WASHINGTON — At the draw for the 2026 men's soccer World Cup at the Kennedy Center in a freezing Washington, D.C, on Friday, there was pomp and glitz — and convoluted rules — as a host of celebrities, sports legends and President Donald Trump helped to flesh out the line-up of matches for the tournament's opening group stage.
Teams from five-time champion Brazil to newcomers Cape Verde, Curaçao, Jordan and Uzbekistan learned their group stage opponents in the expanded 48-nation, 104-game tournament that starts June 11 in the U.S., Canada and Mexico.
South Florida soccer fans still don't know which teams will play in the four group games taking place at the Hard Rock Stadium. That announcement comes Saturday. But they now have clues, and it's enough to fuel excitement among some of the area's most populous cultural diasporas.
With the teams allocated to 12 groups of four, we know which groups will have matches in Miami Gardens — just not which exact match-ups.
There will be one match from Group C, a group headed by Brazil that includes Haiti.
Haitian fans, already excited to be in the World Cup for the first time since 1974, as their country faces ongoing chaos and tragedy, were thrilled to find their team drawn in the same group. As WLRN has reported, Brazil is many Haitians soccer fans' second favorite team.
READ MORE: In the World Cup, when Brazil wins, Haiti wins
"There's a lot of emotion, especially after the qualification, especially [with] all that's going on to Haiti right now. It's very special for people from Haiti," said journalist Manesson Chery, from sports news publication Haiti-Tempo.
" What a highlight for our community. With so much despair about what's happening in Haiti and the largest Haitian community in the United States, this is a real win," Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava, who flew in to join the pomp and circumstance, told WLRN.
"We've really amped it up. It's just been a celebration already. But now that the teams are more likely coming into focus, we know that people are just gonna go wild," she added.
Group H, featuring Spain and Uruguay, will have two games at the Hard Rock Stadium, while another nation with a large South Florida diaspora, Colombia, was drawn to a group that will have one game at the Miami Gardens venue.
Meanwhile, if current world champion Argentina beats out Austria, Algeria and Jordan to win its group, it will mean that Lionel Messi and his countrymen will play the first round of the elimination stages at the Hard Rock.
"We might get Argentina versus Spain, or Argentina versus Uruguay, in our city. Jamaica could be playing in our city. It's going to be fantastic," said sportscaster Fernando Fiore, who is part of the Miami host city committee. "But wait until tomorrow — any game that's coming to Miami is going to be a success."
Team USA avoided any matches against heavyweights in a group featuring Australia and Paraguay. A fourth team has yet to be determined.
Tickets and FanFest
According to FIFA, 2 million tickets have already been sold to fans, for those who can afford hospitality packages or those who have made it through the FIFA ticket lottery. But there has been international criticism over prices, including some of the most expensive ever seen at a World Cup.
"I would love for matches to be accessible," said County Commissioner Oliver G. Gilbert III. "We know there are financial constraints of actually bringing games and FIFA largely controls the actual prices."
"But we're gonna have different areas around Miami-Dade County where people can come and watch the games," he added, referring to the free FanFest and other events. "You won't be at the game, but you will enjoy the atmosphere."
Mexico will take on South Africa in Mexico City in the opening game of the World Cup on June 11. The first game at the Hard Rock Stadium, featuring a match-up from group H will take place on June 15.
As well as four group games and a round-of-32 match, Miami Gardens will host a quarter-final game and the bronze medal match.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
