Washington, Dec 06 (V7N) - The landscape of the 2026 FIFA World Cup became clear following the official draw ceremony held at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. The event finalized the 12 groups for what will be the largest World Cup in history, featuring 48 teams and a total pool of 64 nations when playoff contenders are included. Football fans around the world, including millions in Bangladesh, closely followed the draw with heightened anticipation over the potential group-stage opponents for Brazil and Argentina.

Out of the 48 participating teams, 42 have already secured direct qualification, including Brazil and Argentina. As the draw concluded, competing nations immediately began assessing their paths to football’s most coveted trophy. The World Cup will kick off on June 11 in Mexico City with hosts Mexico facing South Africa. Host nations Mexico, Canada, and the United States were pre-assigned to their respective groups before the draw began.

Five-time champions Brazil were the first team drawn once the main segment of the ceremony started. They were placed in Group C and will open their campaign on June 13 against Morocco, last tournament’s semifinalists. Haiti and Scotland complete the group.

Defending champions Argentina were placed in Group J, joining Algeria, Austria, and Jordan. Argentina will play their opening match on June 16 against Algeria.

Full group allocations for the 2026 FIFA World Cup are as follows:

Group A: Mexico, South Africa, South Korea, Playoff D winner (Denmark/Czech Republic/Ireland/North Macedonia)
Group B: Canada, Playoff A winner (Italy/Wales/Bosnia/Northern Ireland), Qatar, Switzerland
Group C: Brazil, Morocco, Haiti, Scotland
Group D: United States, Paraguay, Australia, Playoff C winner (Turkey/Slovakia/Kosovo/Romania)
Group E: Germany, Curaçao, Ivory Coast, Ecuador
Group F: Netherlands, Japan, Playoff B winner (Ukraine/Poland/Albania/Sweden), Tunisia
Group G: Belgium, Egypt, Iran, New Zealand
Group H: Spain, Cape Verde, Uruguay, Saudi Arabia
Group I: France, Senegal, Playoff 2 winner (Iraq/Bolivia/Suriname), Norway
Group J: Argentina, Algeria, Austria, Jordan
Group K: Portugal, Uzbekistan, Colombia, Playoff 1 winner (DR Congo/Jamaica/New Caledonia)
Group L: England, Croatia, Ghana, Panama

With fixtures now confirmed, national teams, analysts, and supporters across the globe are preparing for a historic edition of the tournament, jointly hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico. The expanded competition format and diverse group combinations are expected to produce one of the most competitive and globally engaging World Cups to date.

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