World Cup 2026: this is how the groups were left
Behind him 2026 World Cup drawwhich will begin on June 11 and will end on July 19, those classified met their rivals and their path in the great international soccer tournament.
This edition, which will be the first with the participation of 48 teams, will have 12 groups of 4 teams. The first two will advance to the 16th. final, along with the 8 best third parties.
This is how the groups of the 2026 World Cup were
GROUP A
La Tri is another of the organizers. It will be their 18th World Cup (not missing since Italy 1990) and the big objective will be to overcome the barrier of quarterfinals.
The South Africans will play in their fourth World Cup, the first since the one they organized in 2010. They never reached the second round.
A regular at the competition, with 11 consecutive classifications -12 in total-. He is excited to match what he did at home in 2002, when he reached the semifinals.
The Czech team gave the surprise and eliminated Denmark in the playoffs after beating them on penalties. They return to a World Cup after 20 years and will play their second Cup as the Czech Republic. Like Czechoslovakia, they were runners-up twice (1934 and 1962).
GROUP B
Canada is the third host in this World Cup with a “record” number of hosts. He will have his third participation, the second in a row. Seek to overcome the first phase for the first time.
The Bosnian team struck the blow in the Qualifiers and eliminated Italy, which was left without the World Cup for the third consecutive time. He beat them on penalties in the playoff final and will play in his second World Cup after Brazil 2014.
The hosts of the last World Cup and current Asian champions will play in their second World Cup. Four years ago, they were eliminated in the first phase.
The Swiss team will compete in its sixth consecutive World Cup, the 13th in history. Their best campaigns were the quarterfinals in 1934, 1938 and 1954.
GROUP C
Carlo Ancelotti’s team has had years of irregularity but will be in the World Cup as the top seed. It remains the only team that has played in all the World Cups in history and is the one that has won the most: five.
The Moroccan team was the first from Africa to qualify. It will be his seventh performance in a World Cup. It comes from achieving the best campaign in the history of the continent, when in Qatar 2022 it reached the semifinals.
The Caribbean team surprised Costa Rica and Honduras and will play in its second World Cup, after West Germany 1974.
The Scottish team made history and will return to the World Cup after 28 years. In his ninth participation, he will try to overcome the initial phase for the first time.
GROUP D
One of the host countries that dreams of being the protagonist. It will be his 12th participation and he will seek to surpass what was done when he organized the tournament in 1994 and reached the round of 16. Their best performance was in the first edition, in which they reached the semifinals
La Albirroja returns after an absence of 16 years, since its last participation had been in 2010, the year of its best campaign, when it reached the quarterfinals. This will be his ninth Cup.
The Australian team will compete in its seventh World Cup, the sixth in a row. He has just reached the round of 16 in Qatar 2022, his best performance tied with Germany 2006.
The Turkish team qualified through the European playoffs, after beating Romania and Kosovo. The team of Arda Güler and Kenan Yildiz will compete in their third World Cup, the first since Korea-Japan 2002.
GROUP E
The four-time world champion team, which is coming off two consecutive eliminations in the first phase after winning the title in Brazil 2014, will seek to be the protagonist again in its 21st World Cup (not missing since Brazil 1950.
Another newcomer and, perhaps, the big surprise on this list. It will be the smallest country to compete in a World Cup, after its historic campaign in the Concacaf Qualifiers.
The Ivorian team, current African champion, returns to the World Cup after being absent in 2018 and 2022. They played in three other Cups and always said goodbye in the first round.
La Tri was one of the best in the South American Qualifiers and wants to surpass its best performance, that of the round of 16 in Germany 2006. It will be its fifth participation since its debut in 2002.
GROUP F
La Naranja qualified without major problems and will compete in the World Cup for the 12th time. He dreams of his first title, after achieving three runners-up finishes.
The Japanese team managed, for the fourth time, to be the first to qualify for the Qualifiers. They will compete in the World Cup for the eighth consecutive time since their debut in 1998 and are looking to get past the round of 16 for the first time.
The Swedish team left behind a terrible group stage of the Qualifiers and qualified in the play-offs, after beating Romania and Poland. He will compete in his 13th World Cup and his best performance was the runner-up finish in 1958.
The Tunisian team will have the 7th. participation of his story and the third in a row. You want to get past the initial round for the first time.
GROUP G
Once again, the Belgian team will be seeded. He will compete in his 15th World Cup, the fourth in a row. Dream of repeating or surpassing third place in Russia 2018.
Mohamed Salah’s team will play its fourth World Cup in history and returns after being absent in Qatar 2022. It never made it past the first round.
The Iranian team will be participating for the seventh time and the fourth in a row. It seeks to overcome the first phase for the first time in its history.
The New Zealanders easily won the only ticket to Oceania and will compete in their third World Cup, after those in 1982 and 2010.
GROUP H
La Roja, first in the FIFA ranking, arrives as a great candidate. Current European champion, he has played in every World Cup since 1974 and dreams of the second title in his history after the one he won in South Africa 2010.
The Blue Sharks will play in the World Cup for the first time. They made great history in the African Qualifiers and left behind a giant like Cameroon.
The Saudi team, which in Qatar 2022 amazed the world by beating the future champion Argentina in the debut, will play in its seventh World Cup. Since his debut in the USA in 1994 (his best campaign, he reached the round of 16), he has only been missing twice, 2010 and 2014.
La Celeste will compete in its fifth consecutive World Cup, the 17th in its glorious history. He has two titles: 1930 and 1950. His last time in the semifinals was in South Africa 2010
GROUP I
The last world runner-up and champion in 2018 has not missed a World Cup since 1994 and in 2026 he will go in search of his third title.
Sadio Mané’s team will play in its fourth World Cup, the third in a row. He made history in 2002, when he reached the quarterfinals in his presentation.
The Iraqi team defeated Bolivia in the playoffs and qualified for the World Cup for the second time in its history, after having played in Mexico 1986.
Haaland’s team is playing in the World Cup again after 28 years, since its last one was in France 1998. It left Italy in second place in the Qualifiers and will seek to overcome the round of 16, where it reached in 1998. It will be its fourth World Cup.
GROUP J
The current world champion and two-time American champion qualified after finishing first in the South American Qualifiers by a wide margin. It will be his 19th participation, not missing since 1970 and he will be looking for his fourth star.
The North African team will compete in its fifth World Cup. His best performance was in Brazil 2014, when he was eliminated in the round of 16 against Germany.
The Austrian team returns to a World Cup after a 28-year absence. 2026 will be his eighth Cup and his best campaign was in 1954, when he finished in third place.
Jordan will be another of the debutants in the 2026 World Cup. They achieved direct qualification in Asia.
GROUP K
The Portuguese team, with Cristiano Ronaldo, will have its 9th participation in a World Cup, the 7th in a row. His best performance was in England 1966 and Germany 2006, when he reached the semifinals. Dream of your first title
The African team beat Jamaica in a disputed match that was resolved in extra time and qualified for the World Cup for the second time in its history, after Mexico 1970, when it played under the name of Zaire. Group K will compete with Colombia, Portugal and Uzbekistan.
The Uzbek team was the first debutant to secure its place in the 2026 World Cup. It qualified as one of the best in Asia and will have its first experience.
The Tricolor returns to the World Cup after its absence in Qatar 2022. This will be its seventh participation and dreams of surpassing the quarterfinals of Brazil 2014.
GROUP L
The first assured qualifier in Europe will go in search of its second world title, after the one it won at home in 1966. La Rubia Albion will compete in its 17th World Cup and has not been absent since the USA 1994.
The Croatian team, third in the 2022 World Cup, will play in its seventh World Cup (since its debut in France 1998, it only missed South Africa 2010). His best performance was runner-up in Russia 2018 and on two other occasions (1998 and 2022) he was third.
The Ghanaian team will experience its 5th participation in the World Cup. Their best campaign was in 2010, when they reached the quarterfinals.
The Canalero team will play its second World Cup, since it had debuted in Russia 2018, when it did not pass the first phase.
The 2026 World Cup format: this is how it is played
Those selected will be divided into 12 groups of four each and they will face each other against all. The first and second will be placed in the 16th. and the eight best third parties will also access the next round. In summary: 32 will qualify and only 16 will be eliminated.
From there, There will be four “mata-mata” until the grand final on July 19. A total of 104 matches will be played in 38 days.
It will be the third time that Mexico organizes a World Cup and in both 1970 and 1986, the champion was a South American. In this case, the Azteca stadium will not be the venue for the final, but it will be the venue for the opening match.
The decisive clash will be played in the MetLife Stadium in New Jerseyone of the 11 stadiums that the United States will present. Canada, for its part, will have matches in Toronto and Vancouver.
