World Cup 2026: Why can't World Cup matches start on time?

 Scotland fans, who had waited 28 years to see their team in action at the World Cup, probably didn't mind a further two-and-a-half-minute delay to the start of the match against Haiti. And after enjoying a 1-0 victory - Scotland's first World Cup victory since 1990 - they can say with appreciation that good things do come to those who can wait. However, the delay of the Group C match in Massachusetts confirmed a noticeable trend of late arrivals at the 2026 World Cup, as none of the first eight matches started on time. In fact, these games started, statistically speaking, on average three minutes later than the scheduled start time. The biggest culprit was Mexico's tournament opener against South Africa, which started six minutes late, while Qatar's clash with Switzerland on Saturday was almost five minutes late. Only two matches started less than a minute behind the official start time: Australia's match against Turkey (40 seconds late) and South Korea's match against the Czech Republic (51 seconds late). While one or two minutes doesn't make much difference in the bigger picture, FIFA will certainly identify this as an area for improvement as it meticulously plans every detail related to match preparations. Each match has its own detailed agenda, which is made available to the media, and includes detailed information on when - among other things - teams and referees are to be in the tunnel, when they are to enter the field and when the national anthems are played. This information helps television broadcasters, especially those who broadcast advertisements, not to miss key pre-match moments. For example, the Haitian players and the Scottish national team were scheduled to take the field exactly eight minutes and forty seconds before the start of the match. But at that point, the Haitian players were not yet ready, and the match broadcast showed a FIFA representative hurrying them towards the exit onto the pitch. When both teams finally exited the tunnel, they were already 90 seconds late. Other matches, which were also significantly delayed, had largely late players entering the pitch. The matches involving tournament co-hosts Mexico, Canada and the United States were preceded by opening ceremonies, but these should have been completed before the start of the match and should not have caused any time issues. However, there are factors that may influence this situation. This year, FIFA decided to significantly increase the "effectiveness" of ceremonies taking place just before the start of the match. The entire team, not just the starting eleven, now gathers in the center circle during the playing of the anthems, and huge flags are flown in each half of the pitch. The International Federation of Association Football says this type of ceremony provides a "moment of unity, pride and emotion" but is also more complicated to implement. As teams, referees and organizers become more familiar with this new routine, the process should go more smoothly - although it is also possible that FIFA slightly underestimated the time needed to implement all of these points. --- ## Related Articles 1.[Mundial 2026](https://azkalsgoal.com/fil/news/franck-leboeuf-huwag-mag-alala-sa-pransya-bagong-enerhiya-pa-rin-sa-world-cup-2026) 2. [World Cup 2026: Samuel and Dibu Martinez on Scaloni speech](https://verrikalam.com/ta/news/2026-73)