It’s been 1,083 long days after Argentina reached the pinnacle of global football for the third time. The wait to crown a new world champion is almost over.
42 teams have battled through grueling qualification campaigns to secure their spots in next summer’s World Cup, and 22 more have put themselves in the playoff paths for the six remaining spots. Today, all of those teams will find out which other nations they’ll compete against in the group stage next summer.
The 48 participants have been sorted into four different pots by the FIFA World Rankings, with one team from each pot going into each group. There are some limitations: no group will contain more than one nation from any confederation (with the exception of UEFA, which can have up to two teams in a group). Plus, Spain, Argentina, France, and England — the four highest-ranked teams in the FIFA World Rankings — will be placed in separate quadrants of the knockout bracket and will not face each other until the semifinal at the earliest, provided they win their groups. Mexico will be in Group A, Canada Group B, and the United States Group D to ensure that they play all of their group-stage games in their home nations.
The pots are included below, with the three host nations and the nine highest-ranked teams in Pot 1, from No. 1 Spain to No. 9 Germany. Pot 2 includes teams from No. 10 Croatia to No. 26 Australia, Pot 3 ranges from No. 29 Norway to No. 61 South Africa, and Pot 4 includes the six lowest-ranked qualified nations and the winners of the six playoff paths, one of which could be No. 12 Italy.
When the competition kicks off on June 11, 2026, each team in the group stage will play a game against each of the other members of its group, with three points being awarded for a win, one for a draw, and zero for a loss. The top two teams in each group will advance to the 32-team knockout stage, as well as the eight best third-placed finishers.
DraftKings Network will have you covered once the draw begins at 12 p.m. ET, with live analysis of each group.
Group A
Opening Odds
Mexico (+110; -1000 to advance)
South Korea (+200; -700 to advance)
Denmark (+450; +100 to advance)
Czech Republic (+1200; +450 to advance)
South Africa (+2000; +370 to advance)
Ireland (+3500; +1000 to advance)
North Macedonia (+10000; +2000 to advance)
Analysis
Mexico fans should be relatively pleased with their nation’s draw. El Tri will open their campaign with a match in Mexico City against South Africa, the lowest-ranked team in Pot 3, and while Bofana Bofana topped a difficult qualifying group that featured Nigeria, they don’t have much experience on the global stage. Republic of Korea are one of the lower-ranked teams in Pot 2, and their captain, Son Heung-min, is now playing lower-level competition in the MLS, though he’s emerged as one of the league’s best players. Mexico hasn’t been in great form, but it should be capable of getting at least a point against any of Denmark, North Macedonia, Czechia, and Ireland.
Group B
Opening Odds
Switzerland (+180)
Italy (+250)
Canada (+275)
Qatar (+1000)
Wales (+2000)
Bosnia (+2000)
Northern Ireland (+10000)
Analysis
After Canada’s run to the Copa America semifinals last summer, it has to be feeling confident entering the 2026 World Cup, but it has a pretty difficult group. Switzerland only conceded two goals throughout World Cup qualifying and have plenty of experience in the tournament, and Qatar has gotten stronger as it seeks to better its 2022 performance. The real X-factor, though, is the fact that Canada drew the UEFA Playoff Path A winner, which could be Italy — a huge challenge even given the Azzurri’s recent struggles.
Group C
Opening Odds
Brazil (-450; -10000 to advance)
Morocco (+350; -700 to advance)
Scotland (+1000; -230 to advance)
Haiti (+6500; +550 to advance)
Analysis
The Seleçao enter the World Cup in inconsistent form with uncertainty up front, and they’ll have a difficult match to open their campaign against Morocco, the best African team and the first squad from the continent to reach a World Cup semifinal in 2022. After that, though, the schedule should lighten up: Scotland needed a Danish collapse over the final two match days, including several wonder goals, just to qualify, and while Haiti has a fantastic story, it has faced fairly weak competition, losing to Curaçao, Saudi Arabia, and the United States.
Group D
Opening Odds
United States (+150; -575 to advance)
Paraguay (+330; -230 to advance)
Australia (+500; -140 to advance)
Turkey (+500; +125 to advance)
Slovakia (+750; +215 to advance)
Romania (+2000; +900 to advance)
Kosovo (+2000; +900 to advance)
Analysis
American fans should be pretty happy with their draw. The United States has plenty of experience against both of its top opponents, having defeated Australia 2-1 in a friendly in October and Paraguay by the same scoreline in November. In fact, the Stars and Stripes have never lost to the Albirroja and last lost to the Socceroos in 1992. Türkiye is probably the most dangerous possible opponent from UEFA Playoff Path C, but it has shown some inconsistencies, losing 6-0 to Spain in Ankara as part of an otherwise strong qualification campaign.
Group E
Opening Odds
Germany (-280; -10000 to advance)
Ecuador (+250; -1000 to advance)
Ivory Coast (+900; -250 to advance)
Curaçao (+6500; +1000 to advance)
Analysis
Nick Woltemade and Jamal Musiala will both need to be healthy and on point to strike past arguably South America’s best defense in Ecuador, which conceded just five goals in 18 matches across COMNEBOL World Cup Qualifying and is led by Chelsea’s Moisés Caicedo. Cote d’Ivoire makes for a difficult third team, as the Elephants had a strong World Cup qualifying campaign and are the reigning Africa Cup of Nations winners. Curaçao’s strong defense might be able to park the bus in a group with relatively muted attacking options, but advancement remains unlikely for the smallest nation ever to qualify.
Group F
Opening Odds
Netherlands (-135)
Japan (+275)
Tunisia (+800)
Sweden (+850)
Ukraine (+900)
Poland (+1000)
Albania (+2000)
Analysis
Of all the groups, this one might be among the most wide-open. The Netherlands had a strong qualification campaign but didn’t have the most difficult group, and some of its stars (Memphis and Virgil van Dijk) are on the wrong side of 30. Meanwhile, the Samurai Blues didn’t concede a goal in an admittedly easy qualifying group and have had some strong friendly results, including a 3-2 win over Brazil on home soil. Tunisia also kept solely clean sheets in its African qualifying campaign, and Ukraine or Poland could present a tough challenge if they advance out of the playoffs.
Group G
Opening Odds
Belgium (-155; -2000 to advance)
Iran (+250; -340 to advance)
Egypt (+350; -250 to advance)
New Zealand (+800; +170 to advance)
Analysis
The Netherlands’ southerly neighbor is also in a wide-open group. Belgium’s current generation is still pretty strong and features stars like Manchester City’s Jeremy Doku, but it exhibited game-to-game inconsistency throughout its qualifying campaign and doesn’t have the strongest track record at the World Cup. Iran, meanwhile, barely eked its way past Uzbekistan to top its Asian qualifying group, but the Cheetahs have lots of World Cup experience and shouldn’t be underestimated, even if they have never made it out of the group stage. Egypt has two of Africa’s strongest attackers in Mohamed Salah and Omar Marmoush, so it always has a chance. The All Blacks don’t face strong competition in Oceania and are winless since June, but a draw against Norway in October is promising.
Group H
Opening Odds
Spain (-500; -1000 to advance)
Uruguay (+400; -800 to advance)
Saudi Arabia (+1200; +120 to advance)
Cabo Verde (+5000; +225 to advance)
Analysis
The World No. 1 and reigning European champions land in a doable Group H. Although Uruguay is a challenging Pot 2 matchup, with one of the world’s most versatile players in Real Madrid’s Federico Valverde, La Celeste aren’t in the best form, having taken a 5-1 defeat to the United States in their most recent match. Despite a rapidly-improving domestic league, Saudi Arabia didn’t record any convincing results in its Asian qualification campaign, drawing with both Japan and playoff participants Iraq. Cabo Verde, the second-smallest nation in the field, had an impressive qualification campaign that included a win over Cameroon, but the historical track record of debutants is not strong.
Group I
Opening Odds
France (-200; -2500 to advance)
Norway (+260; -575 to advance)
Senegal (+550; -250 to advance)
Iraq (+3500; +350 to advance)
Bolivia (+5000; +450 to advance)
Suriname (+10000; +1400 to advance)
Analysis
Les Blues should still top this group, but they could hardly ask for a tougher draw. Norway is arguably the most dangerous team in Group 3 after trouncing every nation in their qualifying group behind Erling Haaland’s marvelous left foot, and Senegal is no slouch either. The Lions of Téranga topped a difficult qualifying group without picking up a loss and consistently produce top talent. The group will be completed by the winner of the playoff path featuring Iraq, Suriname, and Bolivia, each of which faces a tough pathway through what looks to be the Group of Death.
Group J
Opening Odds
Argentina (-370; -10000 to advance)
Austria (+350; -450 to advance)
Algeria (+1000; -230 to advance)
Jordan (+5000; +275 to advance)
Analysis
The reigning World Cup champions should be the easy favorites to top Group J, with or without Lionel Messi. Austria is the second-lowest ranked team in Pot 2 and hasn’t appeared at the world’s grandest tournament since 1998, qualifying through a relatively easy group. The Albiceleste will open their tournament against Algeria, and though the Maghrebi side was one of the most impressive teams throughout the African qualifying tournament and picked up just one loss and one draw, Riyad Mahrez is showing signs of his age and Rayan Aït-Nouri barely gets playing time at Manchester City. Jordan has been winless in its past four friendlies, though it did pick up a win over No. 67 UAE at the Arab Cup.
Group K
Opening Odds
Portugal (-125; -2500 to advance)
Colombia (+200; -800 to advance)
DR Congo (+700; -125 to advance)
Uzbekistan (+2000; +170 to advance)
Jamaica (+4000; +300 to advance)
New Caledonia (+10000; +3500 to advance)
Analysis
In what is almost certain to be Cristiano Ronaldo’s final World Cup, Portugal lands in Group K alongside Colombia, Uzbekistan, and the winner between DR Congo, New Caledonia, and Jamaica. The Seleção das Quinas look strong, as Ronaldo continues to smash goals home and Vitinha has emerged as arguably the best midfielder in the world. Colombia finished third in COMNEBOL World Cup qualifying ahead of Brazil, and striker Luis Díaz has thrived with Bayern Münich, arguably the best team in Europe. DR Congo has a strong side, having narrowly lost its qualification group to Senegal, and edging out Nigeria for Africa’s intercontinental playoffs spot in a penalty shootout showed its grit. Tournament debutants Uzbekistan could be in for a tough time, though recent wins against Iran and Egypt demonstrate that the White Wolves won’t go away quietly.
Group L
Opening Odds
England (-450)
Croatia (+450)
Panama (+2500)
Ghana (+2800)
Analysis
As one of the top four seeds, England won’t be eliminated by another top side before the semi-finals at the latest, but the Three Lions have a challenging group. Croatia is the highest-ranked of the Pot 2 sides, and while Ivan Perišić and Luka Modrić are aging, Vatreni have medaled in each of the last two World Cups. Panama is a tough Pot 3 team, as Los Canaleros secured qualification with a 3-0 win over El Salvador on the final day of CONCACAF qualifying and qualified out of a difficult Copa America group last summer. Ghana, meanwhile, are one of the lowest-ranked teams in the competition, but the Black Stars lots of World Cup experience and boast one of the Premier League’s better wingers in Tottenham’s Mohamed Kudus.
