Kickoff times are Eastern. Channels, times, and team news confirmed the morning of June 16, 2026.
Day 5 was the day of the draw: four matches, four stalemates. The headline came out of Atlanta, where World Cup debutant Cape Verde held Spain, one of the favorites, to a 0-0, and the night closed with the tournament’s lowest-ranked side, New Zealand, snatching a 2-2 against Iran on a pair of goals from Elijah Just.
Today the heavyweights arrive, all at once. Three of the biggest names in the sport open their tournaments inside six hours: Kylian Mbappé and France in the afternoon, Erling Haaland and Norway at six, and Lionel Messi and the defending champions at nine. Every one of them is on big FOX, which makes this another day an antenna covers from start to finish.
If you are still sorting out your setup, the full how-to-watch guide covers every option from free to zero-hassle. And before the group stage piles up, the 12 players to watch is your cheat sheet for whose names matter.
3 p.m. ET: France vs. Senegal, FOX
The last time these two met at a World Cup, it produced one of the competition’s great upsets. Senegal, making their tournament debut, beat defending champions France 1-0 in the 2002 opener, and the holders never recovered, going out in the group stage. Senegal’s current coach, Pape Thiaw, watched that night from the bench as a player. France arrive this time as one of the favorites, rated just behind Spain, chasing a third title and a fitting send-off for Didier Deschamps in his final tournament in charge. Kylian Mbappé, who put a hat-trick past Argentina in the 2022 final, leads the line one goal short of Olivier Giroud’s all-time France scoring record.
Senegal are not here to make up the numbers. They reached the Africa Cup of Nations final in January, losing to host Morocco on penalties, and Sadio Mané is fit and dangerous this time after missing the 2022 World Cup through injury. With Nicolas Jackson and Ismaïla Sarr around him, the threat on the counter is real, and they have stunned France here once already.
How to watch: FOX, free over the air with an antenna. Telemundo and Peacock carry it in Spanish.
6 p.m. ET: Iraq vs. Norway, FOX
This is the one a lot of neutrals circled, because Erling Haaland is finally at a World Cup. At 25, Manchester City’s relentless scorer dragged Norway here almost by himself, scoring 16 goals in qualifying, more than twice any other man in Europe. Norway won all eight of their qualifiers and are back at the tournament for the first time since 1998, two years before Haaland was born. Arsenal captain Martin Ødegaard and Atlético’s Alexander Sørloth round out one of the most dangerous attacks at the tournament.
Iraq are ending a long absence of their own. They are at a World Cup for the first time since 1986, a 40-year wait they ended as the very last team to qualify, edging Bolivia in an intercontinental playoff. Coach Graham Arnold has them organized and hard to break down, but Norway have far too much going forward, and start as heavy favorites.
How to watch: FOX, free over the air. Telemundo and Peacock in Spanish.
9 p.m. ET: Argentina vs. Algeria, FOX
The champions begin their defense. Lionel Messi opens what is widely expected to be his sixth and final World Cup, a game that will also be his 200th cap for Argentina. The open question is how many minutes Lionel Scaloni gives him after a hamstring problem. Argentina topped South American qualifying, beat Brazil 4-1 along the way, and have won seven straight while conceding once. Only Italy and Brazil have ever retained the World Cup. Argentina want to be the third.
This is a trickier first game than the odds suggest, though. Algeria are here for the first time since 2014, they topped their African group, and Riyad Mahrez and Mohammed Amoura carry real pace on the break. There is recent history worth keeping in mind too: in 2022 Argentina lost their opener to Saudi Arabia and still lifted the trophy, so they, of all teams, know not to read too much into one night.
How to watch: FOX over the air. Telemundo and Peacock carry it in Spanish.
The 30-second watch recap
- Spending nothing today: an antenna covers all three matches on FOX, and Telemundo carries the full set in Spanish. No gaps today.
- Every match, cheapest: FOX One at $19.99 a month carries today’s three and all 104.
- Zero hassle: if you already have YouTube TV or another live-TV service, every game is just there. Open the app at 3.
The full guide has the longer version, including the free-trial math.
Tomorrow it’s Ronaldo’s turn
Wednesday opens with Portugal against DR Congo at 1 p.m. on FOX, then the pick of the day at 4 p.m., England vs. Croatia on FOX, a rematch of the 2018 semifinal that ended England’s run. The back half of the day shifts to FS1, with Ghana vs. Panama at 7 and Uzbekistan vs. Colombia at 10, so an antenna gets the two headliners and not much after.
More big names go Wednesday: Cristiano Ronaldo at what is almost certainly his last World Cup, with Jude Bellingham and Harry Kane leading England a few hours later.
Mbappé at three, Haaland at six, Messi at nine. Clear the evening.
