Spain, Argentina, France, England Avoid Early Showdowns

 World Cup draw keeps top teams apart

The 2026 World Cup draw ensures Spain, Argentina, France, and England won't meet before semi-finals, guaranteeing an exciting tournament.

There are some rules about teams from the same confederation being in the same group...

The World Cup draw is set to keep top teams Spain, Argentina, France, and England apart until the semi-finals. According to FIFA's new rule, Spain and Argentina, the top two teams, will be in opposite halves of the bracket, and the same applies to France and England, ranked third and fourth, respectively.

This rule aims to maintain competitive balance in the expanded 48-team format. If these teams win their groups, they won't meet until the final, ensuring a thrilling conclusion to the tournament. The World Cup draw will take place on December 5 in Washington, and the tournament kicks off on June 11, with the final on July 19 in New Jersey.

The procedures and pots have been revealed for the Final Draw. 🏆#FIFAWorldCup

— FIFA World Cup (@FIFAWorldCup) November 25, 2025

The top four seeded countries, Spain, Argentina, France, and England, are guaranteed to avoid each other until the semi-finals, even if they don't win their groups. This is because FIFA has placed them in separate halves of the draw, ensuring a thrilling tournament ahead.

The 2026 World Cup draw is just around the corner, happening on December 5th in Washington. This exciting event will determine the groups and schedule for the tournament. Mark your calendars, because the updated match schedule, including stadiums and kick-off times, will be released on December 6th.

Hosts Canada, Mexico and the US are in Pot 1 which includes Spain, Argentina, France, England, Brazil, Portugal, Netherlands, Belgium and Germany.

Pot 2 has Croatia, Morocco, Colombia, Uruguay, Switzerland, Japan, Senegal, Iran, South Korea, Ecuador, Austria and Australia.

Pot 3 will include Norway, Panama, Egypt, Algeria, Scotland, Paraguay, Tunisia, Ivory Coast, Uzbekistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and South Africa.

Pot 4 will be Jordan, Cape Verde, Ghana, Curacao, Haiti, New Zealand, and the winners from the European play-off A, B, C and D, and the FIFA Play-Off tournament 1 and 2.

There are some rules about teams from the same confederation being in the same group. Basically, no group can have more than one team from the same region, except for UEFA, which has 16 teams and can have up to two teams in a group.

The 2026 World Cup is shaping up to be epic. It's happening in the US, Mexico, and Canada, and kicks off on June 11th. The final game is on July 19th in New Jersey, so get ready for an intense tournament.

42/48 ✅@aramco | #FIFAWorldCup pic.twitter.com/HQZoHdXyes

— FIFA World Cup (@FIFAWorldCup) November 19, 2025