FIFA has confirmed the match schedule for the 2026 FIFA Series slated to take place during the International match windows in March and April.
Rwanda will be one of the nations that will host the Series, alongisde Australia, Azerbaijan, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, New Zealand, Puerto Rico and Uzbekistan.
Building on the successful pilot edition in 2024 and following the confirmation of the hosts and the composition of the groups in January 2026, the release of the match schedule provides Participating Member Associations, stakeholders and fans with full visibility of the upcoming fixtures.
The FIFA Series was approved by the FIFA Council in December 2022 and is fully aligned with FIFA’s Strategic Objectives for the Global Game: 2023-2027.
Its purpose is to facilitate meaningful international friendly matches between national teams from different confederations that would not normally compete against one another, thereby supporting football development both on and off the pitch.
The 2026 edition of this initiative will feature 48 national teams – representing almost a quarter of FIFA’s 211 Member Associations – competing in 12 groups of four teams each.
Eleven FIFA Member Associations will host the series, with Rwanda staging two groups. Nine groups will feature men’s national teams and three will involve women’s national teams, with all six confederations represented.
Rwanda A will be played at the iconic Amahoro Stadium in Kigali featuring the hosts Rwanda, Kenya, Grenada and Estonia.
On the ofher hand, Rwanda B will be be composed of Aruba, Liechtensein, Macau and Tanzania and games will be played at Kigali Pele Stadium.
The FIFA Series brings together teams with a wide range of competitive profiles, from established international sides to emerging football nations, reinforcing FIFA’s commitment to inclusive and sustainable global football development.
All FIFA Series 2026 matches will be broadcast and made available to a global audience, increasing access for fans worldwide and enhancing visibility for participating national teams.
While all matches are international friendlies, the Participating Member Associations (PMAs) have agreed on varied competition formats – either semi-finals and a final, or pre-arranged fixtures.
Any match that ends in a draw will go straight to an exciting penalty shoot-out, with no extra time. In each group, regardless of format, one Member Association will emerge as group victors. FIFA has endorsed this participant-led approach, as it enhances the competitive edge of these fixtures, makes them more engaging for fans, and provides a valuable sporting opportunity for all teams involved.