The defending champions Argentina along with top teams Spain and England have benefitted as they got favourable draws for the 2026 World Cup in a dashing ceremony on Friday, December 5. The highlight of the event was US President Donald Trump who received an inaugural peace award. The official countdown of the event has begin from the showcase in Washington D.C. and with 48 teams participating in the event.
Argentina star Lionel Messi will also be seen in action as the team will be looking to defend their title. Argentina’s first match is against Algeria and then Australia followed by newcomers Jordan in Group J. The European team Spain is considered to be favourites as they start their campaign against debutant Cape Verde before playing against Uruguay and Saudi Arabia.
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Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal will be meeting Uzbekistan, Colombia and a playoff winner. The co-host of the event United States are placed in Group D with Paraguay, Australia and the winner of European playoff.
England will be led by Thomas Tuchel and they also have received a comparatively easy opponent – Croatia, Ghana and Panama in Group L. France, the two-time champions are in a very challenging Group I where they will be playing against Senegal and Norway.
In the other groups, Mexico will be against South Africa, Brazil will be against Morocco alongside Scotland and Haiti in Group C. Germany will go up against Ivory Coast, Ecuador and Curacao in Group E.
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The FIFA World Cup 2026 will be played across three venues – the United States, Mexico and Canada from June 11 to July 19. The World Cup draw event gathered huge attention and it was attended by US President Donald Trump, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum. Sports legends such as Tom Brady, Wayne Gretzky and Shaquille O’Neal helped conduct the draw.
There are six spots that still remain empty and it will be decided on the basis of March playoffs. This is due to some logistical complexity and the exact location of these matches are still not known.
