The 2026 World Cup is set to commence on June 11, with joint-host Mexico facing South Africa at the iconic Azteca Stadium, a venue that has previously hosted the finals in 1970 and 1986. The tournament will continue on June 12 with South Korea battling a playoff winner, while the United States and Canada join the action as co-hosts, with the U.S. drawing Paraguay, Australia, and another playoff winner.
Canada faces a challenging draw in their group, which includes a playoff winner, potentially Italy, Switzerland, and Qatar. The recent draw for this expanded 48-team tournament, which still has six spots to be filled, was notably intricate due to various geographical restrictions.
Defending champions Argentina will kick off their campaign against Algeria, competing in a group that also features Austria and debutants Jordan. Meanwhile, five-time champions Brazil will face Morocco, Haiti, and Scotland, who are returning to the finals for the first time since 1998, during which they faced Brazil in the opening match. Additionally, Haiti’s only previous World Cup appearance was in 1974.
France will start against Senegal, a rematch of the famous upset from the 2002 tournament, alongside Norway and a playoff winner. England will begin their journey against Croatia, who knocked them out in the semi-finals in 2018, as well as Panama and Ghana. Notably, debutants Curacao, with a population of just 150,000, will take on Germany, Ecuador, and Ivory Coast.
World number-one-ranked Spain has a favorable draw alongside first-timers Cape Verde, Saudi Arabia, and Uruguay. Other interesting matchups include the Netherlands against Japan and Tunisia, and Belgium facing Egypt, Iran, and New Zealand.
FIFA’s new seeding system ensures that the current top four teams—Spain, Argentina, France, and England—cannot meet until the semi-finals if they win their groups. However, this does not rule out other potential thrilling clashes leading up to that point. France could face a daunting path that might include heavyweights like Germany and Spain should they progress through the knockout rounds.
England’s potential route to the final looks particularly challenging, with possible encounters against formidable teams like Mexico, Brazil, and Argentina, as they seek to reach their first final since 1966. Conversely, Mexico, which has struggled in recent tournaments, aims to at least match its quarter-final performance from 1986.
Following a series of disappointing exits in previous World Cups, Mexican coach Javier Aguirre emphasized the importance of staying focused: “There are no small opponents. We must not get complacent, we have to work hard.”
On the U.S. side, coach Mauricio Pochettino expressed optimism about their winnable group, stating, “We need to be strong in our belief, keep improving…to win the World Cup.”
Interestingly, Brazil and Argentina, despite their long-standing rivalry and having met 106 times, have only faced each other in the World Cup knockout stage once, in 1990. There is a prospect of a potential semi-final rematch next year, adding another layer of excitement to an already thrilling tournament.
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