As the FIFA has announced the group stages for the 42 teams which qualified for the FIFA World Cup 2026. But football fans will have to wait a bit more for another amazing Messi vs Mbappe showdown, as this encounter along with the meetings of Argentina, France, Spain, and England will not take place until late in the tournament at the earliest.
The tennis-style bracket system which was used for the FIFA World Cup draw format combined with the draw system sectors the elite teams and facilitates their advancement while keeping them apart till the semis or even the finals.
Which nation will top each group? 🧐@aramco | #FIFAWorldCup pic.twitter.com/aPr4FD2mDB
— FIFA World Cup (@FIFAWorldCup) December 6, 2025
How the draw system works
FIFA 2026 will have a new format and will include 48 teams that will be divided into 12 groups of four teams. The top two teams from each group along with the eight best third-placed teams would move on to the next round. The teams were divided into four pots according to their ranking and certain regulations were in place to avoid two teams from the same region being placed in a group together (some exceptions were made for Europe).
The most important thing was that the four top-ranked teams (Spain, Argentina, France, and England) were allotted different halves of the bracket. Therefore, provided they win their groups and continue to win, the earliest the meeting of the four could occur is in the semifinals or the final.
Why these teams are unlikely to clash before the Semis
The scenario is such that the big four, each of them, is placed in different groups of the draw. This allows them to stay away from each other until the very last moment, and the path is very clear. For instance, there wouldn’t be a face-off between Spain and Argentina, while England and France are located in separate half’s, unless all of them do advance deeper into the knockout rounds.
The main goal of this setup is to secure high-profile confrontations in the last rounds, thus, increasing the probability of playing out spectacular semi-finals or finals with the participation of world elite teams. It is not a sure thing that these teams will reach those rounds, but the draw works in their favour.
