After months of anticipation, the 2026 FIFA World Cup draw on Friday gave us a a lot clearer image of how subsequent summer time’s match — the primary staged with a file 48 groups — will play out.
There nonetheless is the enterprise of six qualification spots, 4 coming from Europe and two extra from FIFA’s intercontinental playoffs, each set to be staged in March. However we now largely know the group alignments, the potential paths and the storylines which can be prone to captivate us for greater than a month subsequent summer time.
Listed below are just a few key takeaways:
Group of Demise: Group L — England, Croatia, Ghana, Panama
Co-host Canada’s Group B may develop into very formidable if Italy emerges from its playoff path. The identical may very well be stated of the USA’s Group D if Turkiye joins. And any of the three confirmed Group I groups (France, Norway, Senegal) conceivably may win that foursome.
However England’s Group L is probably going probably the most tough on paper. Ghana has a much better European-based expertise pool to drag from than its No. 72 FIFA rating presently suggests. Croatia and England are each groups that might attain a World Cup remaining. And Panama has persistently been one of many prime 4 groups in CONCACAF over the previous decade.
Group of Life: Group G — Belgium, Egypt, Iran, New Zealand
Whereas Belgium nonetheless obtained Pot 1 standing, it’s clearly a nationwide workforce program in generational transition, which can depart Egypt and Iran each dreaming of pulling off an upset or two and successful the group. Even New Zealand will suppose it has a shot to advance from its World Cup group for the primary time.
Elsewhere, Argentina will really feel it obtained a good attract Group J (alongside Algeria, Austria and Jordan), and Portugal and Colombia will like their probabilities to advance with out incident from Group Ok that additionally consists of Uzbekistan and an intercontinental playoff qualifier.
Finest group video games
Brazil vs. Morocco (Group C): A Brazilian facet probably shifting on from Neymar faces a Morocco workforce with heightened expectations after turning into the first-ever African semifinalist in 2022.
Egypt vs. Iran (Group G): A probably explosive encounter between two of the Muslim world’s greatest footballing forces which have comparatively little aggressive historical past between them.
Spain vs. Uruguay (Group H): A captivating conflict in kinds between Luis de la Fuente’s modernized model of the Spanish tiki-taka and Marcelo Bielsa’s organized chaos.
France vs. Norway (Group I): A recreation that might function arguably the world’s two greatest goal-scorers, France’s Kylian Mbappe and Norway’s Erling Haaland.
England vs. Croatia (Group L): The edges will meet for a fourth time at a serious worldwide match since 2004, with probably the most well-known being Croatia’s extra-time victory within the 2018 World Cup semifinals.
Extra storylines
Deja vu yet again: In its first World Cup look in 28 years, Scotland will face two of the identical group foes it drew in 1998, Brazil and Morocco.
Colonial tensions: 2022 World Cup finalists France faces one in all its oldest former colonies for the primary time since 2002, when Senegal pulled one of many all-time nice World Cup upsets.
Revenge for Gijon: Algeria, 44 years later, will get its shot at revenge in opposition to an Austria facet that some believed colluded with West Germany to eradicate the North Africans in 1982.
Italian Toronto takeover?: If the Azzurri win their playoff, they are going to face Canada in Toronto, a metropolis that has 30% of Canada’s ethnically Italian inhabitants.
–Ian Quillen, Area Stage Media
