The 2026 FIFA World Cup, jointly hosted by Mexico, the United States, and Canada, will kick off on June 11 with an opening match between Mexico and South Africa at the historic Azteca Stadium — the venue of the 1970 and 1986 finals. Following the opener, South Korea will face a playoff winner.
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South Africa make their first World Cup appearance since 2010, when they drew with Mexico in the opening game but failed to progress to the knockout stage. The following day, fellow hosts the United States and Canada will begin their campaigns against Paraguay and a playoff winner — potentially Italy — in Los Angeles and Toronto respectively.
Defending champions Argentina have been drawn with Algeria, Austria, and Jordan, while five-time winners Brazil will play Morocco, Haiti, and Scotland. Scotland returns to the World Cup finals for the first time since 1998. France opens against Senegal, in a repeat of their 2002 group-stage upset. England faces Croatia, who eliminated them in the 2018 semi-finals, and also take on Panama.
FIFA has introduced a new seeding system ensuring that the current top four teams — Spain, Argentina, France, and England — cannot meet before the semi-finals if they top their groups. The 48 qualified teams, including six playoff winners yet to be decided, are divided into 12 groups of four. The tournament will feature 104 matches across 16 cities in the three host nations, culminating in the final on July 19 in New Jersey.
Venues and kickoff times for all matches will be announced in a follow-up event on Saturday, with potential adjustments in March once the remaining playoff spots are finalized.
2026 FIFA World Cup Group Stage Draw:
Group A: Mexico, South Africa, South Korea, European Playoff D
Group B: Canada, European Playoff A, Qatar, Switzerland
Group C: Brazil, Morocco, Haiti, Scotland
Group D: United States, Paraguay, Australia, European Playoff C
Group E: Germany, Curacao, Ivory Coast, Ecuador
Group F: Netherlands, Japan, European Playoff B, Tunisia
Group G: Belgium, Egypt, Iran, New Zealand
Group H: Spain, Cape Verde, Saudi Arabia, Uruguay
Group I: France, Senegal, FIFA Playoff 2, Norway
Group J: Argentina, Algeria, Austria, Jordan
Group K: Portugal, FIFA Playoff 1, Uzbekistan, Colombia
Group L: England, Croatia, Ghana, Panama
The stage is set for a historic World Cup, with host nations opening the tournament and iconic teams ready for high-stakes clashes across North America.
