By Miguel Luna 
The 2026 World Cup made its first big impact this Friday with the official draw held at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. The event decided how the 48 national teams will be distributed into groups for the first global tournament hosted by the United States, Mexico, and Canada. In a ceremony filled with expectation, the biggest football powers learned their fates ā and Argentina, the defending champion, knows who it will face.
š How the Groups Were Formed
FIFA kept the usual seeding system based on rankings, albeit adapted to the expanded format.
- In Pot 1 sat the three host nations plus the top-ranked teams worldwide (Argentina, Spain, France, Brazil, England, Portugal, Germany, Netherlands and Belgium).
- The remaining pots were filled according to team performance and geographic criteria, avoiding having two teams from the same confederation in a group (with the exception of UEFA, due to the number of member nations).
This draw created a brand-new structure of 12 groups with four teams each, a first in World Cup history.
š The Full 2026 World Cup Groups List
Hereās the complete lineup defined by the draw:
| Group | Teams |
|---|---|
| A | Mexico, South Africa, South Korea, UEFA Playoff |
| B | Canada, Switzerland, Qatar, UEFA Playoff |
| C | Brazil, Morocco, Haiti, Scotland |
| D | United States, Paraguay, Australia, UEFA Playoff |
| E | Germany, Curacao, Ivory Coast, Ecuador |
| F | Netherlands, Japan, Tunisia, UEFA Playoff |
| G | Belgium, Egypt, Iran, New Zealand |
| H | Spain, Cabo Verde, Saudi Arabia, Uruguay |
| I | France, Senegal, Norway, International Playoff |
| J | Argentina, Algeria, Austria, Jordan |
| K | Portugal, Colombia, Uzbekistan, International Playoff |
| L | England, Croatia, Ghana, Panama |
The remaining spots will be filled in March 2026, once the European and intercontinental playoffs conclude.
š A Historic, Expanded World Cup
The 2026 edition wonāt just be the biggest ever ā with 48 teams and three host countries ā it also promises broader representation, surprise participants and a unique diversity of styles and confederations. Itās a new era for global soccer. Wikipedia+1
With the draw complete and the path mapped out, the countdown to kick-off has officially begun.