The Draw for the 2026 World Cup was unveiled Friday in Washington, DC. The field for the 2026 World Cup is bigger than ever. For the first time, the field is now 48 teams (formerly 32 teams). Those 48 will play matches across the United States, Canada and Mexico. This is the first time the World Cup has been played in the United States since 1994. The majority of the field has been identified but there are six final qualifying matches still to be played. By the end of March, all 48 teams will be determined and placed in groups.
Friday, the Draw occurred. That determined where each of the 48 will begin play. There are 12 groups. Each is comprised of four teams. The United States is in Group D. The pundits’ initial reaction to Group D is that the United States received a favorable group. They are in a Group with Australia, Paraguay, and a European qualifier (TBD in March). Mauricio Pochettino’s squad has recently defeated both Paraguay and Australia by identical scores of 2-1. The United States has reached the quarterfinals just one time since their semifinal appearance in 1930 and that was in 2002.
The most interesting of the Groups appears to be Group I which includes France, Senegal, and Norway. Plenty of goals promised from that collection of world-class strikers.
Every World Cup contains a Group of Death and that distinction in 2026 belongs to Group L. The quartet of nations in Group L along with their current world rankings are England (No. 4), Croatia (No. 10), Ghana (No. 79), and Panama (No. 30).
Watch More: The Pro Soccer Talk gang watches and reacts to the World Cup Draw Live
2026 World Cup Odds (pre- and post Draw)
Spain (Odds unchanged +450)
England (Odds dropped from +600 to +550)
France (Odds moved from +700 to +750)
Brazil (Odds unchanged +800)
Argentina (Odds unchanged +800)
Portugal (Odds unchanged +1000)
Germany (Odds unchanged +1200)
Netherlands (Odds unchanged +2000)
Norway (Odds dropped from +3000 to +2800)
Italy (Odds unchanged +3000)
Colombia (Odds unchanged +5000)
Belgium (Odds dropped from +5000 to +4000)
Uruguay (Odds moved from +5000 to +6500)
Mexico (Odds unchanged +8000)
USA (Odds unchanged +8000)
Switzerland (Odds dropped from +10000 to +8000)
Ecuador (Odds dropped from +10000 to +8000)
Morocco (Odds dropped from +10000 to +8000)
Croatia (Odds unchanged +10000)
Japan (Odds unchanged +10000)
Senegal (Odds unchanged +12000)
Ghana (Odds unchanged +15000)
Sweden (Odds unchanged +15000)
South Korea (Odds unchanged +15000)
Paraguay (Odds unchanged +15000)
Austria (Odds unchanged +15000)
Denmark (Odds unchanged +20000)
Algeria (Odds unchanged +20000)
Ukraine (Odds unchanged +20000)
Ivory Coast (Odds unchanged +20000)
Bolivia (Odds unchanged +25000)
Turkey (Odds unchanged +25000)
Egypt (Odds unchanged +25000)
Scotland (Odds unchanged +25000)
Canada (Odds unchanged +25000)
Poland (Odds unchanged +25000)
Wales (Odds unchanged +35000)
Tunisia (Odds unchanged +40000)
South Africa (+50000)
Slovakia (Odds unchanged +50000)
Romania (Odds unchanged +50000)
Australia (Odds unchanged +50000)
North Macedonia (Odds unchanged +50000)
Czech Republic (Odds unchanged +50000)
Iran (Odds unchanged +50000)
DR Congo (Odds unchanged +70000)
Kosovo (Odds unchanged +70000)
Panama (Odds unchanged +70000)
Northern Ireland (Odds unchanged +70000)
Albania (Odds unchanged +100000)
Saudi Arabia (Odds unchanged +100000)
Qatar (Odds unchanged +100000)
New Zealand (Odds unchanged +100000)
Jamaica (Odds unchanged +100000)
Iraq (Odds unchanged +100000)
Ireland (Odds unchanged +100000)
Indonesia (Odds unchanged +200000)
Uzbekistan (Odds unchanged +200000)
Suriname (Odds unchanged +200000)
Cape Verde (Odds unchanged +200000)
Curacao (Odds unchanged +200000)
Jordan (Odds unchanged +250000)
Haiti (Odds unchanged +400000)
World Cup 2026 coverage courtesy of Pro Soccer Talk
With the Draw in the rearview mirror, know that the updated match schedule for the World Cup will be announced Saturday at 12 p.m. ET from Washington, D.C. The final version of the match schedule will be available in March, once the playoffs have taken place and the final six slots have been filled.
The World Cup kicks off on June 11 at Estadio Azteca in Mexico City with the Championship slated for July 19 at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ.
