FIFA has decided. The six play-off players (four European and two intercontinental) who will complete the cast for the 2026 World Cup next March will appear in pot 4 for the draw for the competition, which will be carried out on Friday December 5 in Washington. The other qualified nations will be distributed according to their FIFA ranking, with the exception of the United States, Mexico and Canada, who will be in Pot 1 as host countries.
The hats and the roadblocks
- Hat 1: Canada, Mexico, United States, Spain, Argentina, France, England, Brazil, Portugal, Netherlands, Belgium, Germany.
- Hat 2: Croatia, Morocco, Colombia, Uruguay, Switzerland, Japan, Senegal, Iran, South Korea, Ecuador, Austria, Australia.
- Hat 3: Norway, Panama, Egypt, Algeria, Scotland, Paraguay, Tunisia, Ivory Coast, Uzbekistan, Qatar, South Africa.
- Hat 4: Jordan, Cape Verde, Ghana, Curaçao, Haiti, New Zealand, four European roadblockers, two intercontinental roadblockers.
- Dam operators: Italy, Northern Ireland, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Wales, Ukraine, Sweden, Poland, Albania, Turkey, Romania, Slovakia, Kosovo, Denmark, North Macedonia, Czech Republic, Ireland, New Caledonia, Jamaica, Democratic Republic of Congo, Bolivia, Suriname, Iraq.
This therefore allows us to see things more clearly and to project what the best and worst possible draws could be for the main favorites. Argentina, title holder, potentially has some worries to worry about. As a South American team, they will not be able to face another selection from CONMEBOL in the first round. And it will necessarily inherit at least one European opponent (two maximum) since there will be a UEFA nation in each group.
A group of death for Argentina?
A disaster scenario could therefore place the Albiceleste with Morocco, Norway and Italy. Semi-finalists of the 2022 edition, the Atlas Lions will undoubtedly be the most formidable African representatives. In hat 3, Erling Haaland’s teammates will also do everyone after their impressive playoff campaign. And the Nazionale will clearly act as the scarecrow of hat 4 if it wins its ticket in the play-offs.
But Lionel Messi’s teammates could just as easily come up against less tough teams. In the best case scenario, their only European opponent could be the worst UEFA barrier, namely Kosovo. In hats 2 and 3, the 2022 world champions could fall on nations largely within their reach such as Australia or Iran, and South Africa or Uzbekistan. Qualifying for the round of 16 would then be a formality.
What draw for Argentina?
- Worst draw: Argentina, Morocco, Norway, Italy
The best draw: Argentina, Australia, South Africa, Kosovo
UEFA play-off
