World Cup 2026 group stage day eight: Canada, Mexico and Switzerland all in action

The World Cup 2026 group stage moves into its second round of fixtures on Thursday, with four matches spread across North America — three kicking off on Thursday and one running into the early hours of Friday morning for UK viewers.

Group A opens the day’s action as Czechia face South Africa at Atlanta Stadium in Georgia, with kick-off at 5pm UK time. The two sides meet in what shapes up as a pivotal early test in a group that has already produced surprises in its opening round.

Later on Thursday evening, Switzerland take on Bosnia & Herzegovina in a Group B clash at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, with the match starting at 8pm UK time. Both European nations will be looking to build on their opening results as the group stage tightens.

Tournament co-hosts Canada then play Qatar at BC Place in Vancouver at 11pm UK time, also in Group B. Playing on home soil, Canada will be expected to push for a result in front of their own supporters.

The final fixture of the block sees the other co-hosts, Mexico, face South Korea at Guadalajara Stadium in Mexico, kicking off at 2am UK time on Friday morning. The Group A match rounds off a busy 24-hour window that underlines the scale of the expanded, tri-nation tournament.

World Cup 2026 has now been running for a full week, with the opening round of group stage games already delivering several unexpected results across the 48-team field.