Why World Cup matches are starting late

Fans watching World Cup 2026 are seeing a familiar annoyance from American sports, matches that begin a few minutes late. The tournament is being held in the United States, and after the opening game started six minutes late, other matches have also opened behind schedule, including Canada versus Bosnia and Herzegovina by about 2:22 minutes, Qatar versus Switzerland by about five minutes, and games on the same night involving Iran versus New Zealand and Saudi Arabia versus Uruguay.

The delay is tied to FIFA’s expanded pregame ceremony. Players walk out to the field with the song Sirius, associated with Michael Jordan’s Chicago Bulls, then all players, not just the starters, gather at midfield for the anthems, handshakes, and other formalities. FIFA also insists on synchronized movement with the music, which adds more time before kickoff.

FIFA president Gianni Infantino once said that putting everyone at midfield would create “a moment of unity, pride and emotion,” adding, “The game belongs to everyone, every fan and every player.” In practice, the result has been almost routine delays of 2:15 to 2:45 minutes. The article says this echoes the Club World Cup, where the average match lasted 126 minutes from start to finish, compared with 115 minutes in the Premier League, though some of those delays were caused by severe weather.

FIFA has already dropped one trial, the individual player introductions, but is unlikely to abandon the midfield gathering entirely. Possible fixes include changing the order of events, such as moving the coin toss after the anthems, or starting the ceremony earlier than the official kickoff time. According to a BBC check, broadcasters receive a detailed schedule that lists every pregame step, making the delays easy to measure. Some of the lag may also come from teams not being fully ready and moving between locker rooms. FIFA has framed the issue as a problem of readiness, not of media or financial strategy, and the article says the next sign of change may come with the second round of the group stage on Thursday.