When is World Cup Draw and Who Could England Face? New 2026 Format Explained
England booked their spot at the 2026 World Cup with two qualifying games to spare after they recorded a convincing 5-0 win over Latvia on Tuesday night.
Thomas Tuchel's side will be one of the favourites to lift football's biggest prize next summer. They've won all six of their qualifying matches in Group K, taking 18 points from a possible 18, and have scored 18 goals in total.
It begs the question. Who can stop England and Harry Kane's right boot at the expanded 48-team tournament in North America?
The Three Lions will discover their group stage opponents when the draw takes place at the Kennedy Center, Washington, on December 5. And for those interested, US President Donald Trump is expected to attend.
Who could England draw at the 2026 World Cup?
England currently sit fourth in FIFA’s world rankings, meaning they will likely be placed into Pot 1 for the draw, giving them a higher likelihood of avoiding stronger teams such as Spain and France.
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Pot 1 will include the three host nations – USA, Canada and Mexico – plus the top nine countries in the FIFA rankings who have qualified. Spain, France, Argentina, Portugal, Brazil, the Netherlands, Belgium and Croatia currently occupy the top nine.
The final update of the rankings will come in November.
So, who else has qualified? Jordan, South Korea, Australia, Iran, Japan and Uzbekistan have already secured their spot from the Asian qualifiers, while Cape Verde, Algeria, Egypt, Morocco and Tunisia have qualified from Africa.
Brazil, Argentina, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay and Uruguay will also feature at next summer's World Cup.
How does the World Cup draw work? What is the new format?
Firstly, the draw. The 48 nations that have qualified will be divided into 12 groups containing four teams each, one from each of four draw pots.
As mentioned above, Pot 1 will feature host nations USA, Canada and Mexico, as well as the nine highest-ranked nations in the FIFA rankings who have qualified. Mexico are in Group A, Canada in Group B and the USA in Group C.
Pots two, three and four will contain the next 12 best-ranked sides in order.
"Adopting 12 groups of four was chosen over the option of 16 groups of three teams, based on a thorough review that took into consideration a number of factors, including team and fan experience, player welfare and sporting integrity," explained FIFA on their website.
"The new format means the team that triumphs in the final on 19 July will have played eight games to be crowned champions, one more than at Qatar 2022, after the inclusion of an additional round of 32 knockout phase."
According to FIFA, the revised format "ensures fair play and that all the teams play a minimum of three matches, while providing balanced rest time between competing teams."
Next summer's World Cup will, of course, expand from 32 teams to 48 teams. The tournament will also add a new knockout round, the Round of 32, which will include the top two teams from each group plus the eight best third-place teams.
In total, the number of total matches will jump from 64 to 104, extending the tournament from 29 days (at 2022 World Cup) to 39 days.
Topics: FIFA World Cup, England
Jack Kenmare