Favourites get kind draws for World Cup
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WASHINGTON: Holders Argentina and leading contenders Spain were handed kind draws for the 2026 football World Cup in a star-studded ceremony on Friday which saw US President Donald Trump receive FIFA’s new peace prize.
The event in Washington started the final countdown to the tournament, six months out from the first-ever 48-team World Cup, with much-fancied France among those receiving a harder task.
Lionel Messi’s Argentina will begin their defence of the trophy they won in Qatar in 2022 against Algeria, and will also face Austria and debutants Jordan in Group J. Heavily-fancied Spain, the European champions, will kick off their campaign against first-time qualfiers Cape Verde before also taking on Uruguay and Saudi Arabia in Group H.
Thomas Tuchel’s England will hope to win Group L that features beaten 2018 finalists Croatia as well as Ghana and Panama.
Two-time winners France, meanwhile, face awkward tests against Senegal and Erling Haaland’s Norway in Group I, which will be completed by an intercontinental play-off winner from either Iraq, Bolivia or Suriname.
The 2026 tournament will be held across the United States, Mexico and Canada from June 11 to July 19, with 16 more teams added to the global showpiece, up from the 32 nations involved in Qatar in 2022.
That means a total of 104 matches, compared to 64 games last time.
Trunp seizes limelight
Trump seized the limelight, but Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum were also in attendance.
While snow fell outside amid freezing temperatures in the US capital, some of the biggest stars in the American sport and entertainment world appeared on stage inside.
The event was co-hosted by supermodel Heidi Klum and American actor and comedian Kevin Hart, and featured performances by the Village People, Robbie Williams and Andrea Bocelli.
While the US will host the majority of matches including the final at the MetLife Stadium outside New York, three of the 16 venues will be in Mexico and two in Canada.
Published in Dawn, December 6th, 2025
