England’s possible opponents in World Cup 2026 group stage revealed

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The introduction of seeding to the World Cup draw means England will avoid Spain and Argentina until the semi-finals and France until the final if all four teams top their groups

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England are guaranteed to avoid giants Spain, France and Argentina until the latter stages of next summer’s World Cup if all four countries top their groups.

Fifa has introduced seeding to the draw for the 2026 tournament, meaning the top four seeded countries will not meet each other until the semi-finals.

The top four seeded countries are Spain, Argentina, France, and England in that order.

Third seeds France and fourth seeds England have been paired, meaning they have been separated into the two halves of the knockout format and cannot meet until the final, in a similar format to Wimbledon.

Spain and Argentina have also been paired, meaning the earliest England could face either side is in the semi-finals.

All of these permutations apply if the four top seeds win their groups, with the idea being that Fifa can avoid blockbuster matches happening early in the tournament and top sides sending each other out before the latter stages.

All four top seeds have been drawn in Pot 1 for the World Cup draw, which will take place on 5 December. Hosts Canada, Mexico and the USA are also in Pot 1.

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England’s possible opponents in World Cup 2026 group stage

The draw will feature 12 groups with one team from each of the four pots, with the seeded countries all being drawn in position one within that group.

No group can have more than one country from the same confederation, except for Europe. Four groups will have two Uefa nations because there are 16 qualifiers to fit into 12 groups - so England will face a maximum of one other European nation.

In addition to avoiding the other three seeds and three host countries, England will avoid drawing Brazil, Portugal, Netherlands, Belgium, and Germany in their group as a result of being placed in the same pot.

One from Pot 2: Croatia, Morocco, Colombia, Uruguay, Switzerland, Japan, Senegal, Iran, Korea Republic, Ecuador, Austria, Australia

One from Pot 3: Norway, Panama, Egypt, Algeria, Scotland, Paraguay, Tunisia, Côte d’Ivoire, Uzbekistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, South Africa

One from 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

Could England play Scotland?

Yes, they could. Four groups will contain two European teams, as there are 16 European teams to fit into 12 groups. But if England draw one of Croatia, Switzerland, or Austria from Pot 2, then they would be unable to draw Scotland from Pot 3. England could also face any one of Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland and Wales if they qualify; should those three sides make it through the play-offs, they will be drawn in Pot 4.

What could England toughest group look like?

If England draw one of Morocco or Senegal from Pot 2 and then Erling Haaland’s Norway from Pot 3 then Thomas Tuchel’s side will have landed in a very tough group no matter who they then get from Pot 4.

What could England’s easiest group look like?

Of the teams who have so far qualified, 26th-ranked Australia from Pot 2, 61st-ranked South Africa and 86th-ranked New Zealand would be, on paper, the easiest possible group.

When is the World Cup 2026 draw?

The draw for World Cup 2026 will take place at 5pm GMT/12pm EST on Friday 5 December, at the Kennedy Center in Washington DC. The US president Donald Trump is expected to be in attendance.

How will the World Cup draw work?

The 48 nations will be divided into 12 groups containing four teams each, one from each of four draw pots.

Pot one will contain the three host nations – USA, Canada and Mexico – plus the nine top countries in the Fifa world rankings who have qualified for the tournament. Already, Mexico have been assigned Group A, Canada to Group B and the USA to Group D.

Pots two, three and four will contain the next 12 best-ranked sides in order so that, theoretically, the groups will be balanced and the best teams will be kept separate until the knockout rounds.

Teams from the same confederation will be kept apart in the group stage, except for Europe where there are more teams (16) than groups. No group will have more than two European nations.

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