FIFA World Cup 2026 in CEST

World Cup 2026 Schedule in Germany

Germany return to the World Cup after the disappointing 2022 group-stage exit, with Julian Nagelsmann's rebuild centered on Florian Wirtz, Jamal Musiala, and a settled defensive spine. The tournament timing is excellent for German viewers, with most matches kicking off in the evening hours before midnight.

ARD and ZDF, the public broadcasters, share live TV rights as they have for past tournaments, with both channels carrying matches free-to-air. MagentaTV (Deutsche Telekom) is expected to stream additional coverage. Coverage is comprehensive in German, with sign-language interpretation available on selected match feeds.

Central European Summer Time. The 9:00 PM CEST window covers most evening US East Coast kickoffs and is the prime German viewing slot. East-coast US venues mean Germany fixtures will likely fall into the 6:00 PM or 9:00 PM CEST windows. The late-night and overnight windows cover West Coast US matches.

Kickoff windows in CEST

Most World Cup 2026 matches kick off in one of four standard windows. Use this as your at-a-glance reference.

12:00 PM ET6:00 PM CEST
3:00 PM ET9:00 PM CEST
6:00 PM ET12:00 AM CEST (next day)
9:00 PM ET3:00 AM CEST (next day)
Ad slot: 9999990601 (horizontal)

Download the Germany schedule PDF

Take the full Germany-time schedule offline. A4 printable, optimized for office walls and home printing.

Every match, CEST time

All 104 matches in chronological order by your local viewing date. Times shown are venue kickoff converted to CEST.

Thursday, June 11

Friday, June 12

Saturday, June 13

Sunday, June 14

Monday, June 15

Tuesday, June 16

Wednesday, June 17

Thursday, June 18

Friday, June 19

Saturday, June 20

Sunday, June 21

Monday, June 22

Tuesday, June 23

Wednesday, June 24

Thursday, June 25

Friday, June 26

Saturday, June 27

Sunday, June 28

Monday, June 29

Tuesday, June 30

Wednesday, July 1

Thursday, July 2

Friday, July 3

Saturday, July 4

Sunday, July 5

Monday, July 6

Tuesday, July 7

Thursday, July 9

Friday, July 10

Saturday, July 11

Tuesday, July 14

Wednesday, July 15

Saturday, July 18

Sunday, July 19

Ad slot: 9999990602 (horizontal)

Frequently asked questions

Where to watch World Cup 2026 in Germany?

ARD and ZDF, the public broadcasters, share rights and air every match free-to-air on Das Erste and ZDF. ARD Mediathek and ZDFmediathek stream the same content for free with no subscription.

Is World Cup 2026 free in Germany?

Yes. Every match airs free on ARD or ZDF and streams free on their respective Mediathek apps. No paywall, no subscription, no signup required.

What time is the World Cup final in Germany?

The final is Sunday, July 19, 2026 at MetLife Stadium with a 3:00 PM ET kickoff. That translates to 9:00 PM CEST in Germany. Coverage on either ARD or ZDF, depending on the broadcaster rotation set closer to the tournament.

More World Cup 2026 resources

Last updated May 8, 2026.