World Cup format guarantees duels between distant teams in the FIFA rankings

The 2026 World Cup debuts a new format. There will be 48 teams in the tournament, 16 more than in other editions. As a result, teams with lower rankings in FIFA, who previously did not have the opportunity to play in the World Cup, will be in the race for the cup against more traditional countries.

The tournament will feature some games with great disparity in the FIFA rankings. The biggest difference between opponents in the group stage is 77 positions, with Brazil, in sixth place, against Haiti, which occupies 83rd place.

Football can always surprise, so placement in the ranking often takes a secondary role. World champion in 2022, Argentina, despite being a huge favorite, debuted in the competition with a defeat to Saudi Arabia.

Confrontations with the greatest disparity in the FIFA rankings
Brazil (6th) x Haiti (83rd)
In Group C, Brazil faces Haiti in the initial phase. The clash is the one with the biggest difference in ranking in this World Cup, 77 positions separate the teams, according to FIFA. The match will be in the second round, on June 19th, at 9:30 pm (Brasília time).

Belgium (9th) x New Zealand (85th)
Belgium and New Zealand have the second clash with the biggest difference in position in the FIFA rankings, there is a difference of 76 places. The match will be in Group G, on June 27th

Germany (10th) x Curaçao (82nd)
Curaçau, a World Cup debutant, will have a quarry in its historic debut in the tournament. The team faces Germany. The two teams are separated by 72 positions in the FIFA rankings. The game will be on June 14th, in Group E.

England (4th) x Ghana (73rd)
It will be the first official clash between England and Ghana in history. The teams faced each other in a friendly in 2011, which ended 1-1. The Europeans enter the World Cup as one of the favorites, occupying fourth place in the FIFA rankings, 69 places ahead of the Africans, who are 73rd. The game will be in Group L, on June 23rd.

Spain (2nd) x Cape Verde (67th)
Another World Cup debutant will be the Cape Verde team, which also didn't have much luck. The team's debut will be against Spain, second in the overall FIFA rankings, 65 positions above the Africans. The game will be on June 15th, in Group H.

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Source: CNN