FIFA surprised TV executives with the 2026 World Cup schedule release: Instead of the expected four kick-off times, there are now 15 different ones, many at night. More than half of the 104 matches start at midnight or later, posing challenges for broadcasters and fans.
The surprise was significant when TV managers at a Hilton Hotel in Washington watched FIFA's show event unveiling the 2026 Football World Cup schedule via stream. They anticipated four kick-off times—converted to MESZ at 18:00, 21:00, 00:00, and 03:00—but 15 different ones were presented, ranging from 18:00 to 6:00 AM. This is three times as many as the last World Cup.
More than half of the matches start at midnight or later, which is particularly tough for European viewers. For the Austrian team under coach Ralf Rangnick, fans must tune in at 4:00 AM against Algeria and 6:00 AM against Jordan.
In Germany, Telekom holds the rights to all 104 games, acquired in May. They are not commenting currently, but talks with FIFA are underway, though the times won't change. Public broadcasters ARD and ZDF secured sub-license rights for 60 games.
The issue: ARD and ZDF can only show ads until 20:00 to recoup costs. For Germany's group stage, this is only possible on June 14 at 19:00 against Curacao; the others against Ivory Coast (June 20, 22:00) and Ecuador (June 25, 22:00) fall into the ad ban period.
ZDF sports chief Yorck Polus calls the kick-off times 'a real challenge' for planning, logistics, and editorial execution. FIFA justifies the times due to high US summer temperatures and consideration of various TV markets; Qatar had five times.
Late games also complicate ad revenues for Telekom, one of three key income pillars alongside subscriptions and sub-license sales.
