Draw Results Revealed: Brazil Face Scotland, USA Draws Paraguay in Expanded 2026 FIFA World Cup Groups

Photos of the FIFA World Cup draw for the 2026 soccer tournament

Draw Results Revealed: Brazil Face Scotland, USA Draws Paraguay in Expanded 2026 FIFA World Cup Groups

The draw for the expanded 2026 FIFA World Cup concluded late Friday at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C., confirming the group stage matchups for the 48-nation tournament set to be hosted across the United States, Mexico, and Canada.¹ The ceremony, which followed the controversial presentation of the inaugural FIFA Peace Prize to President Donald Trump, determined the path for the 42 currently qualified teams, with six final spots to be decided by playoffs in March 2026.²

Key Groups and Host Nation Matchups

The draw established twelve groups of four, with the top two teams from each group and the eight best third-placed teams advancing to a new Round of 32 knockout stage.³ Among the most notable pairings are the groups for the three host nations and several other traditional powerhouses:

Group C immediately garnered attention, placing five-time champions Brazil alongside the determined Scotland and African powerhouse Morocco.⁴
Group D sees host nation United States drawn with Australia and Paraguay, a manageable assignment for the Americans who will open their tournament campaign against Paraguay.⁵
Group L sets up a rematch of the 2018 World Cup semi-final, with England pitted against Croatia and Panama.⁶
Group A features host Mexico alongside South Korea and South Africa, who will meet Mexico in the tournament’s opening match in Mexico City.⁷
Defending champions Argentina landed in Group J with Austria and Algeria.⁸

Full Group Results (Excluding Playoff Winners)

The groups as drawn, with the final six playoff winners to be placed in the respective groups in March:⁹

Group	Pot 1 (Top Seed)	Pot 2	Pot 3
A	Mexico¹⁰¹¹¹²	South Korea¹³¹⁴¹⁵	South Africa¹⁶¹⁷¹⁸
B¹⁹²⁰²¹	Canada²²²³²⁴	Switzerland²⁵²⁶²⁷	Qatar²⁸²⁹³⁰
C³¹³²³³	Brazil³⁴³⁵³⁶	Morocco³⁷³⁸³⁹	Scotland⁴⁰⁴¹⁴²
D⁴³⁴⁴⁴⁵	USA⁴⁶⁴⁷⁴⁸	Australia⁴⁹⁵⁰⁵¹	Paraguay⁵²⁵³⁵⁴
E⁵⁵⁵⁶⁵⁷	Germany⁵⁸⁵⁹⁶⁰	Ecuador⁶¹⁶²⁶³	Ivory Coast⁶⁴⁶⁵⁶⁶
F⁶⁷⁶⁸⁶⁹	Netherlands⁷⁰⁷¹⁷²	Japan⁷³⁷⁴⁷⁵	Tunisia⁷⁶⁷⁷⁷⁸
G⁷⁹⁸⁰⁸¹	Belgium⁸²⁸³⁸⁴	Iran⁸⁵⁸⁶⁸⁷	Egypt⁸⁸⁸⁹⁹⁰
H⁹¹⁹²⁹³	Spain⁹⁴⁹⁵⁹⁶	Uruguay⁹⁷⁹⁸⁹⁹	Saudi Arabia¹⁰⁰¹⁰¹¹⁰²
I¹⁰³¹⁰⁴¹⁰⁵	France¹⁰⁶¹⁰⁷¹⁰⁸	Se¹⁰⁹negal¹¹⁰¹¹¹	Norway¹¹²¹¹³
J¹¹⁴¹¹⁵	Argentina¹¹⁶¹¹⁷	Austria¹¹⁸¹¹⁹	Algeria¹²⁰¹²¹
K¹²²¹²³	Portugal¹²⁴¹²⁵	Colombia¹²⁶¹²⁷	Uzbekistan¹²⁸¹²⁹
L¹³⁰¹³¹	England¹³²	Croatia¹³³	Panama¹³⁴

Initial Reaction and Key Dates

Social media reaction was mixed, with many fans noting the surprising lack of a true “Group of Death,” though teams like Scotland expressed both excitement and dread over drawing Brazil. FIFA confirmed that the tournament will begin with Mexico vs.¹³⁵ South Africa in Mexico City on June 11, 2026, and announced that the full schedule, including specific venues and kickoff times for all group matches, will be confirmed on Saturday.¹³⁶

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