The much-anticipated FIFA World Cup 2026 group stage draw took place today at Washington D.C., setting the stage for what promises to be an electrifying tournament. With 48 teams qualified from around the globe, the draw unveiled the matchups that fans and analysts have been eager to see.
The ceremony began with FIFA President announcing the procedures, followed by football legends and celebrities revealing the fate of the teams. The expanded format features 12 groups of four teams each, raising the stakes in every match.
Host nations Mexico, Canada, and the United States were automatically seeded in groups A, B, and D respectively, while defending champions France and other top-ranked sides were distributed based on FIFA world rankings and confederation
rules to avoid early regional clashes.
FIFA World Cup 2026 Draw Pots
Pot 1: Mexico, USA, Canada, Spain, Argentina, France, England, Brazil, Portugal, Netherlands, Belgium, Germany
Pot 2: Croatia, Morocco, Colombia, Uruguay, Australia, Switzerland, Japan, Senegal, Iran, Korea Republic, Ecuador, Austria
Pot 3: Norway, Panama, Egypt, Algeria, Scotland, Paraguay, Tunisia, Côte d'Ivoire, Uzbekistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, South Africa
Pot 4: Jordan, Cape Verde, Ghana, CuraÇao, Haiti, New Zealand, European Playoff A, B, C and D, Intercontinental Playoff 1 and 2
Playoff Potential Teams
UEFA Play-off A: Italy, Wales, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Northern Ireland
UEFA Play-off B: Ukraine, Poland, Albania, Sweden
UEFA Play-off C: TÜrkiye, Slovakia, Kosovo, Romania
UEFA Play-off D: Denmark, Czechia, Republic of Ireland, North Macedonia
FIFA Intercontinental Play-off 1: DR Congo, Jamaica, New Caledonia
FIFA Intercontinental Play-off 2: Iraq, Bolivia, Suriname
FIFA World Cup Draw 2026 Results
Brazil are placed in Group C, and they have Morocco, Scotland in their group. Defending champions Argentina are placed in Group J and have an easy group on paper with Austria, Algeria and Jordan.
England are placed in the last one, Group L along with Croatia, while Portugal have Colombia in their group.
As per the FIFA ruling, top-placed teams Argentina, Spain, England and France will only meet each other in the semis or final and have been placed in different pathways.
FIFA World Cup 2026 Groups and Teams
Group A: Mexico, South Africa, Korea Republic, UEFA Playoff D Winner
Group B: Canada, UEFA Playoff A Winner, Qatar, Switzerland
Group C: Brazil, Morocco, Haiti, Scotland
Group D: USA, Paraguay, Australia, UEFA Playoff C Winner
Group E: Germany, Curacao, Ecuador, Cote d'Ivorie
Group F: Netherlands, Japan, UEFA Playoff B Winner, Tunisia
Group G: Belgium, Egypt, Iran, New Zealand
Group H: Spain, Cabo Verde, Saudi Arabia, Uruguay
Group I: France, Senegal, FIFA Playoff 2 Winner, Norway
Group J: Argentina, Algeria, Austria, Jordan
Group K: Portugal, FIFA Playoff 1 Winner, Colombia, Uzbekistan
Group L: England, Croatia, Ghana, Panama
**Check the Potential Playoff Winner Teams from the Playoff Potential Teams section
FIFA World Cup 2026 Schedule
The World Cup 2026 will start from June 11. The first match will be played at the Estadio Azteca in Mexico City as Mexico take on South Africa, similar to the 2010 FIFA World Cup which happened in South Africa. The knockout stages will start with the Round of 32 commencing from June 29, and the final will be played on July 19 at the Metlife Stadium.
Which is the Group of Death of FIFA World Cup 2026?
As per the latest understandings, there can be a couple of Group of Deaths in the FIFA World Cup 2026. Group F can be a tricky one with the likes of Netherlands, Japan and potentially Poland in the mix, while Group L involving England can be a tricky one as well.
