Spain won’t face Argentina, and France won’t meet England before the World Cup final – assuming all win their groups – after FIFA on Tuesday revealed the draw procedure.
The rule is designed to maintain competitive balance in the expanded 48-team tournament, keeping the top-ranked team, Spain, and world champions Argentina in opposite halves of the bracket, with the same arrangement for third-ranked France and fourth-ranked England.
For the first time in World Cup history, the top four seeds cannot meet until the semifinals if they advance as expected.
The 2026 World Cup draw will take place Dec. 5 in Washington, with the updated match schedule, including stadiums and kickoff times, set to be released Dec. 6.
Hosts Canada, Mexico and the United States are in Pot 1, along with Spain, Argentina, France, England, Brazil, Portugal, the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany.
Pot 2 includes Croatia, Morocco, Colombia, Uruguay, Switzerland, Japan, Senegal, Iran, South Korea, Ecuador, Austria and Australia.
Pot 3 will feature Norway, Panama, Egypt, Algeria, Scotland, Paraguay, Tunisia, Ivory Coast, Uzbekistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and South Africa.
Pot 4 contains Jordan, Cape Verde, Ghana, Curaçao, Haiti, New Zealand, and the winners from the European Play-Offs A, B, C and D, plus the FIFA Play-Off tournament 1 and 2.
Confederation constraints will apply, with no group containing more than one team from the same region except UEFA, which has 16 representatives and can place up to two teams in a group.
The tournament in the United States, Mexico and Canada kicks off June 11, with the final scheduled for July 19 in New Jersey.
