Once Round 2 of Fantasy FIFA World Cup 2026 is done and dusted, managers don’t have a lot of time to get their teams, transfers and boosters sorted for Round 3.
In fact, with no rest days until Wednesday 8 July (day 28 of the tournament!), there are several back-to-back Rounds.
WHEN IS THE ROUND 3 DEADLINE FOR FANTASY FIFA WORLD CUP?
The first matches of Round 3 (aka the third round of group games) are Mexico v Czechia and Korea Republic v South Africa, which kick off at 20:00 BST on Wednesday 24 June.
And that’s exactly when Fantasy managers have to have their teams locked in by.
As was the case in Rounds 1 and 2, it means we can see the teamsheets from the Round 3 curtain-raisers – if so desired – before confirming our transfers, activating our boosters, and so on.
Of course, you don’t have to wait that long. It’s perfectly possible to make your transfers and activate your boosters for Round 3 now, although it’s advisable to see as many Round 2 games as you can before doing so.
For example, you might want Harry Kane in for England’s Round 3 match against Panama – but he’s first got to get through his Round 2 fixture against Ghana unscathed. That takes place at 21:00 BST on Tuesday 23 June, just 23 hours before the Round 3 deadline!
The Three Lions might also seal qualification and top spot in that Ghana match, so Kane could well be rested in the final group game.
Remember, while the Round 3 deadline of 20:00 BST on Wednesday 24 June is the cut-off point for transfers and chips, you can still make manual substitutions and captaincy changes after that time.
WHEN ARE THE DEADLINES FOR THE OTHER FANTASY FIFA WORLD CUP 2026 ROUNDS?
The deadlines for all Fantasy FIFA World Cup rounds are as follows:
Round 1: 20:00 BST on Thursday 11 JuneRound 2: 17:00 BST on Thursday 18 June- Round 3: 20:00 BST on Wednesday 24 June
- Round of 32: 20:00 BST on Sunday 28 June
- Round of 16: 18:00 BST on Saturday 4 July
- Quarter-final: 21:00 BST on Thursday 9 July
- Semi-final: 20:00 BST on Tuesday 14 July
- Final (inc third-place play-off): 22:00 BST on Saturday 18 July
