World Cup 2026: England, France in difficult group, Argentina, Portugal have wide open door to advance

On the morning of December 6 (Vietnam time), the 2026 World Cup group stage draw at the Kennedy Center (USA) created many surprises. While England and France fell into groups considered "death", the reigning champions Argentina and Portugal benefited from easier draws.

World Cup 2026 draw ceremony. (Photo: FIFA)

The ceremony began with a series of exciting performances. Andrea Bocelli opened with an emotional song, before Robbie Williams and Nicole Scherzinger performed “Desire”, the official song of the 2026 World Cup. FIFA President Gianni Infantino then made headlines when he announced US President Donald Trump as the first recipient of the FIFA Peace Prize.

As the sports stars took to the stage for the draw, a number of exciting fixtures were drawn.

Specifically, the French team, the runner-up of the 2022 World Cup, fell into Group I with Senegal and Norway, two teams with a strong and fast playing style. The remaining position in the group will be the winner of the intercontinental play-off. An international expert commented: "This is not an easy group for France, because both Senegal and Norway are capable of creating surprises."

Similarly, England also face a big challenge when they have to face Croatia and Ghana in Group L. Panama is the fourth team in the group and is considered the weakest, but “no opponent is really safe in the 48-team tournament”, many commentators commented.

World Cup 2026 draw results. (Source: FIFA)

The German team was also warned to be cautious when facing Ivory Coast and Ecuador, opponents with strong physical foundations and who can create breakthroughs at any time.

Meanwhile, the draw "smiled" on Argentina and Portugal. Lionel Messi and his teammates only had to face Algeria, Austria and Jordan in Group J. Portugal faced Colombia as their biggest competitor, the rest were Uzbekistan and a team that won the intercontinental play-off.

Brazil are also in a group with Morocco, Haiti and Scotland.

An interesting point is that the opening match of the 2026 tournament will recreate the opening match of the 2010 World Cup: Mexico vs. South Africa at the Azteca Stadium on June 11.

The 2026 World Cup will take place from June 11 to July 19, 2026. With an expanded 48-team format, the top two teams in each group and the eight best third-placed teams will advance to the round of 16. The group stage ends on June 27, while the final will be played at MetLife Stadium (New York) on July 19.

World Cup 2026 group stage draw results

Group A: Mexico, South Africa, South Korea, European qualifying play-off winner D (Denmark/North Macedonia, Czech Republic/Republic of Ireland).

Group B: Canada, European qualifying play-off winner A (Italy/Northern Ireland/Wales/Bosnia), Qatar, Switzerland.

Group C: Brazil, Morocco, Haiti, Scotland.

Group D: USA, Australia, Paraguay, winner of European qualifying play-off C (Turkey/Romania/Slovakia/Kosovo).

Group E: Germany, Curacao, Ivory Coast, Ecuador.

Group F: Netherlands, Japan, European qualifying play-off winner B (Ukraine/Sweden/Poland/Albania), Tunisia.

Group G: Belgium, Egypt, Iran, New Zealand.

Group H: Spain, Cape Verde, Saudi Arabia, Uruguay.

Group I: France, Senegal, Norway, winner of intercontinental play-off (Iraq/Bolivia/Suriname).

Group J: Argentina, Algeria, Austria, Jordan.

Group K: Portugal, winner of intercontinental play-off (Congo/Jamaica/New Caledonia), Uzbekistan, Colombia.

Group L: England, Croatia, Ghana, Panama.

HUY AN

Source: https://nhandan.vn/world-cup-2026-anh-phap-vao-bang-kho-argentina-bo-dao-nha-rong-cua-tien-sau-post928430.html