Eight opening games in the 2026 World Cup began an average of three minutes late, with the longest delay reaching six minutes.
Late starts frustrate fans. Scotland supporters had waited 28 years to see their team play in a World Cup, so a two-and-a-half-minute delay before their match against Haiti mattered little. After securing a 1-0 victory—their first World Cup win since Italia '90—the fans could agree that patience often brings rewards. Yet the postponement in Group C continued a pattern observed throughout the tournament’s first eight matches, none of which began at the scheduled time. Delays averaged three minutes per game, with the opening fixture between Mexico and South Africa running six minutes behind schedule.
Pre-game ceremonies slow proceedings. World football’s governing body has expanded pre-match ceremonies, which may contribute to the repeated delays. Instead of just the starting players, entire squads now gather in the centre circle for anthems, accompanied by large flags in each half. While FIFA describes this as a moment of unity and emotion, the expanded ceremony adds complexity. Teams, officials, and organizers may grow more efficient with repetition, but the governing body might have underestimated the additional time required for setup.
Running orders dictate precise timings. Each match follows a detailed running order shared with media, detailing exact moments for team arrivals, tunnel entry, pitch entrance, and anthem performances. Broadcasters rely on these schedules to avoid missing key pre-game moments, especially during commercial breaks. For the Haiti versus Scotland game, both sides were supposed to appear on the pitch eight minutes and forty seconds before kick-off. However, Haitian players were still preparing, forcing the match feed to show officials urging them forward.
Key fixtures suffer similar setbacks. Matches featuring co-hosts Mexico, Canada, and the USA included opening ceremonies, but these concluded well before scheduled kick-offs and did not cause delays. Still, the most delayed games all shared one common issue: late entries onto the pitch by players. Thursday’s Mexico versus South Africa game started six minutes late, while Qatar’s match against Switzerland began nearly five minutes behind schedule. Only two games—Australia against Turkey (40 seconds late) and South Korea versus the Czech Republic (51 seconds late)—began within a minute of the official start time.
FIFA reviews delays for improvements. While a few minutes may seem trivial, FIFA meticulously plans every aspect of tournament proceedings and will likely identify late starts as an area needing refinement. The governing body provides broadcasters with precise timings to align commercial breaks with key moments. However, the expanded pre-game ceremonies and squad-wide anthem gatherings introduce variables that can disrupt even the most carefully designed schedules. As teams and officials become more accustomed to the routines, the process may become more streamlined over time.