The Samarinda City Government, through the Department of Youth, Sports, and Tourism (Disporapar), is preparing public viewing venues for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
The Disporapar of Samarinda City is currently finalising plans to provide open public viewing facilities for all residents of the riverside city.
The four-yearly football spectacle, eagerly awaited by fans around the world, is officially scheduled to kick off on Friday, 12 June 2026.
Head of Disporapar Samarinda, Muslimin, stated that his office is formulating technical steps to ensure the public screenings run smoothly, safely, and comfortably.
He explained that the main focus now is determining the final location capable of accommodating the large crowd expected to attend.
Two strategic venues in the city centre are under consideration by Disporapar — Segiri Sports Hall (GOR Segiri) and the Fencing Hall (Gedung Anggar).
“There are two possible venues, either at GOR Segiri or the Fencing Hall. It will be open to the public,” said Muslimin on Wednesday, 3 June 2026.
Muslimin added that such public viewing events are not new for the department.
Similar facilities have often been organised by the city government to celebrate previous major international sporting events.
“Actually, for every international event, such as the Asian Championships and pre-qualification tournaments, we’ve held public screenings. Now, since it’s the World Cup, we’ll do it again,” he explained.
To enhance the festive atmosphere and community engagement, Samarinda Mayor Andi Harun is also expected to attend and watch some of the crucial matches with the crowd.
The presence of the city’s top official is anticipated to boost enthusiasm and elevate the excitement of the match nights.
To further educate and inform the public, Disporapar also plans to release a special attachment containing the complete list of participating teams from various continents competing in the group stage of the 2026 World Cup.
When asked about his personal favourites and the balance of competition, Muslimin confidently mentioned two modern football powerhouses that are also favourites of millions of fans in Indonesia.
“I’m backing Argentina and France,” he concluded.
For the first time in history, 48 nations will compete across three host countries — the United States, Canada, and Mexico.
Using a new format divided into 12 groups (Groups A to L), the tournament promises extended drama from 11 June until the final on 19 July 2026.
The journey to the championship will begin with a very packed group stage.
Out of the 48 contestants, only the top 32 teams will advance to the knockout rounds (Round of 32).
Particular attention is drawn to Group I, where Asian representative Iraq — featuring Persib Bandung defender Frans Putros — will face a tough challenge against European giants France and African powerhouse Senegal.
Below is the complete group-stage match schedule, converted to Indonesia Western Time (WIB):
12 June 2026
Mexico vs South Africa (02:00 WIB)
South Korea vs Czech Republic (09:00 WIB)
13 June 2026
Canada vs Bosnia (02:00 WIB)
USA vs Paraguay (08:00 WIB)
14 June 2026
Qatar vs Switzerland (02:00 WIB)
Brazil vs Morocco (05:00 WIB)
Haiti vs Scotland (08:00 WIB)
Australia vs Turkey (11:00 WIB)
15 June 2026
Germany vs Curaçao (00:00 WIB)
Netherlands vs Japan (03:00 WIB)
Ivory Coast vs Ecuador (06:00 WIB)
Sweden vs Tunisia (09:00 WIB)
Spain vs Cape Verde (23:00 WIB)
16 June 2026
Belgium vs Egypt (02:00 WIB)
Saudi Arabia vs Uruguay (05:00 WIB)
Iran vs New Zealand (08:00 WIB)
17 June 2026
France vs Senegal (02:00 WIB)
Iraq vs Norway (05:00 WIB)
Argentina vs Algeria (08:00 WIB)
Austria vs Jordan (11:00 WIB)
18 June 2026
Portugal vs Congo (00:00 WIB)
England vs Croatia (03:00 WIB)
Ghana vs Panama (06:00 WIB)
Uzbekistan vs Colombia (09:00 WIB)
18–19 June 2026
Czech Republic vs South Africa (23:00 WIB)
Switzerland vs Bosnia (02:00 WIB)
Canada vs Qatar (05:00 WIB)
Mexico vs South Korea (08:00 WIB)
20 June 2026
USA vs Australia (02:00 WIB)
Scotland vs Morocco (05:00 WIB)
Brazil vs Haiti (08:00 WIB)
Turkey vs Paraguay (11:00 WIB)
21 June 2026
Netherlands vs Sweden (00:00 WIB)
Germany vs Ivory Coast (03:00 WIB)
Ecuador vs Curaçao (07:00 WIB)
Tunisia vs Japan (11:00 WIB)
Spain vs Saudi Arabia (23:00 WIB)
22 June 2026
Belgium vs Iran (02:00 WIB)
Uruguay vs Cape Verde (05:00 WIB)
New Zealand vs Egypt (08:00 WIB)
23 June 2026
Argentina vs Austria (00:00 WIB)
France vs Iraq (04:00 WIB)
Norway vs Senegal (07:00 WIB)
Jordan vs Algeria (10:00 WIB)
24 June 2026
Portugal vs Uzbekistan (00:00 WIB)
England vs Ghana (03:00 WIB)
Panama vs Croatia (06:00 WIB)
Colombia vs Congo (09:00 WIB)
25 June 2026
Switzerland vs Canada & Bosnia vs Qatar (02:00 WIB)
Morocco vs Haiti & Scotland vs Brazil (05:00 WIB)
South Africa vs South Korea & Czech Republic vs Mexico (08:00 WIB)
26 June 2026
Curaçao vs Ivory Coast & Ecuador vs Germany (03:00 WIB)
Tunisia vs Netherlands & Japan vs Sweden (06:00 WIB)
Turkey vs USA & Paraguay vs Australia (09:00 WIB)
27 June 2026
Norway vs France & Senegal vs Iraq (02:00 WIB)
Cape Verde vs Saudi Arabia & Uruguay vs Spain (07:00 WIB)
New Zealand vs Belgium & Egypt vs Iran (10:00 WIB)
28 June 2026
Panama vs England & Croatia vs Ghana (04:00 WIB)
Colombia vs Portugal & Congo vs Uzbekistan (06:30 WIB)
Algeria vs Austria & Jordan vs Argentina (09:00 WIB). (*)
