The final draw for the Copa groups of Mundo FIFA 2026 began this Thursday (5) at Miami, at Estados Unidos. The president of Fifa, Gianni Infantino, opened the ceremony highlighting that the competition will be the largest in history, with 48 teams and games in three countries:
The live broadcast takes place at 7:30 pm US Costa Leste time (9:30 pm Brasília). Líderes as the former American president Donald Trump, the president of México, Claudia Sheinbaum, and the prime minister of Canadá,
Biggest edition in history
Gianni Infantino took the stage alongside the Estado bosses and highlighted the unprecedented dimension of the tournament.
The competition will have 48 teams for the first time and will be played in 16 host cities spread across the three host countries.
The game period is scheduled between June 11th and July 19th, 2026.
Tournament structure
Copa 2026 will feature 12 groups of four teams each.
The top two teams in each group and the eight best third-placed teams advance to the knockout stage.
The group stage will have 72 matches, followed by 32 knockout games until the final.
The total reaches 104 matches, a record number in the history of the Copas.
Presence of world leaders
Donald Trump and former first lady Melania Trump received applause as they entered the draw venue.
Claudia Sheinbaum, president of México, was introduced as one of the hosts of the event.
Mark Carney, Prime Minister of Canadá, was also present with his wife.
The three countries share the organization for the first time in history.
Audience expectations
Fifa projects 7 million spectators in stadiums throughout the tournament.
Millions of tourists are expected to visit Estados Unidos, México and Canadá during the period.
The estimated global audience reaches 6 billion people watching on television and the internet.
Infantino compared the event to “104 Super Bowls in a single month.”
Host cities confirmed
The 16 cities chosen include 11 in Estados Unidos, three in México and two in Canadá.
Among the Americans are Nova York/Nova Jersey, Los Angeles, Miami and Dallas.
City of México, Guadalajara and Monterrey represent México.
Toronto and Vancouver complete the list for Canadá.
Expected legacy
The competition marks the return of Copa to Estados Unidos after 32 years.
México becomes the first country to host three editions (1970, 1986 and 2026).
Canadá debuts as host of men’s Copa and Mundo games.
The expansion to 48 teams expands the presence of all confederations.
The draw defines the groups and initial clashes of the classification phase, ending the preparation cycle that began after Copa 2022 at Catar.
