The 2027 Women’s World Cup now knows where it begins, where it ends and which cities the road between those two points will pass through. Almost all of the names still have to be filled in.
FIFA has published the schedule for all 64 matches, which will be played between 24 June and 25 July 2027. The Maracanã will stage both the opening game, featuring hosts Brazil, and the final.
In total, the Maracanã will stage six group matches — including the opening game — plus a quarter-final, a semi-final and the final: nine matches.
The Rio de Janeiro stadium will therefore become the third to stage both men’s and women’s World Cup finals. The others are Sweden’s now-demolished Råsunda — 1958 and 1995 — and the Rose Bowl in the United States — 1994 and 1999. The Maracanã hosted the 2014 men’s final between Germany and Argentina.
Brazil will play a World Cup match at the Maracanã for the first time in 77 years
The hosts will occupy position A1 and play the opening match in Rio de Janeiro on Thursday 24 June. They will then face their second group opponent at Arena Itaquera in São Paulo on 29 June before completing the first round at Estádio Nacional in Brasília on 4 July.
It will be the first time since 1950 that Brazil have played a World Cup match at the Maracanã. The men’s national team did not appear there when the country hosted the tournament again in 2014.
The schedule also reveals the two routes Arthur Elias’s team could follow.
If Brazil win Group A, they will play their round-of-16 match in Fortaleza on 10 July, their quarter-final in Belo Horizonte on 16 July and their semi-final in São Paulo on 20 July.
If they finish second, they will play in Belo Horizonte on 11 July, Fortaleza on 17 July and the Maracanã on 21 July.
Both routes end at the same place: the final in Rio de Janeiro on 25 July.
Every host city will have a knockout match
Each of the eight cities will stage six group games and at least one match in the knockout rounds.
São Paulo will host more fixtures than any other city, with ten. It will feature in every stage after the groups except the final: the round of 16, quarter-finals, semi-finals and third-place play-off.
Rio de Janeiro and Fortaleza will have nine matches, Belo Horizonte eight, and Brasília, Porto Alegre, Recife and Salvador seven each. Those final four cities will leave the tournament after the round of 16.
The schedule by stage is:
| Stage | Dates |
|---|---|
| Group stage | 24 June–8 July |
| Round of 16 | 10–13 July |
| Quarter-finals | 16–17 July |
| Semi-finals | 20–21 July |
| Third-place play-off | 24 July |
| Final | 25 July |
The first semi-final will be played in São Paulo on 20 July and the second at the Maracanã the following day. The third-place play-off will take the tournament back to São Paulo before the final in Rio.
Spain still do not know their route
Eighteen of the 32 teams have already qualified, including Spain, but only Brazil have been assigned a group and know where they will play their first three matches.
Everyone else must wait for the final draw. FIFA says it will be held before the end of 2026 but has not announced a date. Kick-off times have not been fixed either.
The draw will therefore determine which cities Spain visit during the group stage as they begin their title defence.
Until then, the World Cup has a complete route, but almost all of its spaces remain empty.
