England will kick off their 2026 FIFA World Cup campaign against Croatia, while Scotland face a challenging group that includes five-time champions Brazil when the tournament begins next summer.
Thomas Tuchel’s England side open Group L action on June 17, with the fixture set for either Dallas or Toronto. Ghana and Panama complete the group, offering England a mix of experience and rising talent to navigate in their opening matches.
For Scotland, the tournament marks a return to the men’s World Cup stage after a 28-year absence. The Scots begin against Haiti on June 13 in Boston or New York, followed by clashes with Morocco and Brazil in Group C—a daunting test for the debutants.
Group B may feature Wales or Northern Ireland alongside Canada, Qatar, and Switzerland, contingent on UEFA play-off results in March. Meanwhile, a qualifying Republic of Ireland team would be drawn with Mexico, South Africa, and South Korea.
The 2026 edition, the first to feature 48 teams, will run from June 11 to July 19 across Canada, Mexico, and the United States. A separate fixture-allocation draw, scheduled for 17:00 GMT on Saturday, will finalise venues and match timings, though some details are already confirmed.
Mexico is slated to host South Africa in the tournament opener at the iconic Estadio Azteca, with the expanded competition featuring 104 matches across 16 host cities.
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In a significant tweak to the format, the four highest-ranked teams in the FIFA standings—Spain, Argentina, France and England—have been granted protected seedings. This ensures they cannot meet one another until the semi-final stage, provided they all top their groups.
England, perfect in qualifying with eight wins from eight, could face the winners of Brazil’s group in the quarter-finals. Winning their group would also set them up against one of the tournament’s eight best-performing third-placed teams in the first knockout round.
Scotland, drawn from pot three, face a formidable task: to progress they must contend with the world’s fifth-ranked team Brazil and 11th-ranked Morocco as they chase a place in the last 16 for the first time since 1998.
World Cup 2026 draw in full:
Group A: Mexico, South Africa, South Korea, Winner of Uefa play-off D
Group B: Canada, Winner of Uefa play-off A*, Qatar, Switzerland
Group C: Brazil, Morocco, Haiti, Scotland
Group D: USA, Paraguay, Australia, Winner of Uefa play-off C*
Group E: Germany, Curacao, Ivory Coast, Ecuador
Group F: Netherlands, Japan, Winner of Uefa play-off B*, Tunisia
Group G: Belgium, Egypt, Iran, New Zealand
Group H: Spain, Cape Verde, Saudi Arabia, Uruguay
Group I: France, Senegal, Winner of FIFA play-off 2, Norway
Group J: Argentina, Algeria, Austria, Jordan
Group K: Portugal, Winner of FIFA play-off 1, Uzbekistan, Colombia
Group L: England, Croatia, Ghana, Panama
Uefa play-off A: Italy, Wales, Bosnia-Herzegovina or Northern Ireland
Uefa play-off B: Ukraine, Poland, Albania or Sweden
Uefa play-off C: Turkey, Slovakia, Kosovo or Romania
Uefa play-off D: Denmark, Czech Republic, Republic of Ireland or North Macedonia
Fifa play-off 1: DR Congo, Jamaica or New Caledonia
Fifa play-off 2: Iraq, Bolivia or Suriname
