FIFA has released the calendar for the FIFA Series 2026, second edition of a new international tournament played between teams from confederations who don't get to play regularly in competitions, mainly lower-ranked nations from Africa, Asia, South America, and Oceania. There will be three teams from Europe: Bulgaria, Finland, and Estonia in men's competition.
The goal is to "drive the development of men's and women's national teams", and will take place between March and April 2026, during an international window in which friendlies and the final play-offs before World Cup 2026 will take place.
The matches will take place between March 25-31 for the men's competition, featuring 36 teams; and between April 9-18 for the women's competition, featuring 12 teams. The matches will be played in Australia, Azerbaijan, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, New Zealand, Puerto Rico and Rwanda for the men's competition; and Brazil, Cote d'Ivoire and Thailand for the women's competition.
"Its purpose is to facilitate meaningful international friendly matches between national teams from different confederations that would not normally compete against one another, thereby supporting football development both on and off the pitch", said FIFA.
Despite it being a biennial competition, the matches are officially considered as friendlies. In the case of a draw, there will be a penalty shootout with no overtime. The Participating Member Associations (PMAs) have agreed on varied competition formats - either semi-finals and a final, or pre-arranged fixtures.
It will be the second edition of the FIFA Series, and the first to include women's teams. In 2024, Croatia won Egypt 4-2, a match that attracted more than 85,000 people in Cairo on March 26, 2024.