A guide to the World Cup Group Stage in Philly

The countdown to the 2026 FIFA World Cup is on, and Philadelphia is set to host six matches in America’s birthplace during the country’s 250th anniversary celebration.

Five of Philly's scheduled matches are in the group stage, where countries will battle for one of 32 spots in the Knockout Round. Here's a guide to the group stage in Philly and what you need to know about the national teams that are set to compete in the City of Brotherly Love.

Brazil

Also known as: A Seleção" (The Selection/Squad), "Canarinho" (Little Canary), and "Verde-Amarela" (The Green and Yellow)

Coach: Carlo Ancelotti

About: Brazil has never failed to qualify for a FIFA World Cup – they are the only country to have participated at every opportunity, winning the tournament five times as depicted with the five stars on their jersey.

They are the most successful country in the tournament’s history, hoisting the coveted trophy in 1958, 1962, 1970, 1994, and 2002.

The last time the United States hosted the World Cup was in 1994, and Brazil emerged victorious that year, defeating Italy in a penalty shootout at the Rose Bowl.

Most recently, in the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, Brazil lost in the quarterfinals, falling to Croatia in penalties.

Players to watch: Vinícius Júnior (Real Madrid), Raphina (F.C. Barcelona), Allison Becker (Liverpool), Gabriel (Arsenal)

Full group stage schedule:

13 June: Brazil vs Morocco - New York New Jersey Stadium
19 June: Brazil vs Haiti - Philadelphia Stadium
24 June: Scotland vs Brazil - Miami Stadium

Côte d'Ivoire

Also known as: Ivory Coast, Les Éléphants (The Elephants)

Coach: Emerse Fae

About: Côte d'Ivoire returns to the World Cup for first time since 2014. 2026 marks their fourth appearance (2006, 2010, 2014), however they've never emerged from the group stage.

The African nation earned a spot in the 2026 edition by becoming unbeaten Group F winners in the African Qualifiers.

Players to watch: Franck Kessié (Al Ahli), Seko Fofana (Rennes)

Full group stage schedule:

14 June: Côte d'Ivoire vs Ecuador - Philadelphia Stadium

20 June: Germany vs Côte d'Ivoire - Toronto Stadium

25 June: Curaçao vs Côte d'Ivoire - Philadelphia Stadium

Croatia

Also known as: Vatreni (Blazers), Kockasti (Checkered Ones)

Coach: Zlatko Dalic

About: 2026 marks Croatia's seventh World Cup appearance, and their fourth consecutive qualification, participating in 1998, 2002, 2006, 2014, 2018, and 2022.

Their best result came during their historic run in 2018 when they finished second, falling to France in the World Cup Final in Russia. They are second-smallest country by population (after Uruguay) and land mass (after the Netherlands) to compete in the final.

Croatia has finished top three in the tournament on three occasions -- second in 2018, and third in both Qatar 2022 and France 1998. To earn a spot in the upcoming edition, Croatia topped Group L in the UEFA preliminaries featuring Czechia, Faroe Islands, Montenegro and Gibraltar.

Players to watch: Luka Modric (AC Milan), Joško Gvardiol (Manchester City), Mateo Kovačić (Manchester City) , Mario Pašalić (Atalanta)

Modric, the country's renowned 40-year-old midfielder, a World Cup Golden Ball and Ballon d'Or winner (2018), has tallied 19 appearances across four World Cups.

Full group stage schedule:

17 June: England vs Croatia - Dallas Stadium

23 June: Panama vs Croatia - Toronto Stadium

27 June: Croatia vs Ghana - Philadelphia Stadium

Curaçao

Also known as: The Blue Wave

Coach: Dick Advocaat

About: The 2026 FIFA World Cup will be Curaçao's first ever! A scoreless draw against Jamaica on the final matchday of the Concacaf qualifying round helped them secure their inaugurual berth in the tournement, topping a competitive Concacaf Group B featuring Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, and Bermuda. With the result, they became the smallest nation to ever qualify for a World Cup.

Players to watch: Leandro Bacuna (Bandırmaspor), Juninho Bacuna (Gaziantep), Rangelo Maria Janga (FC Eindhoven) Eloy Room, Livano Comenencia (Zurich), Tahith Chong (Sheffield United)

Full group stage schedule:

14 June: Germany vs Curaçao - Houston Stadium

20 June: Ecuador vs Curaçao - Kansas City Stadium

25 June: Curaçao vs Côte d'Ivoire - Philadelphia Stadium

Ecuador

Also known as: La Tri (The Tri), La Tricolor (The Tricolors), La Seleccion (The Selection)

Coach: Sebastián Beccacece

About: 2026 will be Ecuador's fifth World Cup appearance, participating in 2002, 2006, 2014, and 2022. In their most recent showing in Qatar, they didn't make it out of the group stage. They opened the tournament agains the host nation that year. Their best performance came in 2006, when they advanced to the Round of 16 in Germany.

Players to watch: Enner Valencia (Pachuca), Piero Hincapié (Arsenal), Willian Pacho (Paris Saint-Germain, Kendry Páez (Strasbourg, on loan from Chelsea)

Valencia is Ecuador's all-time leading World Cup goalscorer, and with two appearances in 2026, he could also become the country's World Cup appearance leader.

Full group stage schedule:

14 June: Côte d'Ivoire v Ecuador - Philadelphia Stadium

20 June: Ecuador vs Curaçao - Kansas City Stadium

25 June: Ecuador vs Germany - New York New Jersey Stadium

France

Also known as: Les Bleus (The Blues)

Coach: Didier Deschamps

About: France has qualified for the World Cup on eight consecutive occasions, this year participating in their 17th campaign.

A two-time winner, hoisting the trophy in 1998 and 2018, France has competed in back-to-back finals, first defeating Croatia in Russia, then falling in penalties against Argentina in 2022.

Should they make it to the final again, Head Coach Didier Deschamps, who won the 1998 trophy as France's captain, could become the first-ever coach to reach three consecutive World Cup finals.

Players to watch: Kylian Mbappe (Real Madrid), Eduardo Camavinga (Real Madrid), Aurélien Tchouaméni (Real Madrid), William Saliba (Arsenal), Ibrahima Konaté (Liverpool)

Full group stage schedule:

16 June: France vs Senegal - New York New Jersey Stadium

22 June: France vs Bolivia/Iraq/Suriname - Philadelphia Stadium

26 June: Norway vs France - Boston Stadium

Haiti

Also known as: Les Grenadiers (The Grenadiers), Le Rouge et Bleu (The Red and Blue)

Coach: Sébastien Migné

About: For the second time in their country's history, Haiti has qualified for the World Cup, earning after a spot after more than 50 years since their inaugural appearance in 1974.

To make it in, they finished first in Concacaf Group C, officially earning the tournament berth with a 2-0 win against Nicaragua in November.

Players to watch: Danley Jean Jacques (Philadelphia Union)

For Philadelphians, the player to watch on Haiti's side is inagurably Philadelphia Union's own Danley Jean Jacques. The 25-year-old midfielder from Petit Goave joined Philly's Major League Soccer club in 2024, and has since made a major impact in the midfield, helping the team earn the 2025 Supporters' Shield with three goals and three assists over 2361 minutes played during the regular season.

After returning to the City of Brotherly Love following his qualifying stint with Haiti, Danley shared his hopes for the 2026 World Cup and what it means to play in Philadelphia.

"I can't wait to represent my country. It's been a long time since we participated in a World Cup, and now we have the opportunity to go there, to play, and to represent Haiti well," he said.

"It feels great to qualify for the World Cup, because we need this. It's going to be great to play here, in a country I know so well. On top of that, I play for Philly -- it's a good club, so I hope all of Philly will be behind me, supporting my country, too."

Full group stage schedule:

13 June: Haiti v Scotland - Boston Stadium

19 June: Brazil v Haiti - Philadelphia Stadium

24 June: Morocco v Haiti - Atlanta Stadium

Ghana

Also known as: Black Stars

Coach: Otto Addo

About: Ghana has qualified for the World Cup for the fifth time, most recently appearing in the 2022 edition in Qatar. Their most notable showing came in 2010, when they reached the Quaterfinals in South Africa. Their 2026 World Cup campaign comes two decades after their first-ever appearance in the tournament in 2006.

Their head coach, Otto Addo, was part of that first squad, and has since become the only Ghanian to ever both play and coach for the country in the World Cup.

Players to watch: Jordan Ayew (Leicester City)

Full group stage schedule: