Philadelphia athletes across the city are participating in a new initiative to welcome the nine nations set to compete in Philadelphia during the FIFA World Cup 2026™.
The “Philly Match Ball” program includes nine official FIFA match balls, with each ball representing one of the participating nations scheduled to play a group stage match at Philadelphia Stadium. Each squad will receive a ball as a welcome to the city and a celebration of the global game coming to Philadelphia.
To date, the balls have been autographed by Bryce Harper and Trea Turner of the Philadelphia Phillies; Joel Embiid of the Philadelphia 76ers; DeVonta Smith and Zack Baun of the Philadelphia Eagles; and Dan Vladar and Sean Couturier of the Philadelphia Flyers. Additional athletes are scheduled to sign the balls ahead of Philadelphia’s first match on Sunday, June 14.
Final Philadelphia Schedule
Group Stage Matches
Sunday, June 14: Côte d’Ivoire vs. Ecuador, 7 p.m. ET
Friday, June 19: Brazil vs. Haiti, 8:30 p.m. ET
Monday, June 22: France vs. Iraq, 5 p.m. ET
Thursday, June 25: Côte d’Ivoire vs. Curaçao, 4 p.m. ET
Saturday, June 27: Croatia vs. Ghana, 5 p.m. ET
Knockout Stage
Saturday, July 4: Round of 16 Match, 5 p.m. ET
The FIFA World Cup 2026 is shaping up to be the most extraordinary edition of the competition yet. Over six million fans are set to take their place in the stands across the three host countries, with a further six billion people expected to engage globally. Fans wishing to sec