Last updated on December 8th, 2025 at 10:30 pm
FIFA World Cup 2026 Final Draw – Groups-Teams
FIFA World Cup 2026 Draw Fuels Emotional Hopes as 48 Teams Chase Glory
The draw for the 2026 FIFA World Cup has been done. We now know which teams are in which groups. Honestly, it felt a bit underwhelming because we may not have realised that this World Cup is an expanded one. Usually, there are 32 teams in the World Cup. This time, there are 48 teams. So there are not many “Groups of Death.” Most groups are open and look hard to predict. It will be difficult to say which two teams from each group will move forward.
The format is also different. Instead of the Round of 16, there will be a Round of 32. This means 24 teams, the ones finishing first and second in their groups, will qualify automatically. The remaining eight teams will be the best third-placed teams. A table of 12 third-placed teams will be made, and the top eight from that will join the 24, forming the Round of 32.
Let’s first understand how the draw worked. The teams were divided into four pots.
In Pot 1 were Canada, Mexico, USA (the host nations), Spain, Argentina, France, England, Brazil, Portugal, Netherlands, Belgium, and Germany.
In Pot 2 were Croatia, Morocco, Colombia, Uruguay, Switzerland, Japan, Senegal, Iran, South Korea, Austria, Ecuador, and Australia.
In Pot 3 were Norway, Panama, Egypt, Algeria, Paraguay, Tunisia, Scotland, Ivory Coast, Qatar, Uzbekistan, Saudi Arabia, and South Africa.
In Pot 4 were Jordan, Cape Verde, Ghana, Curaçao, Haiti, New Zealand, winners from UEFA Play-offs 1 to 4, and winners from Intercontinental Play-offs 1 and 2. These last six teams are not yet decided and will also play in the World Cup once confirmed.
Now you may ask, what is the UEFA Play-offs system? In these play-offs, teams that did not qualify directly get a second chance. Italy will play Northern Ireland. The winner will face the victor of Wales vs Bosnia and Herzegovina. Whoever wins that match will become one of the UEFA Play-off winners.
Next, the winner of Ukraine vs Sweden will play against the winner of Poland vs Albania. That winner will become the second UEFA Play-off team.
Then Turkey will play Romania, and the winner will face Slovakia vs Kosovo. The winner there will be the third UEFA Play-off team.
Finally, Denmark will face North Macedonia, and the winner will play against the winner of Czechia vs the Republic of Ireland. The winner of that match will be the fourth UEFA Play-off winner.
So, there will be four mini-brackets. The winners of those will fill the four UEFA Play-off spots. You might remember that in the last World Cup, North Macedonia defeated Italy, and Portugal qualified after beating Turkey through this same play-off system.
Now, for the Intercontinental Play-offs:
New Caledonia will play Jamaica, and the winner will face the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Whoever wins that will qualify as the Intercontinental Play-off 1 winner and enter the World Cup.
In the second Intercontinental Play-off, Iraq will face the winner of Bolivia vs Suriname. The winner of that will qualify as the Intercontinental Play-off 2 winner.
These matches will be held in March, during the international break, in Mexico. The UEFA play-off matches will be played in each team’s home country, also in March. By the end of that month, we will know exactly which 48 teams are in the World Cup.
The World Cup format is simple:
There are 12 groups with 4 teams each, making 48 teams in total. The top 2 from each group will move into the Round of 32 directly. The best 8 third-placed teams will fill the remaining slots. Then the knockouts will follow — Round of 32, Round of 16, Quarter-finals, Semi-finals, and finally, the Final.
Now let’s look at the Groups:
Group A: Mexico, South Africa, Korea Republic, and the winner of the European Play-off Four.
Group B: Canada, winner of European Play-off A, Qatar, and Switzerland.
Group C: Brazil, Morocco, Haiti, and Scotland.
Group D: USA, Paraguay, Australia, and the winner of the European Play-off Three.
Group E: Germany, Curaçao, the Ivory Coast, and Ecuador.
Group F: Netherlands, Japan, the winner of European Play-off Two, and Tunisia.
Group G: Belgium, Egypt, Iran, and New Zealand.
Group H: Spain, Cape Verde, Saudi Arabia, and Uruguay.
Group I: France, Senegal, the winner of Intercontinental Play-off Two, and Norway.
Group J: Argentina, Algeria, Austria, and Jordan.
Group K: Portugal, winner of Intercontinental Play-off One, Uzbekistan, and Colombia.
Group L: England, Croatia, Ghana, and Panama.
