FIFA World Cup draw: The tough group and the easy opponents

The FIFA 2026 World Cup draw was held on the most grand and grandest scale in football history. The final lineup of the 2026 Football World Cup was finalized during the draw at the Kennedy Center in Washington, the capital of the United States, on Friday midnight.

This event is a special one as a country's confidence before going to the World Cup depends a lot on this draw. Which team falls into which group, how easy or difficult the path is - everything is decided here. This grand event will begin on June 11 next year while group stage has been mapped out during the dazzling Final Draw held in Washington exactly 188 days before the opening match. The lottery has been conducted by separating the teams by calculating the strength of the ranking, previous editions and the host country through a special pot, so that even if title hopefuls France, Spain, England, Brazil and Argentina meet, it will not be before the semi-finals.

Which countries will play in which group:
There are 12 groups in this year's World Cup. From here, the top and runner-up teams of each group, i.e. 24 teams from 12 groups, will go directly to the second round. And a total of 32 teams, including the best third-placed 8 teams from 12 groups, will play in the second round. In particular, 16 teams will go to the third round through a knockout system. Then the winning team in the third round will play the quarter-finals. After that, the much-awaited final match of the two winning teams from the four-team semi-finals will be held on July 19.

Each group has four teams.
Group A: Mexico, South Africa, Korea, Republic Czechia/Denmark/North Macedonia
/Republic of Ireland
Group B: Canada, Bosnia and Herzegovina/Italy/Northern Ireland
/Wales , Qatar, Switzerland
Group C: Brazil, Morocco, Haiti, Scotland
Group D: USA, Paraguay, Australia, Kosovo/Romania/Slovakia/Türkiye
Group E: Germany, Curaçao, Côte d'Ivoire,
Ecuador
Group F: Netherlands, Japan, Albania/Poland/Sweden/Ukraine, Tunisia
Group G: Belgium, Egypt IR, Iran, New Zealand
Group H: Spain, Cabo Verde, Saudi Arabia, Uruguay
Group I: France, Senegal, Bolivia/Iraq/Suriname, Norway
Group J: Argentina, Algeria, Austria, Jordan
Group K: Portugal, Congo DR/Jamaica/New Caledonia, Uzbekistan, Colombia
Group L: England, Croatia, Ghana, Panama

Sports analysts have already started discussing which group is the most difficult in this largest tournament in history with the participation of 48 teams. And at the center of that discussion are Group-L, Group-I and Group-C, where each participating team is a strong competitor in this World Cup. After the draw, these groups are called 'Group of Death'. Among them, Group-L, which includes England, Croatia, Ghana and Panama, has become the most discussed. England is the top power in Europe. They are the 1966 World Cup champions and two-time runners-up. This time, England, which has entered a new era after Gareth Southgate, will enter the tournament as one of the title contenders with strength, experience and a deep squad. The team has star players like Jude Bellingham, Harry Kane, Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka.

Croatia is a symbol of the continuity of the FIFA World Cup in terms of strength. Runner-up in 2018 and semi-finalist in 2022—Croatia is a formidable opponent in the World Cup. They are still one of the best in the world in terms of experience and technical football. Luka Modric, Mateo Kovacic and Josko Guardiola will lead the team in this tournament.

Ghana is one of the strongest teams in Africa. In terms of physical ability, speed and technical football, they always pose a difficult challenge for big teams.

Overall strength, experience, speed and balanced squad—Group C, which includes Brazil, Morocco, Scotland and Haiti, has emerged as the group of death. Brazil, five-time world champions and the king of the big stage. They are the favourites in any tournament. The new generation of stars are great in speed, technique and attack. Neymar and Vinicius Junior will lead this team.

Morocco are semi-finalists of the 2022 World Cup. Morocco, which made history by reaching the semi-finals in that tournament, is now one of the best organized teams in the world. Under the leadership of Achraf Hakimi, their defense, counter-attack and team discipline can put pressure on even the big teams. They can also be seen as equal competition against Brazil.

Scotland is a tough opponent in Europe. They have proven that they are no longer a small team by performing well in the European qualifiers. Strong defense, physical football and set-piece skills give Scotland the ability to turn the tide of the match at any time.

Group of Death is also discussed, which includes Group-I, containing France, Senegal and Norway. Iraq or Bolivia could be included.

2022 runners-up France are one of the title contenders of this tournament as well. The star-studded French team with Kylian Mbappe can once again surprise the football world. In their group, the African 'Taranga Lion', Senegal, and the emerging power of Europe, Norway, are not far behind in terms of strength. Iraq and Bolivia, who are coming to this group through the play-offs, also have the ability to put their opponents in danger by playing very dynamic football.

Group 'H' includes Spain, Uruguay, Saudi Arabia and Cape Verde. Currently, one of the strongest teams in the world is Spain. Few teams have the ability to stand up to the dynamic and rhythmic football of this title-winning team. Therefore, analysts believe that it will not be difficult for Spain to advance to the second round by playing against those in Group H.