The U.S. men’s soccer team looks set to avoid a number of the sport’s titans in the opening round of 2026’s World Cup.
FIFA, world soccer’s governing body, has put out the four pots, each containing 12 teams, from which the opening-round groups in the tournament will be selected at Dec. 5’s World Cup draw at Washington, D.C.’s John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, according to FIFA’s website.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThe United States, Mexico and Canada, which will host the June 11-to-July 19, 2026, tournament, are in pot one. Whatever its opening group, the U.S. team's won't include top-ranked Argentina, Belgium, Brazil, England, France, Germany, Portugal, the Netherlands, and Spain (all are also in pot one), according to the description of the pots and the draw on FIFA's website and news reports.
More FIFA: When is FIFA Men's World Cup in the U.S., Mexico and Canada?
Each group created at the Dec. 5 draw will have four teams. The groups will be labeled A through L. In the World Cup’s first stage, each team in a group plays the others in the group to decide which advance to the next stage.
But it doesn’t mean the opening round, called the group stage, will necessarily be easy for the U.S. — certain matchups could prove arduous if a group is stacked with tough opponents. Among the potent teams in the other pots are Colombia, Croatia, Morocco, Uruguay, the U.S.'s old cup rival Ghana, Ecuador, Norway, and the range of scenarios, any of which could make for a challenging path.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementCroatia, Morocco and Colombia were higher in FIFA's rankings of national teams than the U.S. as of Nov. 26, 2025.
Forty-two of the 48 teams have qualified for the World Cup. March 2026 playoffs will determine the remaining six, with among the contenders Italy, Sweden and Denmark. Italy, for instance, has won the cup four times.
This photograph shows the 2026 FIFA World Cup trophy following the 2026 FIFA World Cup European Play-Off draw at the FIFA's Home of Football in Zurich on November 20, 2025. (Photo by Fabrice COFFRINI / AFP) (Photo by FABRICE COFFRINI/AFP via Getty Images)What are the FIFA World Cup draw pots?
Here are the pots from which the opening-stage groups will be selected, according to FIFA:
Pot one: Canada, Mexico, United States, Spain, Argentina, France, England, Brazil, Portugal, Netherlands, Belgium, Germany.
Pot two: Croatia, Morocco, Colombia, Uruguay, Switzerland, Japan, Senegal, IR Iran, Korea Republic, Ecuador, Austria, Australia.
Pot three: Norway, Panama, Egypt, Algeria, Scotland, Paraguay, Tunisia, Côte d’Ivoire, Uzbekistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, South Africa.
Pot four: Jordan, Cabo Verde, Ghana, Curaçao, Haiti, New Zealand, and teams to be determined from the March 2026 playoffs.
USA TODAY reported that Fox Sports will air the Dec. 5 World Cup draw, with coverage starting at 11:30 a.m. The draw is expected to take place anytime between noon and 2 p.m.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThis article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: World Cup draw pots set by FIFA. Which teams will US avoid in round 1?
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