World Cup 2026 Quarterfinals: Bracket, Schedule and Host City Guide

Direct answer: The 2026 FIFA World Cup quarterfinals are played from July 9 to July 11, 2026 across four cities: Boston (Gillette Stadium), Los Angeles (SoFi Stadium), Kansas City (Arrowhead Stadium) and Miami (Hard Rock Stadium). The bracket is pre-locked: Round of 16 winners feed each QF slot.

The 2026 FIFA World Cup quarterfinals are the bridge between a chaotic, sprawling tournament and the disciplined story of its final week. Four matches. Four cities. Three days. By Saturday night on July 11, only the semifinalists remain.

The Four Quarterfinals

FIFA confirmed the quarterfinal schedule in the official Match Schedule released in February 2024 and reconfirmed venue assignments in February 2025. The four fixtures, in order:

• QF1 — Thursday July 9, 2026 — Gillette Stadium, Foxborough (Boston) — kickoff 12:00 ET
• QF2 — Thursday July 9, 2026 — SoFi Stadium, Inglewood (Los Angeles) — kickoff 17:00 PT
• QF3 — Friday July 10, 2026 — Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City — kickoff 15:00 CT
• QF4 — Saturday July 11, 2026 — Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens — kickoff 16:00 ET

Kickoff times are subject to a final ±60-minute window adjustment 72 hours before each match.

Venues at a Glance

Gillette Stadium (Boston) — 65,878 capacity in World Cup configuration. The northernmost QF venue, with a temperate New England summer climate. SoFi Stadium (LA) — 70,240 capacity, the most expensive stadium ever built. Arrowhead Stadium (Kansas City) — 76,416 capacity, the loudest open-air stadium in world football. Hard Rock Stadium (Miami) — 64,767 capacity, with the largest Latin American supporter base of any QF host.

How the Bracket Works

The quarterfinal bracket was pre-locked at the December 2023 draw structure release. Round of 16 winners feed into the QF slots by a fixed mapping: R16-1 vs R16-2 → QF1; R16-3 vs R16-4 → QF2; R16-5 vs R16-6 → QF3; R16-7 vs R16-8 → QF4. The bracket halves only converge in the final, so two teams from the same Round of 16 path cannot meet again before MetLife Stadium on July 19.

Travel Logistics

Flying between all four cities in three days is technically possible but punishing. The most realistic two-match itineraries: Boston → Miami (Thursday QF1 + Saturday QF4, both East Coast, JetBlue and Delta operate the route in ~3h) and LA → Kansas City (Thursday QF2 + Friday QF3, both Central/West, Southwest and American operate the route in ~2h45). For the truly committed: Boston → LA on Thursday night is 6h cross-country, but redeyes leave plenty of time for QF2 at SoFi.

Slow-Travel Approach

The quarterfinals are the perfect Round at which to commit to a single city for the week. Kansas City in particular offers what bigger hosts cannot: an entire metropolis tuned to a single match. Walk the Country Club Plaza in the days before. Eat at Joe’s Kansas City Bar-B-Que. Take in the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum. This is the GlobalSilentWalks ethic — depth over distance — applied to World Cup travel.

Featured Snippet — Quick Facts

• QF1: Boston, July 9 — Gillette Stadium
• QF2: Los Angeles, July 9 — SoFi Stadium
• QF3: Kansas City, July 10 — Arrowhead Stadium
• QF4: Miami, July 11 — Hard Rock Stadium
• Total QF capacity: ~277,000 across four venues
• Next stage: Semifinals July 14 (Dallas) and July 15 (Atlanta)

Internal Links: Plan the Rest of Your Trip

• World Cup 2026 Round of 32 Travel Guide →
• World Cup 2026 Semifinals: Dallas & Atlanta Fan Guide →
• World Cup 2026 Final Tickets Guide (MetLife Stadium) →
• FIFA World Cup 2026 Travel Guide →
• World Cup 2026 Fan Zones Guide →

External Sources

• FIFA — Official 2026 World Cup match schedule
• Gillette Stadium — venue information
• SoFi Stadium — venue information
• Arrowhead Stadium — venue information
• Hard Rock Stadium — venue information

Frequently Asked Questions

When are the 2026 World Cup quarterfinals?

The four quarterfinals are played between Thursday July 9 and Saturday July 11, 2026. Two matches take place on July 9 (Boston and Los Angeles), one on July 10 (Kansas City), and one on July 11 (Miami).

Which cities host the 2026 World Cup quarterfinals?

Four host cities stage one quarterfinal each: Gillette Stadium near Boston, SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, and Hard Rock Stadium in Miami. They are the only cities to host a single QF match in the entire tournament.

How is the World Cup 2026 quarterfinal bracket built?

Winners of the eight Round of 16 ties feed the QF bracket through a pre-published FIFA chart. The bracket is laid out so the two halves only meet in the final, with QF1 and QF2 in the upper half and QF3 and QF4 in the lower half.

Can a fan attend all four quarterfinals?

Theoretically yes, but logistically brutal. The route Boston → Los Angeles → Kansas City → Miami covers more than 11,000 km. Most fans pick a single coast (East: Boston + Miami; West: LA + Kansas City) and combine flights with major-airline World Cup fare specials.

What are the kickoff times for the 2026 World Cup quarterfinals?

FIFA scheduled the quarterfinals at 12:00, 16:00 and 20:00 US local time so that European audiences can watch in late afternoon or prime time. Exact slots vary by city; confirm on FIFA.com 48 hours before kickoff.