Kylian Mbappé's France, aiming to reclaim the FIFA World Cup after their 2022 final loss to Argentina, enters the upcoming tournament with a strong, technically gifted squad under his captaincy, though Indian fans will find it challenging to watch their group stage matches due to post-midnight scheduling, with games against Senegal on June 17th and Norway on June 27th both at 12:30 AM IST, and against Iraq on June 23rd at 2:30 AM IST, while Lamine Yamal's Spain will play Cape Verde and Saudi Arabia in the evening on June 15th and 21st respectively, both at 9:30 PM IST, before facing Uruguay early morning on June 27th at 5:30 AM IST.

Kylian Mbappé's France, aiming to reclaim the FIFA World Cup after their 2022 final loss to Argentina, enters the upcoming tournament with a strong, technically gifted squad under his captaincy, though Indian fans will find it challenging to watch their group stage matches due to post-midnight scheduling, with games against Senegal on June 17th and Norway on June 27th both at 12:30 AM IST, and against Iraq on June 23rd at 2:30 AM IST, while Lamine Yamal's Spain will play Cape Verde and Saudi Arabia in the evening on June 15th and 21st respectively, both at 9:30 PM IST, before facing Uruguay early morning on June 27th at 5:30 AM IST.

Kylian Mbappé's France, aiming to reclaim the FIFA World Cup after their 2022 final loss to Argentina, enters the upcoming tournament with a strong, technically gifted squad under his captaincy, though Indian fans will find it challenging to watch their group stage matches due to post-midnight scheduling, with games against Senegal on June 17th and Norway on June 27th both at 12:30 AM IST, and against Iraq on June 23rd at 2:30 AM IST, while Lamine Yamal's Spain will play Cape Verde and Saudi Arabia in the evening on June 15th and 21st respectively, both at 9:30 PM IST, before facing Uruguay early morning on June 27th at 5:30 AM IST.

Kylian Mbappé promised that they "will be back" after coming painstakingly close to defending the FIFA World Cup in Qatar. However, Lionel Messi's Argentina had the final laugh as they managed to win the summit clash on penalties.

ALSO READ | FIFA World Cup 2026: India timings for every Argentina, Portugal, Spain and Brazil group matches

As the tournament reaches the American continent, Mbappé is the French captain. He is motivated to lift the trophy once again and is leading one of the most balanced, technically gifted, and complete squads of the tournament.

Watching the group stage matches of France is not going to be easy for Indian fans, as all three games are scheduled for post-midnight hours.

Here is when Lamine Yamal's Spain and Kylian Mbappe's France will play their respective group stage games and when to watch them:

FRANCE

Date Match Venue Time (IST)
17 June 2026 France vs Senegal New York New Jersey Stadium 12:30 AM
23 June 2026 France vs Iraq Philadelphia Stadium 2:30 AM
27 June 2026 Norway vs France Boston Stadium 12:30 AM

SPAIN

| Date | Match |Time

| ----------- | --------------------- |--------

|15 June 2026 | Spain vs Cape Verde |9:30 PM

|21 June 2026 | Spain vs Saudi Arabia |9:30 PM

|27 June 2026 | Uruguay vs Spain |5:30 AM

Colombian singer Shakira will perform the official World Cup song "Dai Dai" at the opening ceremony in Mexico, FIFA said on Friday. The opening ceremony will begin 90 minutes before kickoff between Mexico and South Africa.


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Shakira is also set to perform at the first-ever World Cup final halftime show at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.

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