This Friday, December 5, 2025, Fifa is promoting the draw for groups from Copa to Mundo in 2026, in Washington, in Estados Unidos. The tournament will be the first with 48 participating teams and will take place in three countries: Canadá, Estados Unidos and México. The new format increases the total number of matches to 104 and includes an extra round of 16 round.
The host countries already have fixed positions: México in Grupo A, Canadá in Grupo B and The champion will need to play eight games to win the title, one more than in previous editions.
The competition begins on June 11, 2026, at Estádio Azteca, at Cidade of México, and the final is scheduled for July 19, at MetLife Stadium, at Nova Jersey.
Division of the 48 teams into groups
The 48 teams will be distributed into 12 groups of four teams each. Avançam directly to the knockout stage for the first two placed in each group.
The eight best third-placed teams also guarantee a place in the next phase. Essa rule allows 32 teams to reach the round of 16.
Teams from the same group do not face each other again in the round of 16. The four best ranked – Espanha, Argentina, França and Inglaterra – are on opposite sides of the bracket.
Complete knockout structure
The path to the title now has eight matches for the champion. The sequence begins in the round of 32, between June 28 and July 3, 2026.
Next come the round of 16, from July 4th to 7th, and the quarterfinals, from July 9th to 11th. The semi-finals take place on July 14th and 15th.
The fight for third place is scheduled for July 18, at Hard Rock Stadium, at Miami. The grand final will be the following day, at Nova Jersey.
Headquarters divided into three regions
The tournament uses 16 host cities in total. São 11 cities in Estados Unidos, three in México and two in Canadá.
Fifa organized its headquarters into three geographic regions: Oeste, Central and Leste. The objective is to reduce long journeys during the group stage, prioritizing trips in the north-south direction.
All stadiums will have natural grass with standard measurements of 105 meters by 68 meters.
Classification and tiebreaker criteria
In the group stage, a win is worth three points and a draw is worth one point. In case of equality, the first criterion is direct confrontation.
Then goal difference and number of goals scored come into play. Cartões yellow and red colors are only considered as a last resort, before the ranking of Fifa.
To define the eight best third parties, points, goal difference, pro goals and, if necessary, fair play and ranking count.
- Points earned
- Goal difference
- Goals scored
- Fewer cards
- Ranking position Fifa
Key calendar dates
The opening game takes place on June 11, 2026, at 8pm local time, at Estádio Azteca. The last final round of the group stage will be on June 27th.
The round of 16 takes place from June 28th to July 3rd. Teams will have at least three days of rest between games, except between semi-finals and third place.
Preparatory friendlies can be played up to five days before the debut at Copa.
Suspension and recall rules
Two yellow cards in different games generate automatic suspension in the following match. Cartões yellows are reset before the semi-finals.
A red card implies a suspension served in the knockout stage. Cada selection can list 26 players, with three goalkeepers being mandatory.
The provisional list must have between 35 and 55 names. Substituição due to injury is only allowed up to 24 hours before the premiere.
