The draw for the group stage of the 2026 World Cup was held this Friday (5), at the Kennedy Center, in Washington, officially defining the 12 groups of the edition that will mark the debut of the format with 48 teams.
The teams were divided into four pots, each with 12 participants. The three host countries — the United States, Canada, and Mexico — were placed in Pot 1 alongside the highest-ranked teams, while the remaining teams were distributed into the intermediate pots. Each group received one team from each pot, maintaining the logic of sporting parity.
The draw and the new structure of the World Cup
With the new format, the World Cup will have 12 groups of four teams each. Only the top two teams from each group advance automatically, while a group of third-placed teams will also progress, increasing competitiveness from the initial stages. This expansion makes the draw even more crucial for the teams’ paths, especially for those that end up in more balanced groups.
Group I: favorite to be the “group of death”
Among all the groups defined, Group I quickly stood out as the most challenging. The presence of the French national team, one of the strongest in the world, alongside competitive teams such as Senegal and Norway, creates an environment of absolute unpredictability. The high technical level combined with the physical and fast-paced playing style of the opponents reinforces the risk of stumbles even for the favorites.
The group’s configuration brings together tradition, talent, and teams with a recent history of growth, making each match an open contest. It’s the kind of group where no result can be considered a surprise, which fuels its informal classification as the great “group of death” of this World Cup.
What changes for national teams and fans?
With the groups defined, teams and coaching staff begin the crucial planning phase. For those in less balanced groups, the objective will be to secure an advantage right from the first rounds. For those in Group I, the alert is on: every point earned could be decisive for survival in the tournament.
Source: brasil247.com