FIFA World Cup: What to know about 9 teams playing in Philadelphia

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- Philadelphia is hosting six FIFA World Cup matches, including a Round of 16 match on July 4.

The games will be held at Lincoln Financial Field, which has been renamed "Philadelphia Stadium" for the international event.

FIFA has Team Base Camp (TBC) Training Sites established across the country, including two in our area. Ivory Coast will be training at Subaru Park in Chester, Pa., which is the home of the Philadelphia Union. Haiti will be based out of Stockton University in Galloway Township, New Jersey.

Here are some things to know about the dates, times and teams playing in the city, via ESPN:

Sunday, June 14, 2026

Ivory Coast vs. Ecuador (Group E) will be the first game in Philadelphia. The match begins at 7 p.m.

Group E consists of Germany, Curacao, Ivory Coast, Ecuador. This is a group with a strong, big-name favorite to qualify -- Germany -- two intriguing, easy to underrate teams in Ecuador and Ivory Coast, and a clear underdog in Curacao.

The 2014 winners, Germany, are looking to bounce back from their embarrassing group stage exits in 2018 and 2022.

Ivory Coast are back at the World Cup after a 12-year absence, and while this squad can't match that golden 2000s generation in terms of names, it looks to be a solid unit.

As for Curacao, they'll be expected to make up the numbers, but coach Dick Advocaat is vastly experienced, and they'll hope to pull off the odd upset.

ESPN's predicted order of finish: Germany, Ecuador, Ivory Coast, Curacao

Here's the full squad list for Ivory Coast and Ecuador.

Ecuador

Base camp:
Goalkeepers: Hernán Galíndez (Huracan), Moisés Ramírez (AE Kifisias), Gonzalo Valle (LDU Quito)

Defenders: Willian Pacho (Paris Saint-Germain), Piero Hincapié (Arsenal), Joel Ordóñez (Club Brugge), Félix Torres (Internacional), Pervis Estupiñán (AC Milan), Yaimar Medina (Racing Genk), Ángelo Preciado (Atlético Mineiro), Jackson Porozo (Club Tijuana)

Midfielders: Alan Minda (Atlético Mineiro), Moisés Caicedo (Chelsea), Jordy Alcivar (Independiente del Valle), Denil Castillo (FC Midtjylland), John Yeboah (Venezia), Alan Franco (Atlético Mineiro), Pedro Vite (Pumas UNAM), Kendry Páez (River Plate), Nilson Angulo (Sunderland), Gonzalo Plata (Flamengo)

Forwards: Kevin Rodríguez (Union St.-Gilloise), Anthony Valencia (Antwerp), Enner Valencia (Pachuca), Jordy Caicedo (Huracán), Jeremy Arévalo (VfB Stuttgart)

Manager: Sebastián Beccacece

Ivory Coast

Goalkeepers: Yahia Fofana (Rizespor), Mohamed Koné (Charleroi), Alban Lafont (Panathinaikos)

Defenders: Emmanuel Agbadou (Beikta), Clément Akpa (AJ Auxerre), Ousmane Diomande (Sporting CP), Guela Doué (Strasbourg), Ghislain Konan (Gil Vicente), Odilon Kossounou (Atalanta), Evan Ndicka (AS Roma), Wilfried Singo (Galatasaray)

Midfielders: Seko Fofana (Porto), Parfait Guiagon (Charleroi), Franck Kessié (Al Ahli), Christ Inao Oulaï (Trabzonspor), Ibrahim Sangaré (Nottingham Forest), Jean Michaël Seri (NK Maribor)

Forwards: Simon Adingra (AS Monaco), Ange-Yoan Bonny (Internazionale), Amad Diallo (Manchester United), Oumar Diakité (Cercle Brugge), Yan Diomande (RB Leipzig), Evann Guessand (Aston Villa), Nicolas Pépé (Villarreal), Bazoumana Touré (Hoffenheim), Elye Wahi (Nice)

Manager: Emerse Faé

Friday, June 19, 2026

Brazil vs. Haiti (Group C) will face off at 8:30 p.m.

Group C consists of Brazil, Morocco, Haiti, and Scotland. This is a group that Brazil should win, but Morocco are a dangerous second seed in this section, especially after their heroics at the 2022 World Cup when they became the first African nation to reach the semifinals.

ESPN's predicted order of finish: Brazil, Morocco, Scotland, Haiti.

Here's the full squad lists for Brazil and Haiti.

Brazil

Goalkeepers: Alisson Becker (Liverpool), Éderson (Fenerbahce), Weverton (Grmio)

Defenders: Alex Sandro (Flamengo), Bremer (Juventus), Danilo (Flamengo), Douglas Santos (Zenit St. Petersburg), Gabriel Magalhães (Arsenal), Léo Pereira (Flamengo), Marquinhos (Paris Saint-Germain), Roger Ibañez (Al Ahli), Wesley (AS Roma)

Midfielders: Bruno Guimarães (Newcastle United), Casemiro (Manchester United), Danilo Santos (Botafogo), Fabinho (Al Ittihad), Lucas Paquetá (Flamengo)

Forwards: Endrick (Lyon), Gabriel Martinelli (Arsenal), Igor Thiago (Brentford), Luiz Henrique (Zenit St. Petersburg), Matheus Cunha (Manchester United), Neymar (Santos), Raphinha (Barcelona), Rayan (Bournemouth), Vinícius Júnior (Real Madrid)

Manager: Carlo Ancelotti

Haiti

Goalkeepers: Johny Placide (Bastia), Alexandre Pierre (Sochaux), Josue Duverger (Cosmos Koblenz)

Defenders: Carlens Arcus (Angers), Wilguens Paugain (Zulte Waregem), Duke Lacroix (Colorado Springs Switchbacks), Martin Expérience (Nancy), Jean-Kevin Duverne (Gent), Ricardo Adé (LDU Quito), Hannes Delcroix (Lugano), Keeto Thermoncy (Young Boys)

Midfielders: Carl Fred Sainte (El Paso Locomotive), Leverton Pierre (Vizela), Danley Jean Jacques (Philadelphia Union), Jean-Ricner Bellegarde (Wolverhampton Wanderers), Woodensky Pierre (Violette), Dominique Simon (FC Tatran Presov)

Forwards: Don Deedson Louicius (FC Dallas), Josué Casimir (Auxerre), Derrick Etienne (Toronto FC), Ruben Providence (Almere), Duckens Nazon (Esteghlal), Frantzdy Pierrot (Caykur Rizespor), Wilson Isidor (Sunderland), Yassin Fortune (Vizela), Lenny Joseph (Ferencvaros)

Manager: Sebastien Migne

Monday, June 22, 2026

France will take on Iraq (Group I) at 5 p.m.

Group I consists of France, Senegal, Iraq, Norway.

After not reaching a final in the first 15 World Cups, France have appeared in four of the last seven, including the last two.

Runners-up last time out in Qatar, a France side with star Kylian Mbappé, Désiré Doué, Ousmane Dembélé and Michael Olise in attack will be aiming to go one step better than four years ago.

Iraq, nicknamed the Lions of Mesopotamia, are back at the World Cup for the first time in four decades. Placed in a tough group, Iraq head coach Graham Arnold will do his best to instill belief, but realistically, 2026 is a platform to build toward next year's AFC Asian Cup and beyond.

ESPN's predicted order of finish: France, Senegal, Norway, Iraq.

France

Goalkeepers: Mike Maignan (AC Milan), Robin Risser (Lens), Brice Samba (Rennes)

Defenders: Lucas Digne (Aston Villa), Malo Gusto (Chelsea), Lucas Hernández (Paris Saint-Germain), Theo Hernández (Al Hilal), Ibrahima Konaté (Liverpool), Jules Koundé (Barcelona), Maxence Lacroix (Crystal Palace), William Saliba (Arsenal), Dayot Upamecano (Bayern Munich)

Midfielders: N'Golo Kanté (Fenerbahe), Manu Koné (AS Roma), Adrien Rabiot (AC Milan), Aurélien Tchouaméni (Real Madrid), Warren Zaïre-Emery (Paris Saint-Germain)

Forwards: Maghnes Akliouche (AS Monaco), Bradley Barcola (Paris Saint-Germain), Rayan Cherki (Manchester City), Ousmane Dembélé (Paris Saint-Germain), Désiré Doué (Paris Saint-Germain), Jean-Philippe Mateta (Crystal Palace), Kylian Mbappé (Real Madrid), Michael Olise (Bayern Munich), Marcus Thuram (Internazionale)

Manager: Didier Deschamps

Iraq

Goalkeepers: Fahad Talib (Al-Talaba), Jalal Hassan (Al-Zawraa), Ahmed Basil (Al-Shorta)

Defenders: Hussein Ali (Pogo Szczecin), Manaf Younis (Al-Shorta), Zaid Tahseen (Pakhtakor), Rebin Sulaka (Port FC), Akam Hashem (Al-Zawraa), Merchas Doski (Viktoria Plze), Ahmed Yahya (Al-Shorta), Zaid Ismail (Al-Talaba), Frans Putros (Port FC), Mustafa Saadoon (Al-Shorta)

Midfielders: Amir Al-Ammari (Cracovia), Kevin Yakob (AGF Aarhus), Zidane Iqbal (FC Utrecht), Aimar Sher (Sarpsborg 08), Ibrahim Bayesh (Al-Riyadh), Ahmed Qasim (Elfsborg), Youssef Amyn (Eintracht Braunschweig), Marko Farji (Strmsgodset)

Forwards: Ali Jasim (Como), Ali Al-Hamadi (Ipswich Town), Ali Yousef (Al-Shorta), Aymen Hussein (Al-Khor), Mohanad Ali (Al-Shorta)

Manager: Graham Arnold

Thursday, June 25, 2026

Curacao will take on Ivory Coast (Group E) at 4 p.m.

With a population of just 156,000, Curacao became the smallest nation ever to qualify for the World Cup, taking advantage of the absence in qualification of three of CONCACAF's traditional giants.

The majority of Curacao's players were born in the Netherlands and they were led in qualification by legendary Dutch coach Dick Advocaat. The former Netherlands and PSV Eindhoven coach, who is 78 years old, is set to become the oldest coach ever to manage at a World Cup. Advocaat stepped down from the role in February for family reasons but returned on May 12, just 30 days before the start of the tournament.

Curacao will have their work cut out in Group E, but whatever happens, it will be a special time to be on the island.

Here's the full squad list for Curacao:

Curacao

Goalkeepers: Eloy Room (Miami FC), Tyrick Bodak (Telstar), Trevor Doornbusch (VVV Venlo)

Defenders: Riechedly Bazoer (Konyaspor), Joshua Brenet (Kayserispor), Roshon van Eijma (RKC Waalwijk), Sherel Floranus (PEC Zwolle), Deveron Fonville (NEC Nijmegen), Jurien Gaari (Abha), Armando Obispo (PSV Eindhoven), Shurandy Sambo (Sparta Rotterdam)

Midfielders: Juninho Bacuna (Volendam), Leandro Bacuna (Igdir), Livano Comenencia (Zurich), Kevin Felida (Den Bosch), Ar'jany Martha (Rotherham United), Tyrese Noslin (Telstar), Godfried Roemeratoe (RKC Waalwijk)

Forwards: Jeremy Antonisse (Kifisia), Tahith Chong (Sheffield United), Kenji Gorre (Maccabi Haifa), Sontje Hansen (Middlesbrough), Gervane Kastaneer (Terengganu), Brandley Kuwas (Volendam), Jurgen Locadia (Miami FC), Jearl Margaritha (Beveren)

Manager: Dick Advocaat

Saturday, June 27, 2026

Croatia will take on Ghana (Group L) at 5:00 p.m.

Group L consists of England, Croatia, Ghana, Panama.

With the wealth of talent at England's disposal, and having reached the finals of the past two European Championships, anything less than a deep run would be seen as a big disappointment.

Croatia have won two bronze medals and one silver at World Cup finals, despite only playing in six tournaments. A deep run is perhaps beyond Croatia's reach this time around, as their legendary core of players has aged or retired, but they'll still expect to reach the knockout phase.

Ghana are better than their FIFA ranking suggests, but still on the comeback trail after missing the most recent AFCON. The late appointment of Carlos Queiroz -- replacing Otto Addo -- could go either way, although they remain an outside bet for the knockouts.

Panama will aim to sneak into third in the group and put themselves in the running for a place in the knockouts.

ESPN's predicted order of finish: England, Croatia, Ghana, Panama.

Here's the full squad list for Croatia and Ghana.

Croatia

Goalkeepers: Dominik Livakovic (Dinamo Zagreb), Dominik Kotarski (Kobenhavn), Ivor Pandur (Hull City)

Defenders: Josko Gvardiol (Manchester City), Duje Caleta-Car (Real Sociedad), Josip Sutalo (Ajax), Josip Stanisic (Bayern Munich), Marin Pongracic (Fiorentina), Martin Erlic (Midtjylland), Luka Vuskovic (Hamburg)

Midfielders: Luka Modric (AC Milan), Mateo Kovacic (Manchester City), Mario Pasalic (Atalanta), Nikola Vlasic (Torino), Luka Sucic (Real Sociedad), Martin Baturina (Como), Kristijan Jakic (Augsburg), Petar Sucic (Inter Milan), Nikola Moro (Bologna), Toni Fruk (Rijeka)

Forwards: Ivan Perisic (PSV Eindhoven), Andrej Kramaric (Hoffenheim), Ante Budimir (Osasuna), Marco Pasalic (Orlando City), Petar Musa (FC Dallas), Igor Matanovic (Freiburg)

Manager: Zlatko Dalic

Ghana

Goalkeepers: Benjamin Asare (Accra Hearts of Oak SC), Lawrence Ati-Zigi (St Gallen), Joseph Anang (St Patrick's Athletic)

Defenders: Baba Abdul Rahman (PAOK Salonika), Gideon Mensah (AJ Auxerre), Marvin Senaya (AJ Auxerre), Alidu Seidu (Stade Rennais), Abdul Mumin (Rayo Vallecano), Jerome Opoku (Istanbul Basaksehir), Jonas Adjetey (VfL Wolfsburg), Kojo Oppong Peprah (Nice), Derrick Luckassen (Pafos)

Midfielders: Elisha Owusu (AJ Auxerre), Thomas Partey (Villarreal), Kwasi Sibo (Real Oviedo), Augustine Boakye (Saint-Étienne), Caleb Yirenkyi (FC Nordsjlland), Abdul Fatawu Issahaku (Leicester City)

Forwards: Kamal Deen Sulemana (Atalanta), Christopher Bonsu Baah (Al Qadsiah), Ernest Nuamah (Lyon), Antoine Semenyo (Manchester City), Brandon Thomas-Asante (Coventry City), Prince Kwabena Adu (Viktoria Plzen), Iñaki Williams (Athletic Club), Jordan Ayew (Leicester City)

Manager: Carlos Queiroz

Saturday, July 4, 2026

Round of 16 match 2 at 5 p.m. ET.

The teams playing in the Round of 16 game in Philadelphia will be determined by the results of the Group Play stage.

Visit this page at ESPN.com for more on the format, groups and match schedule.