Pre-tournament favourites
The 2026 FIFA World Cup runs from June 11 to July 19, 2026, hosted across 16 cities in the United States, Canada and Mexico. It is the first 48-team edition, with 104 matches in total. This guide is written in a clear directory format so you can find every fact — dates, groups, venues and teams — in one organised place. Based on seeding and FIFA rankings entering the tournament, the most-fancied sides include:
- Spain — Top-ranked side entering the tournament and reigning European champions.
- Argentina — Defending world champions, seeded second.
- France — Seeded third; runners-up in 2022.
- England — Seeded fourth; strong qualifying campaign.
- Brazil — Perennial contenders drawn in Group C.
- Germany — Returned to form late in qualifying.
Format note that shapes the draw
FIFA created two semi-final pathways so the top-ranked sides cannot meet before the final if they win their groups — for example Spain and Argentina sit on opposite paths, as do France and England.
Groups for reference
| Group | Teams |
|---|---|
| Group A | Mexico, South Africa, South Korea, Czechia |
| Group B | Canada, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Qatar, Switzerland |
| Group C | Brazil, Morocco, Haiti, Scotland |
| Group D | United States, Paraguay, Australia, Türkiye |
| Group E | Germany, Curacao, Ivory Coast, Ecuador |
| Group F | Netherlands, Japan, Sweden, Tunisia |
| Group G | Belgium, Egypt, Iran, New Zealand |
| Group H | Spain, Cape Verde, Saudi Arabia, Uruguay |
| Group I | France, Senegal, Iraq, Norway |
| Group J | Argentina, Algeria, Austria, Jordan |
| Group K | Portugal, Congo DR, Uzbekistan, Colombia |
| Group L | England, Croatia, Ghana, Panama |