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Spain is in pot 1 at the 2026 World Cup. |
The seeding pot for the 2026 World Cup has been finalized. The three host nations, Mexico, Canada and the United States, will be joined by the nine highest-ranked FIFA teams. This is an important step ahead of the final draw on December 5 in Washington, opening the grouping phase for the first 48-team World Cup.
Under the new format, the 48 teams will be divided into four pots of 12 teams each. Pot 1 includes all the host teams and the teams with the best positions in the FIFA rankings at the time of data closing. The list of 12 teams in this pot is: Canada, USA, Mexico, Spain, Argentina, France, England, Portugal, Netherlands, Brazil, Belgium and Germany.
Having three co-host countries makes the seeding grouping a bit different from previous World Cups, which only had one host country. This also creates a special distribution when the match schedule has been pre-determined by FIFA for the host teams.
Pots 2, 3 and 4 will be determined based on the remaining FIFA rankings. As usual, two teams from the same confederation cannot be drawn in the same group, except in UEFA, where a maximum of two European teams are allowed in each group. This rule is intended to ensure continental diversity in each group, while maintaining competitiveness and balance between teams.
The three host countries also know their positions in the draw:
Mexico has been placed in Group A and will play the opening match of the World Cup at the Azteca Stadium on June 11, 2026. This will be the third time in the history of the Azteca Stadium that it has hosted the opening match of the World Cup, after 1970 and 1986.
Canada is placed in Group B.
The US is in Group D.
Canada and the United States will play on June 12, in the third and fourth matches of the tournament, respectively. Having the three host teams grouped in advance allows FIFA to proactively arrange travel, television and tournament organization systems across the three countries.
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Harry Kane's England are also in the top seed group at the 2026 World Cup. |
Being in Pot 1 gives teams a big advantage: they will avoid meeting each other in the group stage, while reducing the possibility of falling into the “group of death”. With the appearance of most of the European and South American “giants” in this group, from Spain, France, England to Brazil, Argentina or Portugal, the groups at the 2026 World Cup promise to be more balanced and less unequal than some previous World Cups.
The presence of Germany, a team that has struggled in recent World Cups, is also a notable highlight. The Netherlands, Belgium and Portugal continue to maintain their strong positions, while the US and Canada enjoy the right to be seeded thanks to their hosting status.
The 2026 World Cup will be the first tournament to feature 48 teams and span three countries. The draw on December 5 is therefore seen as an important milestone, shaping the group stage before the tournament officially kicks off next summer.
Source: https://znews.vn/chot-nhom-hat-giong-world-cup-2026-post1603873.html
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