The 2022 FIFA World Cup is about to kick off, and fans from around the globe will see a four-year wait coming to an end on Sunday, November 20, when Qatar and Ecuador play the opening match of what has been a controversial road to that clash.
32 teams will be featuring in the event, and for the first time in history, three teams from North America will be participating in the competition. The big story for North American teams has to be Canada, who make it back to the big stage after a 36-year absence. Next up, the USMNT returns to this competition after crashing out in the 2018 Qualifiers. Last, but not least, Mexico return to a World Cup trying to reach the Quarterfinals for the first time in 36 yeaes and for the first occasion when playing away from their country.
With the upcoming World Cup taking place in Qatar, fans in North America need to get their agendas in gear before the competition begins. Since there are several time zones in this region of the world, the wise thing to do is to double-check kick-off times wherever you live, and that is exactly why we have come up with this guide, so you only have to worry about stocking up on refreshments and snacks to watch the best teams in the world going at it in this highly-anticipated tournament.
Have a look at this guide and start planning ahead to watch as many World Cup games as possible.
What time will the 2022 FIFA World Cup group stages begin in North America?
The 2022 FIFA World Cup group stage matches will begin on November 20th, with hosts Qatar welcoming Ecuador. The last games of the group stage will be held on December 2nd. The opening match is set to kick off at 19:00, local time.
Fans in North America will be able to watch between three and four games per day between November 21 and December 2, which will have varying kick off times. Matchday 1 and Matchday 2 will have four kick off times, while Matchday 3 will have two different time slots with two games being played in each of those.
Here is the schedule of games with times shown for all time zones in North America: Pacific Standard Time, Mountain Standard Time, Central Standard Time, and Eastern Standard Time.
*Matches featuring CONCACAF sides
Sunday, November 20th - Qatar vs Ecuador - kick off at 08:00 PST/09:00 MST/10:00 CST/11:00 EST
Monday, November 21st - USA vs Wales - kick off at 11:00 PST/12:00 MST/13:00 CST/14:00 EST
Tuesday, November 22nd - Mexico vs Poland - kick off at 08:00 PST/09:00 MST/10:00 CST/11:00 EST
Wednesday, November 23rd - Spain vs Costa Rica - kick off at 08:00 PST/09:00 MST/10:00 CST/11:00 EST
Wednesday, November 23rd - Belgium vs Canada - kick off at 02:00 PST/03:00 MST/04:00 CST/05:00 EST
Friday, November 25th - England vs USA - kick off at 08:00 PST/09:00 MST/10:00 CST/11:00 EST
Saturday, November 26th - Argentina vs Mexico - kick off at 11:00 PST/12:00 MST/13:00 CST/14:00 EST
Sunday, November 27th - Japan vs Costa Rica - kick off at 02:00 PST/03:00 MST/04:00 CST/05:00 EST
Sunday, November 27th - Croatia vs Canada - kick off at 08:00 PST/09:00 MST/10:00 CST/11:00 EST
Tuesday, November 29th - Iran vs USA - kick off at 08:00 PST/09:00 MST/10:00 CST/11:00 EST
Wednesday, November 30th - Saudi Arabia vs Mexico - kick off at 08:00 PST/09:00 MST/10:00 CST/11:00 EST
Thursday, December 1st - Costa Rica vs Germany - kick off at 11:00 PST/12:00 MST/13:00 CST/14:00 EST
Thursday, December 1st - Canada vs Morocco - kick off at 07:00 PST/08:00 MST/09:00 CST/10:00 EST
What time will the 2022 FIFA World Cup Round of 16 begin in North America?
After the group stages, the round of 16 will run from December 3rd to December 6th. Matches will either kick off at 18:00 or 22:00 local time.
Here's the schedule for the Round of 16 matches for fans based in North America.
Saturday, December 3rd - Group A winner vs Group B runner-up - kick off at 07:00 PST/08:00 MST/09:00 CST/10:00 EST
Saturday, December 3rd - Group C winner vs Group D runner-up - kick off at 11:00 PST/12:00 MST/13:00 CST/14:00 EST
Sunday, December 4th - Group D winner vs Group C runner-up - kick off at 07:00 PST/08:00 MST/09:00 CST/10:00 EST
Sunday, December 4th - Group B winner vs Group A runner-up - kick off at 11:00 PST/12:00 MST/13:00 CST/14:00 EST
Monday, December 5th - Group E winner vs Group F runner-up - kick off at 07:00 PST/08:00 MST/09:00 CST/10:00 EST
Monday, December 5th - Group G winner vs Group H runner-up - kick off at 11:00 PST/12:00 MST/13:00 CST/14:00 EST
Tuesday, December 6th - Group F winner vs Group E runner-up - kick off at 07:00 PST/08:00 MST/09:00 CST/10:00 EST
Tuesday, December 6th - Group H winner vs Group G runner-up - kick off at 11:00 PST/12:00 MST/13:00 CST/14:00 EST
What time will the 2022 FIFA World Cup quarter-finals begin in North America?
Following the conclusion of the round of 16, the quarter-finals will run from December 9th to December 10th. Matches will either kick off at 18:00 or 22:00 local time.
Here's the schedule for Quarter-final matches for fans based in North America.
Friday, December 9th - Quarter Final #1 - kick off at 07:00 PST/08:00 MST/09:00 CST/10:00 EST
Friday, December 9th - Quarter Final #2 - kick off at 11:00 PST/12:00 MST/13:00 CST/14:00 EST
Saturday, December 10th - Quarter Final #3 - kick off at 07:00 PST/08:00 MST/09:00 CST/10:00 EST
Saturday, December 10th - Quarter Final #4 - kick off at 11:00 PST/12:00 MST/13:00 CST/14:00 EST
What time will the 2022 FIFA World Cup semi-finals begin in North America?
After the quarter-finals have reached their conclusion, it's now onto the semi-finals, which will start on December 13th and finish on December 14th. Both matches will kick off at 22:00 local time.
Here's the schedule for the semi-final matches for fans based in North America.
Tuesday, December 13th - Semi Final #1 - kick off at 11:00 PST/12:00 MST/13:00 CST/14:00 EST
Wednesday, December 14th - Semi Final #2 - kick off at 11:00 PST/12:00 MST/13:00 CST/14:00 EST
What time will the 2022 FIFA World Cup 3rd-place match begin in North America?
The third place match will kick off at 18:00 local time on Saturday, December 17th. For North American fans, the game will kick off at 07:00 PST/08:00 MST/09:00 CST/10:00 EST
What time will the 2022 FIFA World Cup final begin in North America?
The 2022 FIFA World Cup final will take place on Sunday, December 18th. Kick off is set at 18:00 local time, which means that North American fans will have to tune in at 07:00 PST/08:00 MST/09:00 CST/10:00 EST.
*For more details surrounding the 2022 FIFA World Cup, including where to watch the rest of the games, news, standings, and more, check out our bespoke World Cup broadcast page.
