The FIFA World Cup 2026 draw guarantees that the four top-seeded teams will be kept apart in the early rounds.
Football’s highest governing body has announced that the leading nations will claim two separate halves of the draw.
As a result, Spain, Argentina, France, and England, the top four seeds, will be drawn into opposite sides, ensuring they avoid each other until later rounds.
FIFA will also apply this system to No.3 France and fourth-ranked England.
Take a look back at our predictions and results as we continue our World Cup 2026 qualifiers coverage.
FIFA World Cup 2026 draw eyes competitive balance in expanded 48-team tournament
The FIFA World Cup 2026 draw is committed to providing competitive balance.
Spain and Argentina would only meet in the final on July 19, 2026, if they all top their groups.
This becomes possible provided that all four nations top their respective groups.
“To ensure competitive balance, two separate pathways to the semifinals have been established,” FIFA said in a statement.
Never miss a moment—explore our World Cup 2026 schedules and fixtures for all updates!
FIFA adopts tennis-style pot system to avoid early marquee matchups
FIFA has decided to implement a tennis-style system to avoid early marquee matchups between the top seeds.
A Spain vs England or Argentina vs France matchup can only happen in the semifinals.
Also, the top four seeds, along with hosts Canada, Mexico, and the United States, were placed in Pot 1.
The 12 Pot 1 teams will be drawn from groups A to L.
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FIFA World Cup 2026 Pots
| Pot 1 | Pot 2 | Pot 3 | Pot 4 |
| Canada | Croatia | Norway | Jordan |
| Mexico | Morocco | Panama | Cape Verde |
| USA | Colombia | Egypt | Ghana |
| Spain | Uruguay | Algeria | Curacao |
| Argentina | Switzerland | Scotland | Haiti |
| France | Japan | Paraguay | New Zealand |
| England | Senegal | Tunisia | European Play-off A |
| Brazil | Iran | Ivory Coast | European Play-off B |
| Portugal | South Korea | Uzbekistan | European Play-off C |
| Netherlands | Ecuador | Qatar | European Play-off D |
| Belgium | Austria | Saudi Arabia | Play-off Tournament 1 |
| Germany | Australia | South Africa | Play-off Tournament 2 |
2026 FIFA World Cup draw to feature 12 groups of four teams
The 2026 FIFA World Cup will begin with the group stage, featuring 12 groups of four teams.
The top-seeded teams in Pot 1, along with the three hosts, were determined by each side’s current FIFA ranking.
Meanwhile, the six as-yet-undecided winners in the UEFA and intercontinental playoffs were placed in pot four.
The pot system was based on pathways used in tennis’ grand slam tournaments.
“This will ensure that, should they (top-seeded teams) win their groups, the two highest-ranked teams will not meet before the final,” FIFA said.
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FIFA World Cup 2026 hosts’ groups confirmed
The host groups for Canada, Mexico, and the USA have already been confirmed, even before the FIFA World Cup 2026 draw on December 5, 2025.
Mexico will open its campaign in Group A, Canada in Group B, while the USA is in Group D.
This ensures that all of the teams’ matches will be held on their home pitch.
However, the hosts may still face stiff opposition from tough European teams in Pots 2-4.
Take a look at the list of updated qualified teams here.
WC2026 to try new knockout phase
The aftermath of the FIFA World Cup 2026 draw will reveal that the tournament will use a new knockout phase.
After the group stages, the survivors will enter the KO stage with the Round of 32 at WC2026.
The two teams from each of the 12 groups advance (24 nations).
They will be joined by the eight best third-place finishers in the next round.
Check out which teams made it in the World Cup Qualifiers November.
How FIFA World Cup 2026 Pot Rankings were determined:
| Pot | Country | FIFA Ranking | Points |
| 1 | Spain | 1 | 1877.18 |
| 1 | Argentina | 2 | 1873.33 |
| 1 | France | 3 | 1870.00 |
| 1 | England | 4 | 1834.12 |
| 1 | Brazil | 5 | 1824.00 |
| 1 | Portugal | 6 | 1815.00 |
| 1 | Netherlands | 7 | 1805.00 |
| 1 | Belgium | 8 | 1798.00 |
| 1 | Germany | 9 | 1790.00 |
| 1 | United States (host) | 12 | 1765.00 |
| 1 | Mexico (host) | 17 | 1700.00 |
| 1 | Canada (host) | 35 | 1520.00 |
| 2 | Croatia | 10 | 1780.00 |
| 2 | Morocco | 11 | 1770.00 |
| 2 | Colombia | 13 | 1755.00 |
| 2 | Uruguay | 14 | 1745.00 |
| 2 | Switzerland | 15 | 1725.00 |
| 2 | Japan | 16 | 1710.00 |
| 2 | Senegal | 18 | 1690.00 |
| 2 | Iran | 19 | 1680.00 |
| 2 | South Korea | 20 | 1670.00 |
| 2 | Ecuador | 21 | 1660.00 |
| 2 | Austria | 22 | 1650.00 |
| 2 | Australia | 23 | 1640.00 |
| 3 | Norway | 24 | 1630.00 |
| 3 | Panama | 25 | 1620.00 |
| 3 | Egypt | 26 | 1610.00 |
| 3 | Algeria | 27 | 1600.00 |
| 3 | Scotland | 28 | 1590.00 |
| 3 | Paraguay | 29 | 1580.00 |
| 3 | Tunisia | 30 | 1570.00 |
| 3 | Ivory Coast | 31 | 1560.00 |
| 3 | Uzbekistan | 32 | 1550.00 |
| 3 | Qatar | 33 | 1540.00 |
| 3 | Saudi Arabia | 34 | 1530.00 |
| 3 | South Africa | 36 | 1510.00 |
| 4 | Jordan | 37 | 1500.00 |
| 4 | Cape Verde | 38 | 1490.00 |
| 4 | Ghana | 39 | 1480.00 |
| 4 | Curacao | 40 | 1475.00 |
| 4 | Haiti | 41 | 1470.00 |
| 4 | New Zealand | 42 | 1460.00 |
FIFA World Cup 2026 draw to say goodbye to ‘Groups of Death’
The FIFA World Cup 2026 draw avoids top-seeded sides, particularly European teams, from being bunched together.
The most UEFA teams that would be together in one group would be two.
No team from the same confederation (except UEFA in some groups) will be in the same group.
Ultimately, FIFA’s latest structured draw and seeding system says goodbye to the “Groups of Death” from the past World Cups.
Stay tuned to our FIFA World Cup 2026 website for more football news and other updates.
2026 FIFA World Cup promises parity, prevention of regional clustering
The FIFA World Cup 2026 draw promises to provide parity to all 48 teams regardless of their ranking.
FIFA is also avoiding regional clustering by splitting all teams from confederations into separate groups.
However, UEFA fielding 16 teams in the qualifiers will mean some groups feature two European nations. 2026 vows to maintain global interest and drama with its new draw and seeding system.
Check your favorite team’s latest odds by visiting our updated World Cup Odds page.
FIFA World Cup 2026 draw: In retrospect
The FIFA World Cup 2026 draw promises mystery and excitement leading up to December 5, 2025.
FIFA’s decision to pattern its pot system and pathways to the top four seeded teams after tennis majors was a masterstroke.
Once these top four teams follow the script and lead their respective groups, a fever pitch is anticipated as we enter the KO stages.
Starting in March 2026, the UEFA playoffs and interconfederation playoffs determine the six remaining slots.
Fans can look forward to a thrilling and unpredictable World Cup 2026.
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