A new step towards the 2026 World Cup. A little less than a month after its qualification, the French team is preparing to discover its future opponents during the draw. This takes place at 6 p.m. (French time) in Washington this Friday and will be hosted by personalities such as Gianni Infantino, the president of FIFA, but also Donald Trump, the American president, in addition to world-renowned artists like Village People, a legendary New York group. Didier Deschamps will not need to put on his best Indian, policeman or construction site manager disguise, his timeless midnight blue suit will do the trick.
The coach is not there to dance on YMCA but to schedule his last competition before giving up his apron after 14 years of reign. France has the chance to enter hat 1, that of the 12 best nations, and even has a privileged top seed status thanks to its FIFA ranking (3rd), in the same way as Spain, Argentina and England. This World Cup, organized jointly in Mexico, Canada and the United States (June 11-July 19, 2026), is unprecedented in its number of participants. It is already the first to have 48 teams, divided into 12 groups (4 nations per group). The first two from each group will qualify for the round of 16, as well as the 8 best 3rd.
France with a European roadblock?
Another rule, all participants must come from different confederations, except for UEFA which could field two members in the same group. This data is important for the draw and could concern the Blues, since the winners of the European play-offs are included in pot number 4, regardless of their FIFA ranking. Concretely, this could give rise to a France-Italy from the group stage, if the Squadra Azzurra takes out Northern Ireland then the winner of Wales – Bosnia-Herzegovina during the international break in March. Also sent to play-offs, Denmark, Poland, Turkey and even Sweden are applying for the worst-case scenario.
The famous group of death would take shape by adding Morocco or Senegal from hat 2, or a South American team like Colombia or Ecuador, which is on the rise with its very good generation. In the 3rd hat, Norway is probably a scarecrow to absolutely avoid but African nations like Algeria, Egypt and Ivory Coast look like difficult opponents to face. Finally in hat 4, there are of course the European teams mentioned above only, watch out for Ghana or the astonishing Cape Verde, or even other play-offs like the Democratic Republic of Congo, or even Bolivia.
Australia, probably the least tough opponent in the 2nd hat
There is the tails side, and also the tails side, that of the draw most favorable to the men of Didier Deschamps and his legendary feline. France could inherit a weak team on paper from the 2nd hat like Australia. In the third hat, Qatar seems to be the least well-armed team, even if South Africa is not in great shape either. Finally in the 4th hat, there is the embarrassment of choice between nations already qualified (Curaçao, Haiti, New Zealand) and those which can still validate their ticket by going through the dams like New Caledonia or Suriname, very far in the FIFA rankings (149 and 123rd respectively).
The worst scenario for France:
France, Ecuador, Norway, Ghana or France, Colombia, Algeria, Italy
The best scenario for France:
France, Australia, South Africa, Haiti
The hats for the 2026 World Cup draw:
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, Republic of 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, winners of European play-offs A, B, C and D, winners of FIFA Play-off Tournament 1 and 2
