Manchester City stars find out 2026 FIFA World Cup fate – Four head-to-head battles confirmed | OneFootball

Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City stars have found out their initial contests at next summer’s FIFA World Cup, should they be selected by their respective nations.

With City entering a new phase of squad evolution and contract planning across 2025 and 2026, the upcoming World Cup adds yet another layer of narrative to the club’s ongoing story.

Several players will hope their impressive club form across the next few months contributes to them earning a seat on the plane to North America, as after a turbulent 2024/25 where City chased a top-four finish rather than trophies, international performances could also have an indirect influence on future club decisions, fitness, and market movements.

The tournament will also coincide with a period where City are monitoring the futures of several key squad members, including potential exits, new deals, and loan pathways. For example, the likes of Savinho, Rico Lewis, and Nico Gonzalez all face competitive battles to secure national call-ups, mirroring the selection pressure they face at the Etihad Stadium.

Pep Guardiola’s depth across midfield and defence means many players will view the World Cup as an opportunity to showcase themselves to their national coaches and Manchester City hierarchy alike.

Now, following the completion of the group stage draw in the last few days and the logistical planning process complete around fixture dates and kick-off times, the full set of group stage fixtures has been announced – particularly those concerning Manchester City’s stars.

Starting with Group B, and should Gianluigi Donnarumma qualify through UEFA play-off A with Italy, they would open up their tournament with a meeting against Canada on June 12, 2026 with kick-off at 20:00 (UK).

Donnarumma could then meet Manchester City’s on-loan central defender Manuel Akanji in the round two fixtures, with a clash against Switzerland scheduled for June 18, 2026 at 20:00 (UK).

Group B would then close for Donnarumma and Italy – should they qualify – with a clash against Qatar on June 24, 2026 at 20:00 (UK).

Turning attentions to Group C, and while Manchester City’s Savinho has plenty of work to do in order to secure himself a place at the tournament, he and Brazil would take on Morocco in their first encounter on June 13, 2026 at 23:00 (UK).

The South American giants would then clash with Haiti in their round two fixture on June 20, 2026 at 02:00 (UK), before closing out their group stage against Scotland on June 24, 2026 at 23:00 (UK).

Over in Group F and Nathan Ake and Tijjani Reijnders’ Netherlands squad will open up their FIFA World Cup pursuit with a clash against Japan on June 14, 2026 at 21:00 (UK), before facing the UEFA play-off B winner in their round two clash on June 20, 2026 at 18:00 (UK).

The Netherlands’ group stage would then close with a meeting against Tunisia on June 26, 2026 at 00:00 (UK).

Group G will then see the first meeting between Manchester City players at the FIFA World Cup as Jeremy Doku’s Belgium take on Omar Marmoush’s Egypt on June 15, 2026 at 20:00 (UK) in their respective round one fixture.

In round two, Belgium will face Iran on June 21, 2026 at 20:00 (UK) while Egypt take on New Zealand on June 22, 2026 at 02:00 (UK), before the latter takes on Iran on June 27, 2026 at 04:00 (UK) while the Red Devils take on New Zealand on the same date and at the same time.

In Group H, Rodri – and possibly Nico Gonzalez – will open their World Cup account with Spain against Cape Verde on June 15, 2026 at 17:00 (UK) before taking on Saudi Arabia in their second clash on June 21, 2026 at 17:00 (UK).

Spain will then complete their group stage encounters with a mouth-watering clash against South American icons Uruguay on June 27, 2026 with kick-off scheduled for 01:00 for those in the UK.

Manchester City stars will also be going head-to-head in Group I with Rayan Cherki’s France and Oscar Bobb and Erling Haaland’s Norway placed into the same group phase of the competition.

France will open their account at the tournament against Senegal on June 16, 2026 at 20:00 (UK), while Norway will face off against the FIFA play-off two winner on the same date with kick-off scheduled for 23:00 (UK).

In the round two fixtures, France will then take on the aforementioned play-off winner on June 22, 2026 at 22:00 (UK), while Norway will take on Senegal the next day at 01:00 (UK).

Closing off the group stage, Norway and France will then go head-to-head – potentially for a place in the knock-out rounds of the tournament – with that clash scheduled for June 26, 2026 at 20:00 (UK).

Group J will then see Rayan Ait-Nouri and Algeria open up their FIFA World Cup account with a clash against the reigning world champions, as they face Argentina on June 17, 2026 at 02:00 (UK).

The North African side then take on Jordan on June 23, 2026 at 04:00 (UK), before completing their group stage against Austria on June 28, 2026 with kick-off in that one scheduled for 03:00 (UK).

Heading into Group K and we see yet more inter-Manchester City clashes as Matheus Nunes, Ruben Dias, and Bernardo Silva of Portugal are matched up with Abdukodir Khusanov’s Uzbekistan at the tournament.

The former will kick-off their tournament by playing the winner of FIFA play-off one on June 17, 2026 at 18:00 (UK), while Khusanov and his international teammates take on Colombia on June 18, 2026 at 03:00 (UK).

The two nations clash in their round two fixture as Portugal take on Uzbekistan on June 23, 2026 at 18:00 (UK), while round three sees the latter against the FIFA play-off one winner on June 28, 2026 at 00:30 (UK) as Portugal meet Colombia in the same time-slot on the same date.

Finally, in Group L, Thomas Tuchel’s England – that could feature all of James Trafford, Rico Lewis, John Stones, Nico O’Reilly, and Phil Foden – take on Josko Gvardiol and Mateo Kovacic’s Croatia in their opening contest on June 17, 2026 at 21:00 (UK).

England will then meet with Ghana in their second fixture on June 23, 2026 at 21:00 (UK) while Croatia take on Panama at 00:00 (UK) on June 24, 2026.

The group stage will then conclude for the two nations with England meeting Panama on June 27, 2026 at 22:00 (UK) as Croatia take on Ghana in the exact same kick-off time slot and on the same date.