Argentina Faces Potential Group of Death in 2026 World Cup Draw
WASHINGTON D.C. – Reigning World Cup champions Argentina could find themselves in a challenging group when the draw for the 2026 tournament is conducted on Friday, December 5 in Washington D.C., according to FIFA‘s announced pot allocations. The draw structure introduces a unique element: six teams – four from Europe and two via intercontinental playoffs – will be placed in Pot 4,nonetheless of their FIFA ranking.
FIFA has determined that the six teams completing qualification in March 2026 will occupy the lowest-ranked pot. The remaining qualified nations will be seeded based on their FIFA ranking, with the exception of co-hosts United States, mexico, and Canada, who will automatically be placed in Pot 1.
Here’s a breakdown of the pots:
* Pot 1: Canada, Mexico, United States, Spain, Argentina, France, England, Brazil, Portugal, Netherlands, belgium, Germany.
* Pot 2: Croatia, Morocco, Colombia, Uruguay, Switzerland, Japan, Senegal, Iran, South Korea, Ecuador, Austria, Australia.
* Pot 3: Norway, panama, Egypt, Algeria, Scotland, Paraguay, Tunisia, Ivory Coast, Uzbekistan, Qatar, South Africa.
* Pot 4: Jordan, Cape Verde, Ghana, Curaçao, Haiti, New zealand, four European playoff winners, two intercontinental playoff winners.
The structure presents specific challenges for Argentina. As a CONMEBOL (South American) nation, they are guaranteed to avoid other teams from their confederation in the group stage. Though, they are certain to be drawn against at least one, and potentially two, European teams, as a UEFA nation will be present in each group.
A notably difficult scenario could see Argentina grouped with Morocco, Norway, and Italy.Morocco reached the semi-finals of the 2022 World Cup and is expected to be a strong African contender.Norway, led by Erling Haaland, impressed during their playoff campaign. Italy, should they secure qualification through the European playoffs, would represent a notable obstacle.
Conversely, a more favorable draw could pit Argentina against less formidable opponents such as Australia, South Africa, and Kosovo. Such a grouping would likely result in a straightforward path to the round of 16.
Potential Draw Scenarios for Argentina:
* Worst Case: Argentina, Morocco, Norway, Italy
* Best Case: Argentina, Australia, South Africa, Kosovo
A list of teams competing in the playoff rounds, dubbed “dam operators,” includes Italy, Northern Ireland, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Wales, Ukraine, Sweden, Poland, Albania, Turkey, Romania, slovakia, Kosovo, Denmark, North Macedonia, Czech Republic, Ireland, New Caledonia, Jamaica, Democratic Republic of Congo, Bolivia, Suriname, and Iraq.
