{"id":910588,"date":"2026-06-05T13:13:14","date_gmt":"2026-06-05T18:13:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/2026\/06\/05\/nigeria-time-zone-for-2026-fifa-world-cup-fixtures-kick-off-times-how-to-watch-live\/"},"modified":"2026-06-05T13:13:14","modified_gmt":"2026-06-05T18:13:14","slug":"nigeria-time-zone-for-2026-fifa-world-cup-fixtures-kick-off-times-how-to-watch-live","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/2026\/06\/05\/nigeria-time-zone-for-2026-fifa-world-cup-fixtures-kick-off-times-how-to-watch-live\/","title":{"rendered":"Nigeria Time Zone for 2026 FIFA World Cup: Fixtures, kick-off times &#038; how to watch live"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Soccer <\/p>\n<div>\n<p><strong>The 2026 FIFA World Cup is set to be the biggest edition in the tournament&#8217;s history, with 48 nations competing across the United States, Canada, and Mexico, <a href=\"https:\/\/soccernet.ng\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Soccernet.ng<\/a> reports.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/soccernet.ng\/2026\/04\/what-nigeria-lost-missing-2026-world-cup.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Although Nigeria failed to qualify for the competition<\/a>, a huge portion of the country&#8217;s football-supporting populace is still expected to follow the tournament closely, particularly with several African nations, traditional powerhouses, and Premier League stars in action.<\/p>\n<p>With matches spread across multiple North American time zones, Nigerian fans will have to adjust to a mix of evening, late-night, and early-morning kick-off times.<\/p>\n<p>Here&#8217;s everything Nigerian viewers need to know about the tournament schedule, kick-off times, and where to watch the games live.<\/p>\n<figure><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"5572\" height=\"3715\" src=\"https:\/\/soccernet.ng\/thumbor\/PqdqK99gpu_U3TFEttZLdddh_HQ=\/5572x3715\/smart\/https%3A%2F%2Fmedia.soccernet.ng%2Fmain%2F2026%2F06%2Fimago1078170137.jpg\" alt=\"Soccer FIFA World Cup trophy replica\"><figcaption>FIFA World Cup trophy replica. Copyright: ImagoxCarlosxSantiagox<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><strong>Get Our Sports News First \u2013 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.whatsapp.com\/channel\/0029VagMHLcA89MZvw0Btc21\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Join Our WhatsApp Channel Now!<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<h2>Soccer Where can Nigerians watch the 2026 FIFA World Cup?<\/h2>\n<p>Fans in Nigeria will be able to watch every FIFA World Cup match live on AIT, and selected matches will also be available on SuperSport channels, including SuperSport Football Nigeria and SuperSport La Liga Nigeria.<\/p>\n<p>All 104 matches of the FIFA World Cup will be live on dedicated SuperSport channels across all GOtv packages (from GOtv Smallie to GOtv Supa Plus).<\/p>\n<p>The existing sports channels will be temporarily rebranded into dedicated hubs, with the main English viewing available on SuperSport FIFA World Cup Central.<\/p>\n<p>That means viewers will have several options to follow the action from the opening game through to the final.<\/p>\n<p> Options for mobile also include Sporty TV&#8217;s YouTube Channel, StarTimes ON and the DsTV On-stream app.<\/p>\n<figure><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/soccernet.ng\/thumbor\/nLo38MoBDLnUT81xJiEXdZYGQCs=\/1024x683\/smart\/https%3A%2F%2Fmedia.soccernet.ng%2Fmain%2F2025%2F01%2Fimago1050121015.jpg\" alt=\"Soccer Nigeria fans during the 2025 AFCON qualifier match between Nigeria and Benin Republic at Godwill Akpabio Stadium on September 7, 2024 in Uyo, Nigeria\"  ><figcaption>Nigeria fans during the 2025 AFCON qualifier match between Nigeria and Benin Republic. Copyright: ImagoXVictor Ihechi<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2>Soccer When does the 2026 FIFA World Cup start?<\/h2>\n<p>The tournament officially begins on Thursday, June 11, with hosts Mexico facing South Africa at the iconic Mexico City Stadium. South Africa and Mexico City previously opened the World Cup 16 years ago; the game saw Siphiwe Tshabalala thunder in one of the best Mundial strikes past \u00d3scar P\u00e9rez at Soccer City Stadium, Johannesburg.<\/p>\n<p>For Nigerian viewers, kick-off is scheduled for 8:00 PM Nigerian time (WAT).<\/p>\n<h3>African teams in action<\/h3>\n<p>African football fans in Nigeria will have plenty of representation to cheer throughout the group stage.<\/p>\n<p>The continent&#8217;s representatives include:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>South Africa<\/li>\n<li>Morocco<\/li>\n<li>Egypt<\/li>\n<li>Senegal<\/li>\n<li>Ghana<\/li>\n<li>Algeria<\/li>\n<li>DR Congo<\/li>\n<li>Tunisia<\/li>\n<li>Cape Verde<\/li>\n<li>Ivory Coast<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<figure><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"3471\" height=\"2467\" src=\"https:\/\/soccernet.ng\/thumbor\/bvoS8JGnZ1SieGKJScjsoJ5yzoI=\/3471x2467\/smart\/https%3A%2F%2Fmedia.soccernet.ng%2Fmain%2F2026%2F01%2Fimago1071253845.jpg\" alt=\"Soccer Noussair Mazraoui, Frank Onyeka in the AFCON semi-final match between Nigeria vs Morocco\"><figcaption>Noussair Mazraoui and Frank Onyeka in the AFCON semi-final match between Nigeria and Morocco. Copyright: ImagoxOumaimaxSouaidix<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h3>2026 FIFA World Cup Group stage fixtures in Nigerian time (WAT)<\/h3>\n<h4>June 11<\/h4>\n<ul>\n<li>8:00 pm \u2014 Mexico vs South Africa (Mexico City Stadium)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h4>June 12<\/h4>\n<ul>\n<li>3:00 am \u2014 South Korea vs Czechia (Guadalajara Stadium)<\/li>\n<li>8:00 pm \u2014 Canada vs Bosnia and Herzegovina (Toronto Stadium)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h4>June 13<\/h4>\n<ul>\n<li>2:00 am \u2014 USA vs Paraguay (Los Angeles Stadium)<\/li>\n<li>8:00 pm \u2014 Qatar vs Switzerland (San Francisco Bay Area Stadium)<\/li>\n<li>11:00 pm \u2014 Brazil vs Morocco (New York, New Jersey Stadium)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h4>June 14<\/h4>\n<ul>\n<li>2:00 am \u2014 Haiti vs Scotland (Boston Stadium)<\/li>\n<li>5:00 am \u2014 Australia vs Turkiye (BC Place, Vancouver)<\/li>\n<li>6:00 pm \u2014 Germany vs Curacao (Houston Stadium)<\/li>\n<li>9:00 pm \u2014 Netherlands vs Japan (Dallas Stadium)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<figure><\/figure>\n<h4>June 15<\/h4>\n<ul>\n<li>12:00 am \u2014 Ivory Coast vs Ecuador (Philadelphia Stadium)<\/li>\n<li>3:00 am \u2014 Sweden vs Tunisia (Monterrey Stadium)<\/li>\n<li>5:00 pm \u2014 Spain vs Cape Verde (Atlanta Stadium)<\/li>\n<li>8:00 pm \u2014 Belgium vs Egypt (Seattle Stadium)<\/li>\n<li>11:00 pm \u2014 Saudi Arabia vs Uruguay (Miami Stadium)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h4>June 16<\/h4>\n<ul>\n<li>2:00 am \u2014 Iran vs New Zealand (Los Angeles Stadium)<\/li>\n<li>8:00 pm \u2014 France vs Senegal (New York, New Jersey Stadium)<\/li>\n<li>11:00 pm \u2014 Iraq vs Norway (Boston Stadium)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h4>June 17<\/h4>\n<ul>\n<li>2:00 am \u2014 Argentina vs Algeria (Kansas City Stadium)<\/li>\n<li>5:00 am \u2014 Austria vs Jordan (San Francisco Bay Area Stadium)<\/li>\n<li>6:00 pm \u2014 Portugal vs DR Congo (Houston Stadium)<\/li>\n<li>9:00 pm \u2014 England vs Croatia (Dallas Stadium)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h4>June 18<\/h4>\n<ul>\n<li>12:00 am \u2014 Ghana vs Panama (Toronto Stadium)<\/li>\n<li>3:00 am \u2014 Uzbekistan vs Colombia (Mexico City Stadium)<\/li>\n<li>5:00 pm \u2014 Czechia vs South Africa (Atlanta Stadium)<\/li>\n<li>8:00 pm \u2014 Switzerland vs Bosnia and Herzegovina (Los Angeles Stadium)<\/li>\n<li>11:00 pm \u2014 Canada vs Qatar (BC Place, Vancouver)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h4>June 19<\/h4>\n<ul>\n<li>2:00 am \u2014 Mexico vs South Korea (Guadalajara Stadium)<\/li>\n<li>8:00 pm \u2014 USA vs Australia (Seattle Stadium)<\/li>\n<li>11:00 pm \u2014 Scotland vs Morocco (Boston Stadium)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h4>June 20<\/h4>\n<ul>\n<li>1:30 am \u2014 Brazil vs Haiti (Philadelphia Stadium)<\/li>\n<li>4:00 am \u2014 Turkiye vs Armenia (San Francisco Bay Area Stadium)<\/li>\n<li>6:00 pm \u2014 Netherlands vs Sweden (Houston Stadium)<\/li>\n<li>9:00 pm \u2014 Germany vs Ivory Coast (Toronto Stadium)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h4>June 21<\/h4>\n<ul>\n<li>1:00 am \u2014 Ecuador vs Curacao (Kansas City Stadium)<\/li>\n<li>5:00 am \u2014 Turkiye vs Japan (Monterrey Stadium)<\/li>\n<li>5:00 pm \u2014 Spain vs Saudi Arabia (Atlanta Stadium)<\/li>\n<li>8:00 pm \u2014 Belgium vs Iran (Los Angeles Stadium)<\/li>\n<li>11:00 pm \u2014 Uruguay vs Cape Verde (Miami Stadium)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h4>June 22<\/h4>\n<ul>\n<li>2:00 am \u2014 New Zealand vs Egypt (BC Place, Vancouver)<\/li>\n<li>6:00 pm \u2014 Argentina vs Austria (Dallas Stadium)<\/li>\n<li>10:00 pm \u2014 France vs Iraq (Philadelphia Stadium)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h4>June 23<\/h4>\n<ul>\n<li>1:00 am \u2014 Norway vs Senegal (New York, New Jersey Stadium)<\/li>\n<li>4:00 am \u2014 Jordan vs Algeria (San Francisco Bay Area Stadium)<\/li>\n<li>6:00 pm \u2014 Poland vs Uzbekistan (Houston Stadium)<\/li>\n<li>9:00 pm \u2014 England vs Ghana (Boston Stadium)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<figure><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"4262\" height=\"2998\" src=\"https:\/\/soccernet.ng\/thumbor\/QAM_DIy51JxYLjoUgycwLHch6Mk=\/4262x2998\/smart\/https%3A%2F%2Fmedia.soccernet.ng%2Fmain%2F2026%2F04%2Fimago1049973915.jpg\" alt=\"Soccer Ruben Loftus-Cheek of England tackled by John Ogu of Nigeria\"><figcaption>Ruben Loftus-Cheek of England was tackled by John Ogu of Nigeria. Copyright: ImagoxSimonxBellisx<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h4>June 24<\/h4>\n<ul>\n<li>12:00 am \u2014 Panama vs Croatia (Toronto Stadium)<\/li>\n<li>3:00 am \u2014 Colombia vs DR Congo (Guadalajara Stadium)<\/li>\n<li>8:00 pm \u2014 Bosnia and Herzegovina vs Qatar (Seattle Stadium)<\/li>\n<li>8:00 pm \u2014 Switzerland vs Canada (BC Place, Vancouver)<\/li>\n<li>11:00 pm \u2014 Morocco vs Haiti (Atlanta Stadium)<\/li>\n<li>11:00 pm \u2014 Scotland vs Brazil (Miami Stadium)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h4>June 25<\/h4>\n<ul>\n<li>2:00 am \u2014 Czechia vs Mexico (Mexico City Stadium)<\/li>\n<li>2:00 am \u2014 South Africa vs South Korea (Monterrey Stadium)<\/li>\n<li>9:00 pm \u2014 Curacao vs Ivory Coast (Philadelphia Stadium)<\/li>\n<li>9:00 pm \u2014 Ecuador vs Germany (New York New Jersey Stadium)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h4>June 26<\/h4>\n<ul>\n<li>12:00 am \u2014 Japan vs Sweden (Dallas Stadium)<\/li>\n<li>12:00 am \u2014 Tunisia vs Netherlands (Kansas City Stadium)<\/li>\n<li>3:00 am \u2014 Paraguay vs Australia (San Francisco Bay Area Stadium)<\/li>\n<li>3:00 am \u2014 Tunisia vs USA (Los Angeles Stadium)<\/li>\n<li>8:00 pm \u2014 Norway vs France (Boston Stadium)<\/li>\n<li>8:00 pm \u2014 Senegal vs Iraq (Toronto Stadium)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h4>June 27<\/h4>\n<ul>\n<li>1:00 am \u2014 Cape Verde vs Saudi Arabia (Houston Stadium)<\/li>\n<li>1:00 am \u2014 Uruguay vs Spain (Guadalajara Stadium)<\/li>\n<li>4:00 am \u2014 Egypt vs Iran (Seattle Stadium)<\/li>\n<li>4:00 am \u2014 New Zealand vs Belgium (BC Place, Vancouver)<\/li>\n<li>10:00 pm \u2014 Croatia vs Ghana (Philadelphia Stadium)<\/li>\n<li>10:00 pm \u2014 Panama vs England (New York, New Jersey Stadium)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h4>June 28<\/h4>\n<ul>\n<li>12:30 am \u2014 Colombia vs Portugal (Miami Stadium)<\/li>\n<li>12:30 am \u2014 DR Congo vs Uzbekistan (Atlanta Stadium)<\/li>\n<li>3:00 am \u2014 Algeria vs Austria (Kansas City Stadium)<\/li>\n<li>3:00 am \u2014 Jordan vs Argentina (Dallas Stadium)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<figure><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1500\" height=\"1002\" src=\"https:\/\/soccernet.ng\/thumbor\/EkSCFdiUVL6PMy-xV7F7B00cvis=\/1500x1002\/smart\/https%3A%2F%2Fmedia.soccernet.ng%2Fmain%2F2026%2F06%2Fimago858168487.jpg\" alt=\"Soccer German former footballer Bastian Schweinsteiger holds up the coveted 2026 FIFA World Cup trophy\"><figcaption>German former footballer Bastian Schweinsteiger holds up the coveted 2026 FIFA World Cup trophy. Copyright: ImagoxLauraxBrettx<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h3>Why some matches will kick off in the early hours<\/h3>\n<p>Because the World Cup is being staged across North America, kick-off times vary significantly depending on the host city.<\/p>\n<p>Matches played on the West Coast in cities such as Vancouver, Seattle, Los Angeles, and San Francisco will often start after midnight Nigerian time.<\/p>\n<p>Several fixtures will kick off between:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>12:00 AM<\/li>\n<li>2:00 AM<\/li>\n<li>3:00 AM<\/li>\n<li>5:00 AM<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>This means Nigerian fans hoping to watch every game may need to stay up late during the tournament.<\/p>\n<h3>What happens after the group stage?<\/h3>\n<p>The Round of 32, Round of 16, quarter-finals, semi-finals, and final will be determined once the group-stage standings are completed.<\/p>\n<p>As the knockout bracket becomes clearer, Nigerian fans can expect more interesting fixtures featuring the tournament favourites and Africa&#8217;s remaining representatives.<\/p>\n<p>For now, viewers can mark June 11 on their calendars, with Mexico vs South Africa kicking off the biggest World Cup ever staged and beginning a month-long football spectacle.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/soccernet.ng\/2026\/06\/nigeria-time-zone-2026-fifa-world-cup-fi.html\" class=\"button purchase\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Read More<\/a>Adefolahan Guerreiro<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Soccer The 2026 FIFA World Cup is set to be the biggest edition in the tournament&#8217;s history, with 48 nations competing across the United States, Canada, and Mexico, Soccernet.ng reports. Although Nigeria failed to qualify for the competition, a huge portion of the country&#8217;s football-supporting populace is still expected to follow the tournament closely, particularly [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":910589,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[27096,2005,644],"tags":[15956,5489],"class_list":["post-910588","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nigeria","category-soccer","category-world","tag-nigeria","tag-world"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/910588","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=910588"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/910588\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/910589"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=910588"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=910588"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=910588"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}