Football is the most widely played sport on the planet, and its international game runs on a simple calendar: a World Cup every four years, continental championships in between, and qualifiers and friendlies in the windows when club football pauses. This page is a guide to how that calendar works, what just happened, and what is coming. Domestic leagues such as the Premier League or La Liga are not covered here, because this site follows international sport.
The latest World Cup: Spain, 2026
The 2026 FIFA World Cup was the 23rd edition. It ran from 11 June to 19 July 2026 and was the first hosted by three countries: the United States, Mexico and Canada, across 16 cities. It was also the first with 48 teams, up from 32, which pushed the match count from 64 to 104. The United States hosted 78 of those matches, including every quarter-final, both semi-finals and the final. Canada and Mexico hosted 13 each.
Spain won the final 1-0 after extra time against defending champions Argentina at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. It is Spain's second title and the first since 2010. Two details stand out. Spain became the first nation to hold the men's and women's World Cups at the same time, and the first team to win the tournament while conceding only one goal. England finished third and France fourth, so the top four teams in the FIFA world ranking all reached the semi-finals, which had never happened before.
The numbers and the awards
Kylian Mbappe of France won the Golden Boot for the second World Cup in a row with 10 goals. He also became the all-time leading scorer in World Cup history, and the first player to win the Golden Boot more than once. Spain's captain Rodri took the Golden Ball for best player, Unai Simon won the Golden Glove for best goalkeeper, and Pau Cubarsi was named best young player.
Matches averaged 2.96 goals, the highest since 1970. Total attendance was 6,810,966, which works out at 65,490 per match and is a record for any World Cup, ahead of the 1994 tournament. Italy, four-time champions, lost the European play-off final to Bosnia and Herzegovina on penalties and missed a third World Cup in a row.
What the 48-team format changed
The old format had eight groups of four. The new one has twelve groups of four, and the top teams advance to a larger knockout stage. Each team still plays three group matches, but a team that goes all the way now plays eight games rather than seven, and the tournament lasts 39 days instead of 29. Critics of an earlier plan for three-team groups argued it invited collusion in the last round, which is one reason FIFA settled on groups of four. FIFA also seeded the world's top four teams, Spain, Argentina, France and England, into opposite halves of the draw, so the best two could not meet before the final. That is why the semi-finals looked the way they did.
How the international calendar works
- World Cup: every four years, run by FIFA. The next men's tournament is 2030.
- Continental championships: UEFA European Championship, Copa America, Africa Cup of Nations, AFC Asian Cup, Gold Cup and OFC Nations Cup, each run by its own confederation.
- Qualifiers: played in set international windows, usually several times a year, when clubs must release players.
- Women's football: its own World Cup every four years, plus continental tournaments and the Olympics.
Coming up
The 2027 FIFA Women's World Cup is scheduled for Brazil, from 24 June to 25 July 2027, with 32 teams. It will be the first Women's World Cup in South America. Brazil won the hosting vote at the FIFA Congress in Bangkok in May 2024 with 119 votes, ahead of a joint bid from Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands.
UEFA Euro 2028 will be co-hosted by England, Scotland, Wales and the Republic of Ireland. The opening match is planned for 9 June 2028 in Cardiff, and the tournament runs from 9 June to 9 July 2028. It will be the second Euros held in more than two countries.
Where to follow live matches
The Schedule & Live page carries a live football card with current matches from around the world. It is a third-party feed, so it sometimes includes smaller domestic games, and we do not claim it lists every match. For official fixtures and dates, use the sources below.
Sources
Tournament facts are from the 2026 FIFA World Cup, 2027 FIFA Women's World Cup and UEFA Euro 2028 summaries. Official sites: FIFA and UEFA. Facts last checked 17 October 2026.
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