguay at the Estadio Osvaldo Dominguez Dibb in Asuncion.

One detail of the schedule deserves attention: the rest days built in for the centenary teams. The six teams that play in South America get 11 to 12 days before their second match, while the other teams in their groups get five or six days. FIFA designed the calendar this way because those teams must fly across the Atlantic and recover from jet lag before playing again. It is a reminder of how unusual this tournament is: never before has a World Cup asked teams to change continents in the middle of the group stage. For fans, it means the early group games will be spread out more than usual.