The time difference will be Brazil's main adversary in 2026 World CupPrimarily for the large Brazilian community in Europe.
Approximately 1,6 million Brazilians live on the European continent, according to data from Itamaraty (2023–2024). The largest groups are in Portugal (more than 300), United Kingdom (around 220), Spain (165), Italy (162 thousand) and Germany (160 thousand).
The draw for the groups, held on Friday (5), confirmed the first games of the Brazilian team in the group stage of the World Cup. And all of them will take place at night, Brasília time.
The opening match will be against Morocco on Saturday, June 13th, at 19 PM. This means that in Italy and Spain, the game starts at midnight. In Portugal, Ireland, and the United Kingdom, the opening whistle will be at 23 PM.
The second match will be even later. Against Haiti, on June 19th, Brazil plays at 22 PM Brasília time, which is 2 or 3 AM in Western Europe.
The final match of the first round will be against Scotland on June 24th, also at 19 PM. (Brasilia time)Once again, Brazilians living in Europe will have to watch the match during the early hours of the morning.
Schedule of Brazil's matches in the group stage.
Brazil vs. Morocco
June 13th, 7 PM (Brasilia time)
Italy/Spain: 00:00 on 14/06
Portugal/Ireland/United Kingdom: 11 PM on June 13th
Brazil vs. Haiti
June 19th, 7 PM (Brasilia time)
Italy/Spain: 03 AM / 06 PM
Portugal/Ireland/United Kingdom: 11 PM on June 20th
Scotland vs. Brazil
June 24th, 7 PM (Brasilia time)
Italy/Spain: 00:00 on 25/06
Portugal/Ireland/United Kingdom: 11 PM on June 24th
If Brazil advances to the next phase, the schedule pattern may repeat itself.
Schedules designed for the American audience.
The World Cup will be held between June 11 and July 19, 2026, in the United States, Canada, and Mexico. FIFA has set the broadcast times focusing on the North American audience, prioritizing prime-time local broadcasts.
The time difference between Brasília and the east coast of the United States varies from one to two hours. Between Brazil and European countries, the difference can reach five hours, as it will be daylight saving time.
Other teams will also play in the same format. Germany, for example, debuts against Curaçao on the 14th at 18 PM BRT. Spain faces Cape Verde on the 15th at 17 PM. Portugal, awaiting its opponent from the playoffs, debuts on the 17th at 18 PM.
Italy is still seeking qualification.
Italy has not yet secured a place in the World Cup. Azzurra competes in the European play-offs.which will determine the final qualifiers from the continent.
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