FIFA Unveils Groups for 2026 World Cup in Washington Ceremony

The groups for the highly anticipated 2026 FIFA World Cup were announced during a ceremony at the Kennedy Center in Washington on March 14, 2024. This tournament will feature a record 48 teams, including first-time participants Cape Verde, Jordan, Uzbekistan, and Curacao. The event will kick off in Mexico City on June 11, 2026, and culminate on July 19, 2026, across 16 venues in the United States, Mexico, and Canada.

The ceremony detailed all 12 groups but withheld the complete match calendar until March 16, 2024. This additional time will allow for logistical arrangements, ensuring that European teams are scheduled in time slots that cater to their home audiences. Six teams are still to be determined, with final qualifications set for March 2026, including four spots to be filled through UEFA playoffs and two through the FIFA Playoff Tournament.

Group Breakdown

The draw revealed the following group pairings:

– **Group A**: Mexico, South Africa, South Korea, UEFA Play-off D
– **Group B**: Canada, Qatar, Switzerland, UEFA Play-off A
– **Group C**: Brazil, Morocco, Scotland, Haiti
– **Group D**: USA, Paraguay, Australia, UEFA Play-off C
– **Group E**: Germany, Ivory Coast, Ecuador, Curacao
– **Group F**: Netherlands, Japan, Tunisia, UEFA Play-off B
– **Group G**: Belgium, Egypt, Iran, New Zealand
– **Group H**: Spain, Saudi Arabia, Uruguay, Cape Verde
– **Group I**: France, Senegal, Norway, FIFA Play-off 2
– **Group J**: Argentina, Algeria, Austria, Jordan
– **Group K**: Portugal, Uzbekistan, Colombia, FIFA Play-off 1
– **Group L**: England, Croatia, Panama, Ghana

The playoff paths for the teams competing for the final slots are as follows:

– **UEFA Play-off A**: Italy, Wales, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Northern Ireland
– **UEFA Play-off B**: Ukraine, Poland, Albania, Sweden
– **UEFA Play-off C**: Turkey, Slovakia, Kosovo, Romania
– **UEFA Play-off D**: Denmark, Czech Republic, Republic of Ireland, North Macedonia
– **FIFA Play-off 1**: DR Congo, Jamaica, New Caledonia
– **FIFA Play-off 2**: Iraq, Bolivia, Suriname

Record Attendance and Ticket Sales

This World Cup is expected to surpass the record of 3.59 million attendees set in 1994. Matches will be held in 11 NFL stadiums in the United States, with three venues in Mexico and two in Canada. Notably, BMO Field in Toronto is undergoing construction to increase its capacity by adding 17,000 temporary seats.

FIFA has announced initial ticket prices ranging from $60 to $6,370 (€51 to €5,473), with a dynamic pricing model in place. The organization also plans to sell parking passes for up to $175 (€150) for select matches, including a semifinal in Arlington, Texas. A request for comment from FIFA President Gianni Infantino regarding ticket pricing went unanswered.

Former Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger expressed optimism about the tournament, highlighting that qualification requires overcoming strong competition from each confederation. “The teams are not there by coincidence,” Wenger stated.

As for favorites, the host nation, the United States, has a projected 0.9% chance of winning, with Spain leading the forecast at 17%, followed by France at 14.1% and England at 11.8%. Additionally, Argentina, led by captain Lionel Messi, aims to become the first team to win consecutive World Cups, seeking to add to its record of 26 matches played, with Messi currently at 13 career World Cup goals, just three shy of the all-time record held by Miroslav Klose.

The excitement surrounding the 2026 World Cup continues to build, with teams and fans eagerly anticipating this historic event.