The 2026 World Cup draw is nearly complete and nearly all fixtures have now been locked in as Fifa’s giant tournament – both in geography and the sheer volume of football – finally takes shape.
A dramatic series of Uefa play-offs saw Czech Republic, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Turkey and Sweden advance to the tournament, as four-times champions Italy once again missed out.
The World Cup will be played across Mexico, Canada and the USA in an expanded format with 48 teams included for the first time. They are split across 12 groups of four, with the top two progressing automatically to the knockout stages and the eight best third-placed teams also going through to the round of 32.
England are been drawn in Group L and will meet Croatia in their first game of the tournament, before taking on Ghana and Panama. Scotland meanwhile face Brazil, Morocco and Haiti in a competitive Group C.
World Cup draw
Group A: Mexico, South Africa, South Korea, Czech Republic
Group B: Canada, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Qatar, Switzerland
Group C: Brazil, Morocco, Haiti, Scotland
Group D: United States, Paraguay, Australia, Turkey
Group E: Germany, Curacao, Ivory Coast, Ecuador
Group F: Netherlands, Japan, Sweden, Tunisia
Group G: Belgium, Egypt, Iran, New Zealand
Group H: Spain, Cape Verde, Saudi Arabia, Uruguay
Group I: France, Senegal, FIFA Playoff 2, Norway
Group J: Argentina, Algeria, Austria, Jordan
Group K: Portugal, FIFA Playoff 1, Uzbekistan, Colombia
Group L: England, Croatia, Ghana, Panama
The World Cup will begin in Mexico City’s Azteca Stadium, the site of Diego Maradona’s most famous and infamous goals against England at the 1986 World Cup. It was also the venue for two classic World Cup finals: Brazil’s win over Italy in 1970 which included Carlos Alberto’s iconic team goal to cap a 4-1 win; and Argentina’s 3-1 extra-time win over Netherlands in 1986, where Mario Kempes scored twice.
Mexico and Canada will host 13 games in each, and the United States will host 78. From the quarter-finals onwards, the US will host all of the remaining matches, with the final in New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium.
What are the World Cup 2026 dates?
The tournament begins in Mexico on 11 June, and concludes with the final in New Jersey on 19 July.
