FOOTBALL – THE 2026 World Cup will kick off on June 11 with joint-hosts Mexico playing South Africa at the Azteca Stadium – iconic venue of the 1970 and 1986 finals – followed by South Korea against a playoff winner after the complex draw was made yesterday.
Mexico’s co-hosts the United States and Canada will join the biggest-ever World Cup party the following day. The US, courtesy of their top seeding, got a dream draw and will play Paraguay, Australia and a playoff winner.
Canada, also a top seed despite a world ranking of 27th, have it tougher against a playoff winner – possibly Italy – Switzerland and Qatar.
The draw for the expanded 48-team tournament, with six berths still to be filled via a series of playoffs, was hugely complicated due to various geographical sub-clauses.
Former England defender and MC Rio Ferdinand routinely returned balls to the metaphorical pot after “computer said no’.
Defending champions Argentina were grouped with Algeria, Austria and debutants Jordan, while five-times winners Brazil will play Morocco – semi-finalists in 2022 – Haiti and Scotland.
The Scots are appearing in the finals for the first time since 1998, when they lost to Brazil in the opening game, while Haiti’s only previous appearance came in 1974.
France’s first game will be versus Senegal in a repeat of one of the biggest tournament upsets, when the Africans stunned the then-holders in their first game of the 2002 tournament. Norway and one of the playoff winners complete their group.
England will start against Croatia, who beat them in the 2018 semi-finals, and also face Panama, who they thrashed 6-1 in the group stage in the same tournament, and Ghana.
Debutants Curacao, with a population of 150,000 making them by far the smallest country ever to reach the finals, face Germany, Ecuador and the Ivory Coast.
World number-one-ranked Spain have a dream draw alongside first-timers Cape Verde, Saudi Arabia and Uruguay.
The Netherlands are with Japan, Tunisia and a playoff winner, Belgium have Egypt, Iran and New Zealand, while Portugal face debutants Uzbekistan, Colombia and a playoff winner.
The teams outside the hosts’ groups will have to wait until Saturday to find out the venues and kickoff times for their games after FIFA attempts to optimise them relating to the various worldwide TV markets.
A newly introduced seeding system ensured that the current top four in the world – Spain, Argentina, France and England – cannot meet until the semi-final stage if they win their groups, but that has not ruled out a host of potential blockbuster clashes along the way.
France, runners-up in 2022, might like the look of their group but, if results go to form, once they reach the last 16 they can expect a potential run of Germany, the Netherlands and Spain to reach the final.
England’s pathway to the showpiece match has a very Latin – and difficult – look with Mexico, Brazil, who they have never beaten at the World Cup, and Argentina in the way of a first final appearance since their sole triumph in 1966.
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