World Cup groups revealed. What teams will Portugal and the US face?
World Cup groups revealed. What teams will Portugal and the US face? Lurdes C. da Silva O Jornal Portugal will face Colombia, Uzbekistan, and the winner of Path A of the intercontinental playoff in Group K of the 2026 World Cup , which will take place in the United States, Canada, and Mexico, according to the draw held Dec.
5 in Washington. Seven-time National Football League (NFL) Super Bowl champion Tom Brady drew Portugal’s name during the draw Pool held at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts . According to the draw, the Portuguese team will make its debut in the competition on June 17 against the winner of path A of the intercontinental playoff, which includes Jamaica, New Caledonia, and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
That game is expected to take place either in Houston, Texas, or Mexico City, but the schedule will only be finalized by FIFA on Saturday. According to Portuguese news reports, Portugal may be setting up its team base camp in Texas or Mexico, but the final decision will only be made once the schedule is confirmed by FIFA.
Portugal will face newcomer Uzbekistan on June 23 in the second round and close the group stage against Colombia on June 27. The venues and kick-off times for the matches will also be confirmed on Saturday, FIFA said. Portugal’s opponent in the first game will only be known in March 2026, with Jamaica facing New Caledonia on the 26th and the winner facing the Democratic Republic of Congo on the 31st to decide who qualifies.
The 2026 World Cup, which begins on June 11 and ends on July 19, will feature 48 teams for the first time, with the top two from each of the 12 groups qualifying for the knockout stage, as well as the eight best third-placed teams.
Portugal is one of 42 teams already guaranteed a place in the competition - which will be held for the first time in three countries - after winning Group F of the European qualifiers, with the remaining six places going to the European (four) and intercontinental (two) play-offs.
Coached by Spaniard Roberto Martínez, the Portuguese team will be competing in the World Cup for the ninth time - the seventh in a row - and its best result was third place in 1966. In the last World Cup, held in Qatar in 2022, Portugal was eliminated in the quarterfinals by Morocco (1-0), in a competition that was won by Argentina, which beat France in the final.
The United States will face Paraguay, Australia and the winner of a UEFA playoff featuring Türkiye, Romania, Slovakia and Kosovo in Group D. The opening game for the U.S. men’s national team will be against Paraguay on June 12 at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California.
The other two games will take place in Seattle against Australia on June 19 and against the UEFA playoff winner back at Sofi Stadium on June 25.