For the first time in World Cup history, the top four seeded nations will be prevented from meeting each other before the semi-finals, after Fifa confirmed a new pairing system for the 2026 tournament.
Under the format, world number one Spain and second-ranked Argentina will be placed in opposite halves of the draw, while third-seeded France and fourth-seeded England will form the second paired duo.
This guarantees England cannot face Spain or Argentina before the semi-finals—or France until a potential final—provided all four nations win their groups.
The system mirrors seeding rules used at Wimbledon and in the revamped Champions League, designed to protect heavyweight matchups for the latter stages.
The same methodology was applied at the 2024 Club World Cup.
The backdrop to this move is recent knockout clashes among the giants: France eliminated England in the 2022 World Cup quarter-finals, while Spain beat the Three Lions in the Euro 2024 final.
Draw pots confirmed
Fifa has also finalised the four seeding pots ahead of the 5 December draw (17:00 GMT):
- Scotland will be in pot three.
- All six play-off winners—potentially including Wales, Northern Ireland or the Republic of Ireland—will enter pot four.
- First-time qualifiers Uzbekistan join pot three, while fellow debutants Jordan, Cape Verde and Curaçao are in pot four.
How the draw will work
The expanded World Cup will feature 12 groups of four, each containing one team from each pot.
- Pot one will be drawn first.
- Co-hosts Mexico (A1), Canada (B1) and the United States (D1) have fixed positions so they can play all group games at home.
- Once drawn, each team is placed in the first available group in alphabetical order, and a computer ensures the top seeds land in the correct half of the knockout bracket.
- Pots two, three and four follow in order.
In a change from past procedures, teams will no longer be drawn into specific group slots—fixtures will be generated after seeded teams occupy position one in each group.
Confederation restrictions
- No group may contain two teams from the same confederation, except Europe, which has 16 qualifiers and therefore will see four groups include two European teams.
- Inter-confederation play-off winners have limited options:
- Pathway 1 (New Caledonia, Jamaica, DR Congo) cannot join groups containing Concacaf or African teams.
- Pathway 2 (Bolivia, Suriname, Iraq) must avoid groups with South American, Concacaf or Asian sides.
Match order and dates will be known immediately after the draw, but venues and kick-off times will be confirmed on 6 December.
