Why Brazil will kick off Copa do Brasil preparations at Granja Comary | OneFootball

The Brazilian National Team has decided to start preparations for the 2026 World Cup at Granja Comary. The delegation will gather and play a friendly match in Brazil before traveling to the United States, where the group will be based during the group stage of the World Cup.

Coach Carlo Ancelotti and CBF's executive coordinator, Rodrigo Caetano, believe that the team needs to be close to the Brazilian people before heading to the World Cup. They also think that preparation on home soil will help create a “good atmosphere”.

“We think that starting the World Cup preparations in Brazil will be good for creating a positive atmosphere within the team. It's important to say goodbye to Brazil. We want to arrive in the United States with a good vibe. It's important to have the preparation at Granja and play the last friendly in Brazil,” said Ancelotti in a press conference.

“All of this was planned, we have priorities. One of them is to gather the team in Brazil. This is non-negotiable. We cannot imagine the team gathering to go to a World Cup in a place other than Brazil,” added Rodrigo Caetano.

(Photo: Dan Mullan/AFP)

Brazil's Group

Aiming for their sixth title, Brazil was drawn in Group C, alongside Morocco, Haiti, and Scotland. The team will debut against the Moroccans on June 13 (Saturday). Then, they will face the Haitians on June 19 (Friday) and the Scots on June 24 (Saturday).

Upcoming Friendlies

Before focusing on the World Cup, Brazil is preparing for new friendlies. In the next FIFA date, in March of next year, the Canarinho will face France and Croatia.

New Format

The 2026 World Cup will introduce a new format. From now on, to become champions, a team will need to play eight matches. This is because there will be a stage before the round of 16: the round of 32. The top two teams from each group, along with the eight best third-placed teams, will advance to the knockout stage.

When Does the World Cup Start?

The opening match of the 2026 World Cup is scheduled for June 11, at the Azteca Stadium in Mexico City. In total, there will be 104 matches in the tournament.

The knockout stage is set to begin on June 28. The grand final will take place at the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey on July 19. The third-place playoff will occur the day before, at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.