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The 2026 World Cup groups: who faces who in the group stage?

23 June 2026 - 14:22

The 2026 World Cup is the biggest in the tournament's history, with 48 nations spread across 12 groups ahead of a knockout stage that will run all the way to the final on 19 July. The expanded format means more matches, more nations, and a group stage unlike anything the competition has produced before.

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It has also reshuffled the routes available to the leading contenders, and if you're already looking at the favourites to win World Cup 2026, the draw has played a significant part in shaping how those markets look.



Under the new format, the top two from each group progress automatically to the last 32, joined by the eight best third-place finishers from across all 12 groups. That change gives nations more margin than the traditional format, but also means third place is no longer a guaranteed exit. For those tracking how the groups are shaping up, the football odds on individual group outcomes are already moving as squads are confirmed and preparation matches play out.

Here is the full breakdown of all 12 groups at the 2026 World Cup. For fixtures and further detail, FIFA's official tournament page has everything you need.



Group A: Mexico, South Korea, Czechia, South Africa — FIFA rankings: 15, 25, 41, 60

Group B: Canada, Switzerland, Qatar, Bosnia and Herzegovina — FIFA rankings: 30, 19, 55, 65

Group C: Brazil, Scotland, Morocco, Haiti — FIFA rankings: 6, 43, 8, 83

Group D: USA, Turkiye, Paraguay, Australia — FIFA rankings: 16, 22, 40, 27

Group E: Germany, Curacao, Cote d'Ivoire, Ecuador — FIFA rankings: 10, 82, 34, 23

Group F: Netherlands, Japan, Sweden, Tunisia — FIFA rankings: 7, 18, 38, 44

Group G: Belgium, Egypt, IR Iran, New Zealand — FIFA rankings: 9, 29, 21, 85

Group H: Spain, Cabo Verde, Saudi Arabia, Uruguay — FIFA rankings: 2, 69, 61, 17

Group I: France, Norway, Senegal, Iraq — FIFA rankings: 1, 31, 14, 57

Group J: Argentina, Jordan, Algeria, Austria — FIFA rankings: 3, 63, 28, 24

Group K: Portugal, Uzbekistan, Congo DR, Colombia — FIFA rankings: 5, 50, 46, 13

Group L: England, Croatia, Ghana, Panama — FIFA rankings: 4, 11, 74, 33

Groups to watch

Group C features two top-10 nations in the same group, with Brazil ranked 6ᵗʰ and Morocco ranked 8ᵗʰ. Scotland, ranked 43ʳᵈ, make their first World Cup appearance since France in 1998, and face the toughest possible welcome back. Haiti, ranked 82nd, are making only their second tournament appearance. On paper, it's the most uneven group in terms of the gap between the top two and the bottom two, but Brazil and Morocco meeting in the group stage is one of the standout fixtures of the opening round.



Group H pairs Spain, ranked 2ⁿᵈ in the world, with Uruguay, who have 14 World Cup appearances to their name. Saudi Arabia, ranked 61ˢᵗ, and Cape Verde, making their tournament debut ranked 69ᵗʰ, complete the group. It's one of the harder draws any debutant nation could have received.



Group J sees reigning champions Argentina, ranked 3ʳᵈ, placed alongside Jordan, who are making their first ever World Cup appearance. Algeria, ranked 28ᵗʰ with four previous tournaments, and Austria, ranked 24ᵗʰ with seven, complete what looks a competitive group beneath the top seed.

England and Group L

England are drawn in Group L alongside Croatia, Ghana, and Panama. Croatia, ranked 11ᵗʰ with six World Cup appearances, are the standout test, having reached the final in 2018 and the semi-finals in 2022. Ghana, ranked 73rd, and Panama, ranked 33ʳᵈ, complete the group. Compared to some of the groups further up the draw, it's a navigable route for a side ranked 4ᵗʰ in the world, though Croatia will not make it straightforward.

The group stage gets under way on 11 June, with 48 fixtures across the 12 groups before the last 32 begins. The draw has already produced several compelling matchups, and that's before a ball has been kicked.

Written by Ketan Patel