Here’s a look at the finalized groups for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Wayne Gretzky, Aaron Judge, Shaquille O’Neal and Tom Brady assisted former England soccer captain Rio Ferdinand in conducting the draw.
Group A
Mexico
Mexico, the only nation to play host to three World Cups, made it to the quarterfinals the first time two times, in 1970 and 1986. But it will end the year with a six-game winless streak, one short of the worst slide in team history.
South Africa
This will be South Africa’s fourth World Cup appearance and first since 2010, when it became the only African team to host the tournament. In its three previous trips South Africa went out in group play each time.
South Korea
South Korea, the only Asian country to reach the semifinals of a World Cup, is captained by LAFC forward Son Heung-min. The Koreans have qualified for 11 consecutive World Cups, a streak beaten only by Germany, Brazil, Spain and Argentina.
European playoff winner D (Denmark, North Macedonia, Czech Republic or Ireland)
Group B
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Kevin Baxter shares his thoughts on the United States’ path in the 2026 World Cup and what teams might have the toughest trek in group play.
Canada
Canada has not won a World Cup game in two trips to the tournament but was ranked 26th in the world by FIFA in September, its highest ranking ever.
European playoff winner A (Italy, Northern Ireland, Wales, Bosnia-Herzegovina)
Qatar
Qatar made an ignominious World Cup debut four years ago when it became just the second nation, after South Africa in 2010, to be eliminated in the first round. But that tournament brought additional attention and funding to the team, which won the last two Asian Cups and reached the final eight of the last two CONCACAF Gold Cups.
Switzerland
Don’t sleep on the Swiss, who made the quarterfinals of the last two Euros and advanced to the first knockout stage in the last three World Cups before rolling through their qualifying tournament unbeaten.
Group C
Brazil
The World Cup’s only five-time champion, Brazil has gone five tournaments without reaching a final. That only other time that happened, it ended the slide by hoisting the trophy in Pasadena in 1994. With the final returning to the U.S., will history repeat?
Morocco
Morocco hadn’t won a World Cup game this century before stunning the field in Qatar, where it became the first African team and first Muslim country to reach the tournament semifinals. The Atlas Lions won’t sneak up on anybody next summer after outscoring opponents 22-2 in a dominant World Cup qualifying campaign.
Haiti
Haiti is returning to the World Cup for the first time since 1974 when it lost all three group-stage games. And Les Grenadiers qualified despite having to play all of their games on the road because of the unrest and violence at home.
Scotland
The expansion of the World Cup field from 32 to 48 teams helped Scotland qualify for the first time this century and 10th time overall. The Tartan Army have yet to advance beyond group play in either a World Cup or European Championship.
Group D
United States
The co-host, staging the men’s World Cup for the first time in 32 years, has made it to the round of 16 in four of the five World Cups it has played in this century. But it’s gotten to the final eight just once. The U.S. will open against Paraguay at SoFi Stadium on June 12. It will then play Australia on June 19 in Seattle.
Paraguay
Paraguay’s best World Cup performance came in 2010, when it won just once but managed to reach the quarterfinals by beating Japan on penalty kicks. That was also the last appearance in this tournament for the South Americans, who grabbed CONMEBOL’s sixth and final automatic World Cup berth in September.
Australia
The Socceroos, playing in their sixth straight World Cup, advanced to the knockout round for just the second time four years ago in Qatar, where it lost to eventual runner-up France in group play and to eventual champion Argentina in the round of 16.
European playoff winner C (Turkey, Romania, Slovakia or Kosovo)
Group E
Germany
Only Brazil has played — or won — more World Cup games than Germany, a four-time champion. But Die Mannschaft was eliminated in the group stage of the last two tournaments, winning just twice in six games.
Curacao
A former Dutch colony (72), Curacao became a constituent country with the Kingdom of the Netherlands 15 years ago. It played its first international match in 2011 and will be playing in its first World Cup. With a population of less than 160,000, it is the smallest country ever to qualify for the tournament.
Ivory Coast
An unbeaten run through their qualifying group earned the Elephants their first World Cup berth since 2014. Ivory Coast is the reigning champion of the Africa Cup of Nations.
Ecuador
A surprising second-place finish in South American qualifying, trailing only Argentina, has Ecuador back in the World Cup for a second straight tournament. Ecuador’s last loss came nearly 15 months ago, when it fell to Brazil 1-0. Since then it has it unbeaten in 15 matches, including 10 against World Cup teams.
Group F
Netherlands
The Dutch, ranked seventh in the world, were finalists in 2010 and semifinals four years later. They also made the final four of the most recent European Championships.
Japan
The Samurai Blue, which have never gone beyond the Round of 16 in a World Cup, have served noticed it will be a force to be reckoned with next summer by beating World Cup qualifiers Ghana, South Korea and Brazil and drawing Mexico and Paraguay in the last six months.
European playoff winner B (Ukraine, Sweden, Poland or Albania)
Tunisia
Among African nations only Cameroon has played in more World Cups than Tunisia, who will be making its seventh trip to the tournament next summer. Tunisia has never made it past the group stage although it had a bizarre tournament four years ago in Qatar when it lost just one game and gave up just one goal but failed to advance despite beating France, the eventual runner-up.
Group G
Belgium
Aging Belgium washed out in the group stage in the last World Cup, began rebuilding, then made the round of 16 in the Euros two years later when it fielded one of the youngest teams in the tournament. It rolled though World Cup qualifying unbeaten.
Egypt
Africa’s oldest national team and a seven-time winner of the continent’s Cup of Nations, Egypt is appearing in the World Cup for the second time since 1990 and fourth time overall and is still looking for its first victory. It will be led by Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah, the Premier League’s reigning scoring champion.
Iran
Iran reached the top 18 of the FIFA world rankings for the first time in nearly two decades last year after finishing third in the last two Asian Cups. A Christian Pulisic goal in a 1-0 U.S. victory is the only thing that kept Iran from advancing to the knockout rounds four years ago in Qatar.
New Zealand
The All Whites, at 86th in the latest FIFA rankings, are the highest-ranked team to qualify for the tournament. New Zealand played in just two previous World Cups, in 2010 and 1982, and is still looking for its first win.
Group H
Spain
The 2010 World Cup winner and reigning European champion is ranked No. 1 in the world by FIFA and is among the favorites to win next summer. Spain hasn’t lost in 31 matches, dating to March 2023.
Cape Verde
A World Cup debutante Cape Verde, with just over half a million people, became the smallest nation to qualify for the tournament when it secured its berth in mid October. (Curacao beat that record a month later). A former Portuguese colony, Cape Verde became an independent country in 1975 and played its first international match three years later.
Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia became the first Arab Asian team to reach the round of 16 the last time the World Cup was played in the U.S. in 1994. The Arabian Falcons haven’t gotten out of group play since that debut appearance despite scoring the biggest victory in their history four years in Qatar when they upset eventual champion Argentina in the first round.
Uruguay
Uruguay is a two-time world champion but its last title came before the start of the Korean War. More recently La Celeste has made it as far as the quarterfinals twice in the last four tournaments and after fielding one of the oldest teams in Qatar, Uruguay could field one of the youngest rosters in 2026.
Group I
France
The 2018 champion and 2022 runner-up is looking to join Brazil and West Germany as the only countries to play in three consecutive World Cup finals.
Senegal
Senegal is a nation on the rise. It won the Africa Cup in 2021 and the African Nations Championship a year later, entering the top 18 in the FIFA world rankings for the first time, then qualified for the World Cup for just the fourth time this century.
Interconfederation playoff winner 2 (Bolivia, Suriname, Iraq)
Norway
Norway’s first World Cup qualification this century will give Manchester City’s phenomenal forward Erling Haaland, Norway’s all-time leading scorer, a chance to show his stuff on the world stage. Just 25, Haaland has more goals for club and country than Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi had at the same age.
Group J
Argentina
The defending World Cup champions, led by Lionel Messi, are looking to become the first repeat winners since Brazil in 1958-62.
Algeria
Algeria, which dominated its World Cup qualifying competition, last played in this tournament in 2014 when it advanced to the round of 16.
Austria
Austria breezed through its UEFA qualifying bracket, outscoring its four opponents 22-4 to reach the World Cup for the first time this century. It last qualified in 1998 and the country’s last World Cup win came in 1990.
Jordan
Jordan will be making its World Cup debut next summer after placing second in its group in the Asian qualifying tournament. That followed a second-place finish in the most recent Asian Cup in 2023.
Group K
Portgual
The World Cup is the only major trophy Cristiano Ronaldo has never won. He’ll turn 41 in February, four months before joining Messi as the only men in play in the tournament six times.
Interconfederation playoff winner 1 (New Caldonia, Jamaica, DR Congo)
Uzbekistan
A former Soviet republic that didn’t become an independent member of FIFA until 1994, Uzbekistan will be playing in its first World Cup. It reached the quarterfinals in five of the last six recent Asian Cup tournaments
Colombia
Colombia, the runner-up in last year’s Copa América , is back in the World Cup after failing to qualify four years ago. In the six tournaments Los Cafeteros have played in, they’ve advanced beyond the first knockout round just once.
Group L
England
England made its only appearance in the final 60 years ago but it is showing signs of a revival, having reached the quarterfinals in Qatar and the semifinals in Russia.
Croatia
The runner-up in 2018 and a semifinalist in 2022, Croatia has one more shot to get a world title for captain Luka Modric and vice captain Ivan Perisic, who are likely playing in the tournament for the final time.
Ghana
The Black Stars made their World Cup debut in 2006 and have missed the tournament just once since. Ghana’s roster includes Galaxy winger Joseph Paintsil.
Panama
Panama is making just its second appearance in the World Cup. In its first visit in 2018, the Central Americans lost all three group-stage games, getting outscored 11-2.
