The upcoming World Cup in 2026 is now fewer than 200 days away, and the draw to determine the groups for next summer’s competition is scheduled for Friday, December 5.
FIFA has now officially announced the protocols that will govern the World Cup draw, which is slated to occur in Washington, D.C. These protocols detail aspects such as pot allocation, draw regulations, and potential routes to the tournament’s final match.
This has sparked discussions about intriguing potential final showdowns, including possible opponents for England in the final, alongside relevant topics for both nations already qualified and those whose participation will be determined in the play-offs scheduled for March.
England’s path to the World Cup semi-final is clear should they and the other top seeds top their group
The scheduling process has established two unique routes to the semi-finals to promote fair competition. This involves applying specific constraints to the four highest-ranked teams according to FIFA’s global rankings.
As part of this structured draw, the top-ranked team, which is Spain, the current European champion, and Argentina, the second-highest ranked team and current World Cup champion, will be assigned to opposite sides of the bracket. Similarly, France and England, ranked third and fourth respectively, will also be placed in separate pathways.
This arrangement ensures that, for England to claim their first major trophy in 60 years on North American soil next summer, they would not encounter Spain or Argentina until the semi-final stage, assuming each of the three nations wins their respective groups.
The same logic applies to a potential final encounter with France. The French team, then reigning champions, previously eliminated England from the 2022 tournament in a painful quarter-final clash, where Harry Kane’s late penalty miss contributed to a 2-1 defeat.
These four nations constitute a third of the teams placed in Pot 1. The remaining nations in this pot include the five other highest-ranked teams worldwide (Brazil, Portugal, Netherlands, Belgium, Germany) alongside the three host countries (Mexico, USA, Canada).
To maintain geographical diversity, no team will be drawn into a group with another team from the same confederation, with one exception: UEFA. Sixteen of the 48 teams participating in the expanded tournament are from UEFA, meaning that England and Scotland could potentially be drawn into the same group, echoing their EURO 2020 pairing.
Scotland finds itself in Pot 3, marking their first World Cup appearance since 1998. Similar to that tournament held in France 28 years ago, they could potentially feature in the opening match. Mexico is scheduled to play the Pot 3 team drawn into their group on Thursday, June 11, at the iconic Aztec Stadium, which will set a record by hosting the tournament’s opening game for the third time.
While the draw to determine the final tournament groups is slated for Friday, December 5, the comprehensive match schedule – which includes the specific stadiums assigned to each match and their kick-off times – will be finalized on Saturday.
This delay is intended to guarantee optimal playing conditions for all participating teams and allow supporters across the world to conveniently watch live games in their respective time zones. Consequently, England’s group stage matches are likely to kick off at either 5pm or 8pm British Summer Time (BST).
The composition of the draw pots is detailed below. Note that Wales, Ireland, and the Republic of Ireland are categorized in Pot 4, pending their qualification through the play-offs.
- Pot 1: Canada, Mexico, USA, Spain, Argentina, France, England, Brazil, Portugal, Netherlands, Belgium, Germany
- Pot 2: Croatia, Morocco, Colombia, Uruguay, Switzerland, Japan, Senegal, IR Iran, Korea Republic, Ecuador, Austria, Australia
- Pot 3: Norway, Panama, Egypt, Algeria, Scotland, Paraguay, Tunisia, Côte d’Ivoire, Uzbekistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, South Africa
- Pot 4: Jordan, Cabo Verde, Ghana, Curaçao, Haiti, New Zealand, European Play-Off A, B, C and D, FIFA Play-Off Tournament 1 and 2
