Who says the World Cup is 48 teams, says extra large hat. And groups that are a priori less noble. This Tuesday, FIFA revealed the procedures and rules for the draw for the group stage of the 2026 World Cup. The body also indicated the composition of the four hats that will determine the twelve groups in the first round of the North American tournament. The ball draw will take place on December 5 in Washington DC.
Unsurprisingly, the French team, the other eight best-placed teams in the FIFA rankings as well as the three host countries – Canada, Mexico and the United States – occupy hat 1. The four European play-offs and the two countries that will come out of the intercontinental playoffs are unknown, but they now know that they will land in the fourth and final pot.
The Blues could be beaten by Italy in the group stage if Transalpines qualify for the World Cup. On the other hand, Didier Deschamps’ band is guaranteed not to cross Spain, Argentina, England, Brazil, Portugal, the Netherlands, Belgium or Germany because they are also in hat 1.
2026 World Cup hat
Hat 1 : Canada, Mexico, United States, Spain, Argentina, FranceUK, Brazil, Portugal, Netherlands, Belgium, Germany
Hat 2 : Croatia, Morocco, Colombia, Uruguay, Switzerland, Japan, Senegal, RI Iran, Republic of Korea, Ecuador, Austria, Australia
Hat 3 : Norway, Panama, Egypt, Algeria, Scotland, Paraguay, Tunisia, Ivory Coast, Uzbekistan, Qatar, South Africa
Hat 4 : Jordan, Cape Verde, Ghana, Curaçao, Haiti, New Zealand, winners of Europe A, B, C and D play-offs, winners of FIFA 1 and 2 play-off tournaments
On the other hand, as the third country in the FIFA rankings, France has additional indications in the remaining matches. If he finishes top of his group and England – ranked 4th – do the same, the two selections are guaranteed not to challenge each other before the final. The similarities are similar between Spain and Argentina, the two highest ranking countries in this index. The four participants will also not face each other before the final four, always assuming that they win their group.
In terms of restrictions, two members of the same confederation will not be able to be in the same group with the exception of UEFA teams and their 16 representatives. However, there will be no more than two European teams per group.
