If you're a soccer fan, the 2026 World Cup draw is a welcome call to the greatest tournament on earth. You're also expecting the games to be fair. As a result, FIFA is trying to make the games fun and transparent through geographical separation, ranking-based seeding pots, and more.

With 48 teams competing across 12 groups, the 2026 FIFA World Cup features a lot of teams. If FIFA wants to make the games fun for everyone, it has to distribute these qualifying teams fairly into four pots depending on their official world rankings. Teams also have to follow confederation restrictions to ensure competitiveness and diversity in group compositions.

Below is a guide that explores the issue of fairness in World Cup scheduling.

How Does the World Cup Draw Pot System Work?

The World Cup pot system involves placing the 48 qualifying teams in four different pots based on how they rank. For next year's tournament, the seeding of the draw will be based on FIFA world rankings:

  • Pot 1: The three host countries and the nine best-ranked qualifying teams
  • Pot 2: The next best-ranked 12 teams
  • Pot 3: The next best-ranked 12 teams
  • Pot 4: The remaining six lowest-ranked teams, the two inter-confederation play-off winners, and the four UEFA play-off winners

During the FIFA drawing process, every team will be written on a piece of paper. After that, the paper is placed inside a plastic ball and put in the numbered. Next, they will pick one team from each pot.

A computer will then randomly assign every team drawn to its suitable group depending on the geographical restrictions. The groups often have letter designations from A to L.

What Rules Prevent Teams From the Same Region from Playing Each Other?

The FIFA fair play guidelines don't allow teams from the same region to play each other. No group can have more than one team from:

  • AFC
  • CAF
  • OFC
  • CONMEBOL
  • CONCACAF

Through strict confederation-based restrictions, you won't find teams from the same region in the same group. This type of grouping helps promote geographical diversity and competitive balance during the tournament.

However, UEFA is an exception. The UEFA can offer at least two teams per group because it has 16 teams that have to fit within the 12 groups.

How Does FIFA Keep Top Teams Apart Until Later Rounds?

In the 2022 World Cup, France knocked out England with a 2-1 victory in the quarter-finals. This was a blockbuster game that unfortunately happened early on in the competition. As part of FIFA's tournament fairness adjustments, the 2026 World Cup implemented a tennis-style seeding approach.

The top four highest-ranking teams will be placed into different sections of the tournament bracket. Soccer lovers should expect to see Spain, Argentina, France, and England placed separately. If these high-ranking teams win in their respective groups and continue to be successful in the knockout rounds, the pre-determined path in the tournament bracket ensures they cannot meet each other until at least the semi-finals or the final.

Having high-profile matches in the semi-finals and final means more thrills for soccer fans around the world. If you're a soccer fan, this placement assures you competitiveness in almost all matches, so explore a detailed host city guide for the 2026 tournament so you don't miss any game.

How Does the 2026 World Cup Group Draw Look Like?

The draw ceremony is complete for the FIFA World Cup 2026. If you support the 42 qualified teams and 22 still in the play-offs, you already know which team your team has to beat to get to the knockout stages. Here is a list:

  • Group A: Mexico; South Africa; Republic of Korea; UEFA Play-off D winner
  • Group B: Canada; UEFA Play-off A winner; Qatar; Switzerland
  • Group C: Brazil; Morocco; Haiti; Scotland
  • Group D: USA; Paraguay; Australia; UEFA Play-off C winner
  • Group E: Germany; Curacao; Côte d'Ivoire; Ecuador
  • Group F: Netherlands; Japan; UEFA Play-off B winner; Tunisia
  • Group G: Belgium; Egypt; Islamic Republic of Iran; New Zealand
  • Group H: Spain; Cabo Verde; Saudi Arabia; Uruguay
  • Group I: France; Senegal; FIFA Play-off 2 winner; Norway
  • Group J: Argentina; Algeria; Austria; Jordan
  • Group K: Portugal; FIFA Play-off 1 winner; Uzbekistan; Colombia
  • Group L: England; Croatia; Ghana; Panama

Six national teams still don't have a playoff spot. The spaces will be filled by four teams from the UEFA playoffs and two teams from the inter-confederation playoffs.

Frequently Asked Questions

When Does the 2026 World Cup Start and End?

The 2026 World Cup will take place from June 11 to July 19, 2026. It will be jointly hosted by three nations and sixteen cities. You can go watch the game live in any of the eleven cities in the United States, three in Mexico, or the two in Canada.

Which Group Is the "Group of Death" in the 2026 World Cup?

The "group of death" is a fun talking point for soccer lovers, which means the toughest group in a World Cup. The toughest group often seems to have the highest-ranking teams in the same group.

With the fair play changes, there is likely no chance for the group of death. The tournament draw methods ensure that the highest-ranked teams are in different groups, allowing for more forgiving knockout-round qualifications.

What Happens If Teams Are Tied on Points in the World Cup?

To get a tiebreaker in the group stages, they will look at the group goal difference. If the teams have the same goal difference, the team with the most goals scored in the group stage will have a higher ranking.

If teams tie on points and goal difference, the head-to-head results will act as a tiebreaker. Officials will assess the fair play points based on disciplinary records. In case all these steps fail to break the tie, there will be a drawing of lots.

Fair Tournament Draw Methods that Create Competitiveness

The World Cup draw is evolving. Fair tournament draw methods are becoming a priority as fans expect a world of fun and competitiveness. Subscribe to our newsletter to stay up to date with the latest major events near you!

This article was prepared by an independent contributor and helps us continue to deliver quality news and information.

0

Most Read