The addition of four women’s national teams and a new Host Member Association (MA), Kenya, as well as unanticipated logistical developments on the men’s side, has prompted a slight revision of the FIFA Series 2026™ schedule. Building upon the successful pilot edition staged in March 2024, the FIFA Series 2026 will feature an impressive total of 50 men’s and women’s national teams competing in 13 groups across 12 host nations from all six continents. The 53 combined matches, played between 25 and 31 March (men’s) and 9 until 18 April (women’s), offer participating teams the priceless opportunity to test themselves under the FIFA spotlight against opposition from diverse regions. The most significant change to the fixture list is the addition of a fourth women’s group in Kenya. There, at the Nyayo National Stadium in Nairobi, the host Harambee Starlets will welcome Australia and India from the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) along with fellow Confederation of African Football (CAF) side Malawi. Kenya will face India after Australia play Malawi on 11 April. The third-place playoff and the final will be played four days later.

The three previously scheduled women’s groups will take place in Brazil – the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2027™ host – Côte d’Ivoire and Thailand. On the men’s side, the schedules in Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan have been revised to reflect the withdrawals of Kuwait and Oman due to extraordinary circumstances. In Azerbaijan, the hosts will face Concacaf side St Lucia on 27 March and then Africa’s Sierra Leone on 30 March. In Kazakhstan, the host Hawks will be joined by African nations Comoros and Namibia in a triangular format contested on 25, 28 and 31 March. The men’s fixtures for FIFA Series 2026 in Australia, Indonesia, New Zealand, Puerto Rico, Rwanda – the only FIFA MA hosting two groups – and Uzbekistan remain unchanged. The FIFA Series 2026 is designed to bring together teams with a wide range of competitive profiles, from established international sides to emerging nations, thereby reinforcing FIFA’s commitment to inclusive and sustainable global football development. Five participating men’s teams have qualified for the upcoming FIFA World Cup 2026™: Australia, Cabo Verde, Curaçao, New Zealand and Uzbekistan. Approved by the FIFA Council in December 2022, the FIFA Series also strengthens holistic football development beyond the pitch. Hosting and participating MAs benefit from hands-on experience in event delivery, operational planning, referee development and competition organisation, mirroring the conditions of major international tournaments and strengthening capacity across multiple functional areas. All FIFA Series 2026 matches will be broadcast to a global audience, increasing access for fans worldwide while enhancing the visibility of the participating teams. The updated FIFA Series 2026 match schedule is now available here.