FIFA Series 2026 Guide: Preview, Hosts, Teams, Schedule, Live Streaming – All You Need To Know

The FIFA Series 2026, the second edition of FIFA’s unique biennial international friendly series, will start on Wednesday. The men’s tournament will feature nine four-team groups comprising 36 teams from all six confederations. Meanwhile, the women’s tournament – making its debut this year – will have 16 sides playing across four countries.

Following the success of the inaugural FIFA Series in 2024, the invitational tournament has undergone a major expansion. The number of participating sides has been increased from 24 to 52 (men’s and women’s combined).

The tournament will be hosted by 12 countries, with the African nation of Rwanda hosting two groups.

Other than up-and-coming nations like Cape Verde, who qualified for the FIFA World Cup 2026, there are a few big names also taking part in this year’s FIFA Series. This includes Australia, Cameroon, Chile, and Venezuela.

India are one of the teams invited by FIFA to take part in the women’s tournament. The Women in Blue will play in the FIFA Women’s Series in Kenya, where they have been pitted against Kenya, Australia, and Malawi.

What is FIFA Series?

The FIFA Series is a new initiative started by the global football body, mainly designed to help lower-ranked and developing national teams. Unlike other tournaments, this is not a single competition held in one host country.

Instead, it is a collection of several small four-team tournaments held simultaneously across several host countries around the world. The four teams all come via FIFA’s invitation from different confederations, allowing them to face opponents from other continents that they normally wouldn’t have a chance to play against.

The tournament was launched in 2024, with the goal of creating cross-continental matchups. Crucially, instead of being just meaningless international friendlies, the mini-tournaments are structured in such a way that only one team can emerge as the group winner.

The format is decided beforehand between the participating teams. It can either consist of pre-arranged fixtures or follow a knockout format with semi-finals and a final. If any match ends in a draw, a penalty shootout takes place to decide the winner.

Also, the tournament takes place during FIFA’s international windows, which means that clubs are mandated to release players.

FIFA Series 2026: Hosts

The FIFA Series 2026 men’s tournament will be played in eight host countries: Australia, Azerbaijan, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, New Zealand, Puerto Rico, Rwanda (two groups), and Uzbekistan.

The FIFA Series 2026 women’s tournament will be played in four host countries: Brazil, Ivory Coast, Thailand, and Kenya.

FIFA Series 2026: Teams

Men’s Tournament

• Australia Series: Australia (AFC), Cameroon (CAF), China (AFC), Curacao (CONCACAF)

• Azerbaijan Series: Azerbaijan (UEFA), Oman (AFC), Saint Lucia (CONCACAF), Sierra Leone (CAF)

• Indonesia Series: Bulgaria (UEFA), Indonesia (AFC), Saint Kitts and Nevis (CONCACAF), Solomon Islands (OFC)

• Kazakhstan Series: Comoros (CAF), Kazakhstan (UEFA), Kuwait (AFC), Namibia (CAF)

• New Zealand Series: Cape Verde (CAF), Chile (CONMEBOL), Finland (UEFA), New Zealand (OFC)

• Puerto Rico Series: American Samoa (OFC), Guam (AFC), Puerto Rico (CONCACAF), U.S. Virgin Islands (CONCACAF)

• Rwanda A Series: Estonia (UEFA), Grenada (CONCACAF), Kenya (CAF), Rwanda (CAF)

• Rwanda B Series: Aruba (CONCACAF), Liechtenstein (UEFA), Macau (AFC), Tanzania (CAF)

• Uzbekistan Series: Gabon (CAF), Trinidad and Tobago (CONCACAF), Uzbekistan (AFC), Venezuela (CONMEBOL)

Women’s Tournament

• Brazil Series: Brazil (CONMEBOL), Canada (CONCACAF), South Korea (AFC), Zambia (CAF)

• Ivory Coast Series: Ivory Coast (CAF), Mauritania (CAF), Pakistan (AFC), Turks and Caicos Islands (CONCACAF)

• Thailand Series: Congo DR (CAF), Nepal (AFC), New Caledonia (OFC), Thailand (AFC)

• Kenya Series: Kenya (CAF), Australia (AFC), India (AFC), Malawi (CAF)

FIFA Series 2026: Schedule

The FIFA Series 2026 men’s tournament will take place from March 25-31, while the women’s tournament will take place from April 9-18. You can follow the full FIFA Series 2026 schedule below:

India women’s team will play against Kenya in their first friendly on April 11 at the Nyayo National Stadium in Nairobi. The winner of that contest will play in the final on April 15, while the loser will play in a third-place playoff on the same date.

FIFA Series 2026: Live Streaming Details

All the matches of the FIFA Series 2026 will be live-streamed for free globally on the FIFA+ app and website.