The casting for the 2026 World Cup is finally starting to take shape. Before the last day of the qualifiers in the Europe zone, Tuesday, 34 of the 48 participants are known. The French team can therefore already look forward to its potential opponents next summer (from June 11 to July 19), in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
The Blues have only one certainty before the draw, which will be made on December 5 in Washington: they will be seeded. With them in hat 1 are the three co-hosts as well as Spain, who should validate their ticket this evening, Argentina, England, Brazil, Portugal, the Netherlands, Belgium, also on the verge of qualifying, and Germany.
So many teams that Didier Deschamps’ players will not face in the first round of the competition. But their start to the World Cup could still be tough because strong nations make up hat 2 such as Croatia, Morocco and Italy, if they get out of the play-offs in March. Colombia and Uruguay would not be easy to maneuver either.
The Blues with Morocco and Norway?
In hat 3, Kylian Mbappé’s teammates can cross their fingers not to fall on Turkey or, worse, Norway. Several African nations such as Egypt, Algeria, Tunisia and Ivory Coast could also clash with the Blues, while the selections from hat 4 do not seem to represent a big threat.
Potential hats for the 2026 World Cup
- Hat 1: Mexico, United States, Canada, Spain, Argentina, France, England, Brazil, Portugal, Netherlands, Belgium, Germany.
- Hat 2: Croatia, Morocco, Italy, Colombia, Uruguay, Switzerland, Senegal, Japan, Denmark, Iran, South Korea, Austria.
- Hat 3: Ecuador, Australia, Turkey, Ukraine, Norway, Panama, Poland, Egypt, Algeria, Paraguay, Tunisia, Ivory Coast.
- Hat 4: Qatar, Uzbekistan, DR Congo, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, South Africa, Jordan, Cape Verde, Jamaica, Ghana, Haiti, New Zealand.
The worst and best draws for the French team
- Worst potential draw: France, Morocco, Norway, DR Congo.
- Best potential draw: France, Iran, Panama, New Zealand.
