England will launch their 2026 World Cup journey against Croatia, while Scotland have been handed a daunting draw that includes Brazil when the tournament kicks off next summer.
Thomas Tuchel’s England side begin their Group L campaign on 17 June, with their opener set for either Dallas or Toronto. Ghana and Panama complete the group line-up.
For Scotland, the tournament marks their first appearance at a men’s World Cup in 28 years. They start against Haiti on 13 June in either Boston or New York, before taking on Morocco and then five-time champions Brazil in Group C.
In Group B, Wales or Northern Ireland could find themselves alongside Canada, Qatar and Switzerland—provided either nation successfully navigates two rounds of UEFA play-offs in March. The Republic of Ireland, should they qualify, would be placed with Mexico, South Africa and South Korea.
The 2026 edition—the first ever featuring 48 teams—will be staged across Canada, Mexico and the United States from 11 June to 19 July. A separate fixture-allocation draw, scheduled for 17:00 GMT on Saturday, will confirm venues and match timings, though a few details are already settled.
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Mexico are set to face South Africa at the Estadio Azteca in the opening match of the expanded competition, which will comprise 104 games across 16 host cities.
In a significant tweak to the format, the four highest-ranked teams in the FIFA standings—Spain, Argentina, France and England—have been granted protected seedings. This ensures they cannot meet one another until the semi-final stage, provided they all top their groups.
England, perfect in qualifying with eight wins from eight, could face the winners of Brazil’s group in the quarter-finals. Winning their group would also set them up against one of the tournament’s eight best-performing third-placed teams in the first knockout round.
Scotland, drawn from pot three, face a formidable task: to progress they must contend with the world’s fifth-ranked team Brazil and 11th-ranked Morocco as they chase a place in the last 16 for the first time since 1998.
World Cup 2026 draw in full:
Group A: Mexico, South Africa, South Korea, Winner of Uefa play-off D
Group B: Canada, Winner of Uefa play-off A*, Qatar, Switzerland
Group C: Brazil, Morocco, Haiti, Scotland
Group D: USA, Paraguay, Australia, Winner of Uefa play-off C*
Group E: Germany, Curacao, Ivory Coast, Ecuador
Group F: Netherlands, Japan, Winner of Uefa play-off B*, Tunisia
Group G: Belgium, Egypt, Iran, New Zealand
Group H: Spain, Cape Verde, Saudi Arabia, Uruguay
Group I: France, Senegal, Winner of FIFA play-off 2, Norway
Group J: Argentina, Algeria, Austria, Jordan
Group K: Portugal, Winner of FIFA play-off 1, Uzbekistan, Colombia
Group L: England, Croatia, Ghana, Panama
Uefa play-off A: Italy, Wales, Bosnia-Herzegovina or Northern Ireland
Uefa play-off B: Ukraine, Poland, Albania or Sweden
Uefa play-off C: Turkey, Slovakia, Kosovo or Romania
Uefa play-off D: Denmark, Czech Republic, Republic of Ireland or North Macedonia
Fifa play-off 1: DR Congo, Jamaica or New Caledonia
Fifa play-off 2: Iraq, Bolivia or Suriname