MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Groups set for 2026 Football World Cup

Teams were divided into four pots based on the FIFA ranking


The groups for the expanded 2026 FIFA World Cup were finalized on Friday following a high-profile draw held at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, DC.

The tournament, which will feature 48 teams for the first time, is being co-hosted by the United States, Mexico, and Canada. The draw determined the composition of the 12 groups, setting the stage for the competition scheduled to run from June 11 to July 19, 2026.

The event included musical performances by Andrea Bocelli, Robbie Williams, Nicole Scherzinger, and Lauryn Hill, and featured draw assistants such as Tom Brady, Shaquille O'Neal, Wayne Gretzky, and Aaron Judge. The ceremony was also notable for the presentation of the new FIFA Peace Prize to US President Donald Trump.

Teams were divided into four pots based on the FIFA ranking, with the three host nations automatically placed in Pot 1. The draw created 12 groups of four teams each. Mexico was pre-assigned to Group A, Canada to Group B, and the United States to Group D.

No group can contain more than two teams from Europe (UEFA) or more than one team from any other confederation.

The draw resulted in the following 12 groups:

Group	Team 1	Team 2	Team 3	Team 4
Group A	Mexico	South Africa	South Korea	UEFA team yet to qualify
Group B	Canada	Qatar	Switzerland	UEFA team yet to qualify
Group C	Brazil	Morocco	Haiti	Scotland
Group D	USA	Paraguay	Australia	UEFA team yet to qualify
Group E	Germany	Curacao	Ivory Coast	Ecuador
Group F	The Netherlands	Japan	Tunisia	UEFA team yet to qualify
Group G	Belgium	Egypt	Iran	New Zealand
Group H	Spain	Cape Verde	Saudi Arabia	Uruguay
Group I	France	Senegal	Norway	FIFA team yet to qualify
Group J	Argentina	Algeria	Austria	Jordan
Group K	Portugal	Uzbekistan	Colombia	FIFA team yet to qualify
Group L	England	Croatia	Ghana	Panama