The 2026 FIFA World Cup draw established 12 groups for the record 48-team tournament hosted by the U.S., Mexico, and Canada, highlighting debuts for minnows like Curaçao and confirming defending champions Argentina’s path in Group J.
The groups for the 2026 FIFA World Cup have been finalized following the draw ceremony held at the Kennedy Centre in Washington on Friday, according to a report from Malta Today.
The expanded tournament will feature a record 48 teams competing in 104 games across 16 host cities in Canada, Mexico, and the United States, beginning in Mexico City on June 11 and concluding with the final in New York, New Jersey on July 19.
The draw placed 42 already-qualified teams into 12 groups, reserving slots for the six remaining teams to be decided in the March play-offs.
The field will include several World Cup debutants, most notably Cape Verde, Jordan, Uzbekistan, and Curaçao, with the Caribbean island nation of Curaçao becoming the smallest country by population size to ever qualify.
All 11 of the world’s top-ranked teams have secured their places, but major footballing nation Italy is among the 22 countries left to compete in the play-offs for the final six berths, including four from the UEFA play-offs.
The groups pit giants against minnows in several intriguing matchups. Group C features Brazil alongside Morocco, Scotland, and Haiti, while Group E sees Germany matched with Ivory Coast, Ecuador, and Curaçao. Group H includes Spain, Saudi Arabia, Uruguay, and Cape Verde.
Defending champions Argentina, led by captain Lionel Messi, were drawn into Group J alongside Algeria, Austria, and Jordan.
Messi is seeking to guide his nation to become the first team to win consecutive tournaments since Brazil did so in 1958 and 1962.
Messi, who already holds the record for 26 World Cup games played, is also just three goals shy of Miroslav Klose’s career World Cup goals record.
Host nation USA is set to compete in Group D against Paraguay and Australia.
Attendance across the 16 venues is projected to exceed the record 3.59 million set when the US last hosted the tournament in 1994.