World Cup 2026 Groups: Final Draw & All 12 Pools

The FIFA World Cup 2026 groups were drawn on December 5, 2025 at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., setting twelve four-team pools that will determine who reaches the round of 32. The six remaining places were filled at the March 2026 playoffs — Bosnia and Herzegovina, Sweden, Türkiye, and Czechia from the UEFA path; DR Congo and Iraq from the inter-confederation playoffs. Italy missed out for a third straight tournament after losing to Bosnia on penalties.

The 12 groups in full

Every spot is now confirmed. Host nations are flagged below, alongside the four debutants (Cape Verde, Curaçao, Jordan, Uzbekistan) and the six teams that came through the March 2026 playoff window.

How the December 2025 draw worked

The FIFA World Cup 2026 groups were determined by random draw, with the 48 qualified teams split into four pots of twelve based on the November 2025 FIFA Men's World Ranking. The three host nations — USA, Mexico, and Canada — were automatically placed in Pot 1 alongside the next nine highest-ranked teams. Pots 2, 3, and 4 followed in ranking order. Six placeholder slots in Pot 4 were assigned to playoff winners and resolved at the March 2026 playoffs.

The draw mechanism prevents two teams from the same confederation (other than UEFA) from appearing in the same group. UEFA, with 16 qualifiers, has a maximum of two teams per group. The hosts were drawn into pre-assigned positions: Mexico into A1 to ensure it played the opening match at Estadio Azteca, the United States into D1, and Canada into B1. FIFA also engineered the bracket so Spain (No. 1 in the November 2025 ranking) and Argentina (No. 2) drew into opposite halves of the knockout bracket, as did France (No. 3) and England (No. 4) — meaning each pair can only meet in the final if they top their groups.

Group-by-group breakdown

Group A: Mexico, South Africa, South Korea, Czechia

Mexico opens the entire tournament against South Africa on June 11 at Estadio Azteca — a deliberate echo of 2010, when the same fixture kicked off South Africa's home World Cup. South Korea play all three group games in Mexico (Guadalajara and Monterrey alongside the Azteca). Czechia arrived via two penalty shootouts in five days at the UEFA playoff and bring belief but uncertainty under a coach who took the job days before the playoffs. Mexico are favourites to top the group; second is contested between South Korea and Czechia.

Group B: Canada, Switzerland, Qatar, Bosnia and Herzegovina

Canada hosts its first ever home World Cup match against Bosnia in Toronto on June 12. Switzerland are the most consistent side in the group and rarely drop points at major tournaments. Qatar's 2023 Asian Cup win means they're more dangerous than the seeding suggests. Bosnia eliminated Italy in the playoff final and arrive with momentum.

Group C: Brazil, Morocco, Scotland, Haiti

Brazil's path through the group is rarely as straightforward as their seeding implies, and Morocco's 2022 semi-final run reset the conversation about African sides at major tournaments. Scotland return to the World Cup for the first time since 1998. Haiti make their second appearance.

Group D: USA, Paraguay, Australia, Türkiye

The hardest of the three host groups. The U.S. opens against Paraguay at SoFi Stadium, then face Australia in Seattle and Türkiye in Los Angeles on June 25. Türkiye returned to the World Cup after 24 years with Arda Güler at Real Madrid and Hakan Çalhanoğlu controlling midfield — they are the most likely team to push the U.S. for top spot.

Group E: Germany, Ecuador, Ivory Coast, Curaçao

Germany got the softest draw of any major contender. Curaçao's debut makes them the smallest nation by population to ever qualify for a World Cup. Ivory Coast bring pace and individual quality. Ecuador's golden generation — Caicedo, Hincapié, Pacho — is the most likely group to push Germany for top spot.

Group F: Netherlands, Sweden, Japan, Tunisia

The consensus group of death. Japan beat Germany and Spain in 2022; Sweden arrived through the UEFA playoff with Viktor Gyökeres in form; Netherlands have squad quality top to bottom; Tunisia frustrate bigger teams. Every match has stakes. The group will likely go to the final whistle of matchday three.

Group G: Belgium, Egypt, Iran, New Zealand

One last serious shot for Belgium's golden generation, with Kevin De Bruyne the focal point. Egypt have Mohamed Salah as a constant threat. Iran are organised and physical. New Zealand qualified directly from Oceania for the first time and face a quality gap against the top three. Belgium should comfortably top this group.

Group H: Spain, Uruguay, Saudi Arabia, Cape Verde

Spain entered the tournament as the No. 1 ranked team. Uruguay defend tightly and counter quickly, with the Spain–Uruguay matchup likely to settle the group. Saudi Arabia delivered the shock of 2022 by beating Argentina; doing it again is a different proposition. Cape Verde make their debut.

Group I: France, Senegal, Norway, Iraq

France are defending champions and clear group favourites. Senegal have qualified from the group stage at each of their last two World Cups and bring physicality. Norway has Erling Haaland — the most dangerous striker alive in 2026. Iraq's qualification story is one of the tournament's best: airspace closed during the playoffs, a chartered flight to Mexico, and a 2–1 win over Bolivia ending a 40-year absence.

Group J: Argentina, Austria, Algeria, Jordan

Defending world champions Argentina drew the most comfortable path of any Pot 1 side. Austria press intensely and qualified comfortably from a strong UEFA group. Algeria bring experience and organisation. Jordan make their World Cup debut on the back of a strong qualifying campaign.

Group K: Portugal, Colombia, Uzbekistan, DR Congo

Portugal carry Cristiano Ronaldo into what will likely be his final World Cup. Colombia ranked 13th in the world entering the tournament with James Rodríguez and Luis Díaz giving them genuine class — the Portugal–Colombia match could decide top spot. DR Congo arrived via the inter-confederation playoff with European-based talent like Yoane Wissa. Uzbekistan debut.

Group L: England, Croatia, Ghana, Panama

England qualified with a perfect record, scoring 22 goals without conceding. Croatia knocked England out of the 2018 semi-final — at 40, Luka Modrić is still pulling strings, and the rematch carries eight years of unfinished business. Ghana bring energy and youth. Panama make their second World Cup appearance.

Host nation placements: where the U.S., Mexico, and Canada land

Mexico's placement in Group A means El Tri opens the entire tournament with the first match at Estadio Azteca on June 11. The United States in Group D plays its three group games at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, with travel between Seattle and Los Angeles for matchdays two and three. Canada in Group B shares group-stage venues between Toronto and Vancouver. None of the three hosts faces another host in the group stage — that's a structural impossibility given they all sit in Pot 1.

For exactly which days each host plays its group games, see our match schedule. The schedule pairs final-matchday group games at simultaneous kickoffs to preserve sporting integrity, so all four teams in a group play their final group fixtures at the same moment.

How teams advance from the group stage

The expanded format keeps the basic principle: top of the table progresses, bottom goes home. But with 12 groups instead of 8, FIFA needed a way to convert 24 group winners and runners-up into a 32-team knockout bracket. The solution: the top two from each of the twelve pools advance directly (24 teams), and the eight best third-placed teams across the tournament also advance, ranked first by points, then by goal difference, then by goals scored, then by team conduct score, then by FIFA ranking.

This third-place tiebreaker mechanism creates real stakes for matchday three even in groups that look settled at the top. A team finishing third in Group A has to look at the parallel results in eleven other groups before knowing whether it survives. Goal difference becomes a meaningful factor in late group games — running up the score against a weaker side can be the difference between a third-placed advance and elimination.

Key matchups and storylines

• Mexico vs South Africa (June 11) — opening match at Estadio Azteca, a 16-year mirror of the 2010 opener.
• Brazil vs Morocco (Group C, matchday 1) — 2022 semi-finalists rematch with one of the world's most reliable defensive sides.
• USA vs Türkiye (Group D, June 25) — almost certainly decides who finishes second behind the hosts.
• England vs Croatia (Group L) — eight years on from the 2018 semi-final, with Modrić still leading Croatia at 40.
• France vs Senegal (Group I) — defending champions against Africa's most consistent recent World Cup side.
• Portugal vs Colombia (Group K) — likely group-decider, with both teams genuine knockout-stage contenders.

From the group stage to the round of 32

Once the group phase concludes on June 27, the bracket structure activates. The top two from each group plus the eight best third-placed teams populate the round of 32 according to a pre-set bracket structure. For the resulting knockout map and projected paths to the final, see our brackets and knockouts page. For where every group-stage match takes place, see our host cities and stadiums guide. For an overview of the tournament from format to coverage, the homepage ties it all together.

Frequently asked questions about the groups