FIFA World Cup: Philadelphia to learn Group Stage matchups this weekend
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The World Cup draw has finally arrived.
Why it matters: We'll find out who plays who in the opening round of the tournament taking place at Philadelphia's Lincoln Financial Field and across the U.S., Canada and Mexico.
State of play: The drawing is set for noon at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.
🎉 Closer to home: Join a free watch party at Stateside Live! in South Philly from 11:20am-2:30pm.
- The family-friendly shindig will feature ticket giveaways, mascot appearances and soccer activities.
The big picture: The 104-match men's tournament with 48 teams runs June 11-July 19. Philly will host a total of six matches:
- 5 group-stage matches: June 14, 19, 22, 25, and 27, with teams from Groups C, E, I and L
- A single Round of 16 match: July 4
State of play: 42 teams have qualified for the World Cup.
- That includes host nations USA, Mexico and Canada, who automatically qualified.
- Meanwhile, several nations are still contending for those last six spots, which will be finalized in March after playoff rounds. Think of them as wildcards.
How it works: On Friday, the draw will place all 48 teams — including spots for the still unknown wildcards — into groups A-L.
- So we'll know the makeup of each group, including Team USA's opponents.
- Then on Saturday, FIFA will reveal the full match schedule, including the stadium assigned to each match and kick-off time.
1 bummer: Team USA isn't playing in Philly in the Group Stage.
- That's because Team USA is already assigned to Group D and playing its Group Stage matches in LA and Seattle.
🤞 Fingers crossed: With the Round of 16 teams TBD, there's a chance Team USA could play here on July 4.
Tickets: Soon after Friday's draw, you can enter a ticket lottery for specific matches.
- Plus: You can still pick up pricey VIP packages or find tickets on secondary resale market sites.