THE TIMEZONE TAX

Which Country Pays the Highest Timezone Tax at the 2026 World Cup?

Algeria fans face the worst schedule of all 48 nations, with 3 of 3 group stage matches falling outside prime-time viewing hours. Uruguay gets the best deal. Here are all 48 countries ranked by timezone pain.

48 nations · 72 group stage matches · Scored 0 (prime time) to 100 (brutal) · Based on local kickoff hours

0-25 Ideal 26-50 Fair 51-75 Poor 76-100 Worst

Scores based on each country's local kick-off time. Lower = better schedule. Higher = more sleep lost.

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Match Scores Per Country

# Country Avg Match 1 Match 2 Match 3
1 🇩🇿 Algeria 88 vs 🇦🇷 Argentina 02:00 8 vs 🇯🇴 Jordan 04:00 5 vs 🇦🇹 Austria 03:00 8
2 🇹🇳 Tunisia 79 vs 🇸🇪 Sweden 03:00 8 vs 🇯🇵 Japan 05:00 5 vs 🇳🇱 Netherlands 00:00 6
3 🇮🇶 Iraq 67 vs 🇳🇴 Norway 01:00 7 vs 🇫🇷 France 00:00 6 vs 🇸🇳 Senegal 22:00 3
4 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Scotland 67 vs 🇭🇹 Haiti 02:00 8 vs 🇲🇦 Morocco 23:00 4 vs 🇧🇷 Brazil 23:00 4
5 🇳🇴 Norway 63 vs 🇮🇶 Iraq 00:00 6 vs 🇸🇳 Senegal 02:00 8 vs 🇫🇷 France 21:00 1
6 🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia 63 vs 🇺🇾 Uruguay 01:00 7 vs 🇪🇸 Spain 19:00 0 vs 🇨🇻 Cape Verde 03:00 8
7 🇭🇷 Croatia 58 vs 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 England 22:00 3 vs 🇵🇦 Panama 01:00 7 vs 🇬🇭 Ghana 23:00 4
8 🇨🇩 DR Congo 58 vs 🇵🇹 Portugal 18:00 0 vs 🇨🇴 Colombia 03:00 8 vs 🇺🇿 Uzbekistan 00:00 6
9 🇨🇿 Czech Republic 54 vs 🇰🇷 South Korea 04:00 5 vs 🇿🇦 South Africa 18:00 0 vs 🇲🇽 Mexico 03:00 8
10 🇵🇾 Paraguay 54 vs 🇺🇸 USA 22:00 3 vs 🇹🇷 Turkiye 00:00 6 vs 🇦🇺 Australia 23:00 4
11 🇶🇦 Qatar 54 vs 🇨🇭 Switzerland 22:00 3 vs 🇨🇦 Canada 01:00 7 vs 🇧🇦 Bosnia and Herzegovina 22:00 3
12 🇲🇦 Morocco 50 vs 🇧🇷 Brazil 23:00 4 vs 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Scotland 23:00 4 vs 🇭🇹 Haiti 23:00 4
13 🇸🇪 Sweden 50 vs 🇹🇳 Tunisia 04:00 5 vs 🇳🇱 Netherlands 19:00 0 vs 🇯🇵 Japan 01:00 7
14 🇳🇱 Netherlands 42 vs 🇯🇵 Japan 22:00 3 vs 🇸🇪 Sweden 19:00 0 vs 🇹🇳 Tunisia 01:00 7
15 🇪🇬 Egypt 38 vs 🇧🇪 Belgium 22:00 3 vs 🇳🇿 New Zealand 04:00 5 vs 🇮🇷 Iran 06:00 1
16 🇮🇷 Iran 38 vs 🇳🇿 New Zealand 04:00 5 vs 🇧🇪 Belgium 22:00 3 vs 🇪🇬 Egypt 06:00 1
17 🇿🇦 South Africa 38 vs 🇲🇽 Mexico 21:00 1 vs 🇨🇿 Czech Republic 18:00 0 vs 🇰🇷 South Korea 03:00 8
18 🇦🇷 Argentina 33 vs 🇩🇿 Algeria 22:00 3 vs 🇦🇹 Austria 14:00 1 vs 🇯🇴 Jordan 23:00 4
19 🇪🇸 Spain 33 vs 🇨🇻 Cape Verde 18:00 0 vs 🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia 18:00 0 vs 🇺🇾 Uruguay 02:00 8
20 🇺🇿 Uzbekistan 33 vs 🇨🇴 Colombia 07:00 0 vs 🇵🇹 Portugal 22:00 3 vs 🇨🇩 DR Congo 04:00 5
21 🇦🇺 Australia 29 vs 🇹🇷 Turkiye 14:00 1 vs 🇺🇸 USA 05:00 5 vs 🇵🇾 Paraguay 12:00 1
22 🇧🇪 Belgium 29 vs 🇪🇬 Egypt 21:00 1 vs 🇮🇷 Iran 21:00 1 vs 🇳🇿 New Zealand 05:00 5
23 🇯🇵 Japan 29 vs 🇳🇱 Netherlands 05:00 5 vs 🇹🇳 Tunisia 13:00 1 vs 🇸🇪 Sweden 08:00 1
24 🇦🇹 Austria 25 vs 🇯🇴 Jordan 06:00 1 vs 🇦🇷 Argentina 19:00 0 vs 🇩🇿 Algeria 04:00 5
25 🇨🇻 Cape Verde 25 vs 🇪🇸 Spain 15:00 1 vs 🇺🇾 Uruguay 21:00 1 vs 🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia 23:00 4
26 🇫🇷 France 25 vs 🇸🇳 Senegal 21:00 1 vs 🇮🇶 Iraq 23:00 4 vs 🇳🇴 Norway 21:00 1
27 🇩🇪 Germany 25 vs 🇨🇼 Curaçao 19:00 0 vs 🇨🇮 Ivory Coast 22:00 3 vs 🇪🇨 Ecuador 22:00 3
28 🇯🇴 Jordan 25 vs 🇦🇹 Austria 07:00 0 vs 🇩🇿 Algeria 06:00 1 vs 🇦🇷 Argentina 05:00 5
29 🇵🇹 Portugal 25 vs 🇨🇩 DR Congo 18:00 0 vs 🇺🇿 Uzbekistan 18:00 0 vs 🇨🇴 Colombia 00:00 6
30 🇸🇳 Senegal 25 vs 🇫🇷 France 19:00 0 vs 🇳🇴 Norway 00:00 6 vs 🇮🇶 Iraq 19:00 0
31 🇹🇷 Turkiye 25 vs 🇦🇺 Australia 07:00 0 vs 🇵🇾 Paraguay 06:00 1 vs 🇺🇸 USA 05:00 5
32 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 England 21 vs 🇭🇷 Croatia 21:00 1 vs 🇬🇭 Ghana 21:00 1 vs 🇵🇦 Panama 22:00 3
33 🇬🇭 Ghana 21 vs 🇵🇦 Panama 23:00 4 vs 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 England 20:00 0 vs 🇭🇷 Croatia 21:00 1
34 🇺🇸 USA 21 vs 🇵🇾 Paraguay 21:00 1 vs 🇦🇺 Australia 15:00 1 vs 🇹🇷 Turkiye 22:00 3
35 🇨🇮 Ivory Coast 17 vs 🇪🇨 Ecuador 23:00 4 vs 🇩🇪 Germany 20:00 0 vs 🇨🇼 Curaçao 20:00 0
36 🇧🇦 Bosnia and Herzegovina 13 vs 🇨🇦 Canada 21:00 1 vs 🇨🇭 Switzerland 21:00 1 vs 🇶🇦 Qatar 21:00 1
37 🇳🇿 New Zealand 13 vs 🇮🇷 Iran 13:00 1 vs 🇪🇬 Egypt 13:00 1 vs 🇧🇪 Belgium 15:00 1
38 🇰🇷 South Korea 13 vs 🇨🇿 Czech Republic 11:00 1 vs 🇲🇽 Mexico 10:00 1 vs 🇿🇦 South Africa 10:00 1
39 🇨🇭 Switzerland 13 vs 🇶🇦 Qatar 21:00 1 vs 🇧🇦 Bosnia and Herzegovina 21:00 1 vs 🇨🇦 Canada 21:00 1
40 🇨🇦 Canada 8 vs 🇧🇦 Bosnia and Herzegovina 15:00 1 vs 🇶🇦 Qatar 18:00 0 vs 🇨🇭 Switzerland 15:00 1
41 🇨🇴 Colombia 8 vs 🇺🇿 Uzbekistan 21:00 1 vs 🇨🇩 DR Congo 21:00 1 vs 🇵🇹 Portugal 18:00 0
42 🇨🇼 Curaçao 8 vs 🇩🇪 Germany 13:00 1 vs 🇪🇨 Ecuador 20:00 0 vs 🇨🇮 Ivory Coast 16:00 1
43 🇧🇷 Brazil 4 vs 🇲🇦 Morocco 19:00 0 vs 🇭🇹 Haiti 21:00 1 vs 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Scotland 19:00 0
44 🇪🇨 Ecuador 4 vs 🇨🇮 Ivory Coast 18:00 0 vs 🇨🇼 Curaçao 19:00 0 vs 🇩🇪 Germany 15:00 1
45 🇭🇹 Haiti 4 vs 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Scotland 21:00 1 vs 🇧🇷 Brazil 20:00 0 vs 🇲🇦 Morocco 18:00 0
46 🇲🇽 Mexico 4 vs 🇿🇦 South Africa 13:00 1 vs 🇰🇷 South Korea 19:00 0 vs 🇨🇿 Czech Republic 19:00 0
47 🇵🇦 Panama 4 vs 🇬🇭 Ghana 18:00 0 vs 🇭🇷 Croatia 18:00 0 vs 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 England 16:00 1
48 🇺🇾 Uruguay 4 vs 🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia 19:00 0 vs 🇨🇻 Cape Verde 19:00 0 vs 🇪🇸 Spain 21:00 1

All scores based on the country's local kick-off time.

Worst Planned Matches

Group stage fixtures ranked by combined fan pain. Both sides suffer.

1 🇸🇪 Sweden 04:00 5 7 8 03:00 Tunisia 🇹🇳
2 🇹🇳 Tunisia 00:00 6 7 7 01:00 Netherlands 🇳🇱
3 🇮🇶 Iraq 01:00 7 7 6 00:00 Norway 🇳🇴
4 🇳🇴 Norway 02:00 8 7 6 00:00 Senegal 🇸🇳
5 🇩🇿 Algeria 03:00 8 7 5 04:00 Austria 🇦🇹
6 🇨🇻 Cape Verde 23:00 4 6 8 03:00 Saudi Arabia 🇸🇦
7 🇦🇷 Argentina 22:00 3 6 8 02:00 Algeria 🇩🇿
8 🇨🇩 DR Congo 00:00 6 6 5 04:00 Uzbekistan 🇺🇿
9 🇿🇦 South Africa 03:00 8 5 1 10:00 South Korea 🇰🇷
10 🇭🇹 Haiti 21:00 1 5 8 02:00 Scotland 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿
11 🇺🇾 Uruguay 21:00 1 5 8 02:00 Spain 🇪🇸
12 🇫🇷 France 23:00 4 5 6 00:00 Iraq 🇮🇶
13 🇯🇴 Jordan 05:00 5 5 4 23:00 Argentina 🇦🇷
14 🇨🇴 Colombia 21:00 1 5 8 03:00 DR Congo 🇨🇩
15 🇨🇿 Czech Republic 03:00 8 4 0 19:00 Mexico 🇲🇽
16 🇨🇦 Canada 18:00 0 4 7 01:00 Qatar 🇶🇦
17 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Scotland 23:00 4 4 4 23:00 Morocco 🇲🇦
18 🇹🇷 Turkiye 06:00 1 4 6 00:00 Paraguay 🇵🇾
19 🇹🇷 Turkiye 05:00 5 4 3 22:00 USA 🇺🇸
20 🇳🇱 Netherlands 22:00 3 4 5 05:00 Japan 🇯🇵

How the Pain Scoring Works

The pain score for every hour of the day. This is the rule every match is evaluated against.

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Mon 678855101111111110000134
Tue 678855101111111110000134
Wed 678855101111111110000134
Thu 678855101111111110000134
Fri 678855101111111110000134
Sat 678855101111111110000134
Sun 678855101111111110000134

How the Timezone Tax Works

The FIFA World Cup 2026 is the first tournament to span three host countries across four time zones: US Eastern (UTC-4), US Central (UTC-5), US Mountain (UTC-6), and US Pacific/Mexico City (UTC-7). With 48 teams from every inhabited continent, the schedule creates wildly unequal viewing conditions depending on where fans live.

Each of the 72 group stage matches is scored by what hour it kicks off in the fan's home timezone. A match at 19:00 local time scores 0 (perfect prime time). A match at 03:00 local time scores 8 (the dead zone — too late to stay up, too early to wake up, no strategy works). The scale runs 0 to 8 because the pain between midnight and 4am is not linear: 04:00 is an early alarm you can prepare for, but 02:00-03:00 is soul-crushing. The Timezone Tax aggregates these per-match scores and normalizes to a 0-100 scale.

Who benefits from a North American World Cup?

Nations in the Americas benefit most from host-continent proximity. Central and South American countries see the majority of their matches in prime time or acceptable evening slots. European nations face late-night finishes for some West Coast matches but generally land in the tolerable range. The heaviest burden falls on East Asian and Oceanian nations, where North American afternoon kickoffs translate to early-morning hours.

Methodology

Pain bands by local kickoff hour: prime time (17:00-20:59) and normal daytime hours (06:00-07:59) = 0; work hours (08:00-16:59) and late evening (21:00) = 1; 22:00 = 3 (match ends around midnight); 23:00 = 4 (match ends around 01:30); early alarm (04:00-05:59) = 5 (go to bed early, cozy up); midnight (00:00) = 6 (awkward either way); 01:00 = 7 (too late to stay up, too early to wake); 02:00-03:59 = 8 (the dead zone — no viewing strategy works). Each country is mapped to its capital city timezone. Countries spanning multiple zones (USA, Russia, Australia) use the capital. The rankings cover group stage matches only; knockout matchups are updated once confirmed.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Timezone Tax?

The Timezone Tax measures how badly a country's fans are affected by the World Cup 2026 schedule. Each of the 72 group stage matches is scored from 0 (prime time or normal daytime hours) to 8 (the 02:00-03:59 dead zone where no viewing strategy works). A country's final score is the average pain across its group stage matches, normalized to 0-100.

Which country has the worst timezone for the World Cup 2026?

Algeria has the highest Timezone Tax score at 88/100. Of their 3 group stage matches, 3 fall in the sleep-destruction zone, requiring fans to watch between midnight and dawn local time.

Which country has the best World Cup 2026 schedule?

Uruguay has the lowest Timezone Tax score at 4/100. 3 of their 3 group stage matches fall in prime time (17:00-20:59 local), making it the most comfortable viewing experience of any nation.

How is the Timezone Tax calculated?

Each match is scored by local kickoff hour on an 8-point pain scale. Prime time (17:00-20:59) and daytime hours (06:00-07:59) score 0. Work hours (08:00-16:59) and late evening (21:00) score 1. 22:00 scores 3 (ends ~00:30). 23:00 scores 4. Early alarm (04:00-05:59) scores 5. Midnight scores 6. 01:00 scores 7 — too late to stay up, too early to wake. 02:00-03:59 is the dead zone and scores 8 — no strategy works. The country score is the average pain across all group matches, normalized to 0-100.

Why is 02:00 worse than 04:00 in the scoring?

A 04:00 kickoff is an early alarm you can prepare for — go to bed early, set an alarm, cozy up. A 02:00 kickoff is the worst kind: too late to stay up, too early to wake up, no strategy avoids crushing sleep debt. The scoring reflects how fans actually experience these times, not just hours-from-midnight.

Does the Timezone Tax account for the knockout stage?

This analysis covers the 72 group stage matches only. Knockout stage matchups are unknown until the group stage concludes. Once the Round of 16 is set, we will update the rankings with knockout stage data.