World Cup 2026 draw: Portugal's group determined

At 00:00 on December 6, the World Football Federation held the 2026 World Cup group stage draw ceremony.

Mr. Trump received the FIFA peace prize.

The 2026 World Cup draw ceremony opened with special artistic performances, including the performance of the tournament's theme song by Robbie Williams and Nicole Scherzinger.

After a stirring speech, FIFA President Gianni Infantino announced the first winner of the "FIFA Peace Award", President Donald Trump.

FIFA confirmed the application of a Wimbledon-style draw mechanism, ensuring that the strongest teams will only face each other from the 2026 World Cup semi-finals onwards if they top their groups.

Under the new system, the top four teams in the FIFA rankings, including Spain (1), Argentina (2), France (3) and England (4), will be divided into two opposing brackets right from the start of the competition schedule.

This means the Three Lions can avoid France, Argentina or Spain until the last four, as long as they finish top of the group. This mechanism was tested by FIFA at the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup.

England entered the World Cup draw as the number 1 seed, but many scenarios still make Thomas Tuchel and his team worried.

According to FIFA rankings and the teams that have won tickets, the "nightmare" group for England could be Croatia, Panama, and Jordan.

Outside Europe, DR Congo is the highest-ranked Pot 4 team if they make it through the play-offs. Ghana is also considered a tough opponent. Meanwhile, Cape Verde are also not to be underestimated, having beaten Ghana at CAN last year.

An even more serious scenario: England are drawn in a group with Morocco, Norway (or Scotland, given their rivalry), and Jordan. If Morocco is included, England would avoid having to face Mohamed Salah’s Egypt in Pot 3, Ghana, or DR Congo if the Africans qualify.

Source: https://znews.vn/boc-tham-world-cup-2026-xac-dinh-bang-dau-cua-bo-dao-nha-post1608846.html