A live countdown to the next World Cup, shown in your own time zone — plus the format, hosts and key dates.
The Countdown
Our countdowns page shows the exact days, hours, minutes and seconds until the next World Cup, calculated in whichever time zone you pick with the world clock at the top of the site. Because the tournament opens on a fixed local date in the host country, the remaining time you see depends on where you are watching from.
The New 48-Team Format
The men's tournament expanded to 48 teams, split into 12 groups of four. The top two from each group plus the eight best third-placed teams advance to a round of 32, making the knockout stage longer than any previous edition and pushing the match count past 100.
Why Time Zones Matter
A tournament spread across multiple host nations means kick-off times land at very different hours depending on your country. That is exactly why we built a shared time zone selector: every countdown on the site recalculates for the region you choose, including daylight saving shifts.
Other Countdowns You Might Want
The same page tracks how long is left in the year, until Christmas, until the end of the month, until Black Friday and more than a dozen other common questions — all in your local time.
Frequently asked questions
How long until the next World Cup?
Our live countdown shows the exact remaining days, hours, minutes and seconds in your selected time zone.
How many teams play in the World Cup now?
48 teams, arranged in 12 groups of four before a round of 32.
Does the countdown adjust to my country?
Yes. Pick your time zone with the world clock and every countdown on the site recalculates, including daylight saving changes.
Where can I see other countdowns?
The countdowns hub covers the end of the year, Christmas, the end of the month, Black Friday and many more.