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Top seeds to be kept apart in World Cup draw
The Straits Times
|November 27, 2025
FIFA, football's world governing body, revealed on Nov 25 that the top four seeded nations at the 2026 World Cup will occupy two separate halves of the draw for the expanded 48-team tournament, meaning they could avoid facing one another until the semifinal stage.
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Top-ranked Spain and World Cup holders Argentina, the second seeds, will be drawn into opposite halves of the draw, and the same will apply to third-ranked France and world No. 4 England.
This will ensure that, should they both win their groups, the two highest-ranked teams will be kept apart until the final.
On Nov 25, FIFA published the four pots into which the 48 qualified teams will be placed, as well as the procedures for the World Cup draw which will take place in Washington, D.C. on Dec 5.
The top four nations are all placed in Pot 1 along with the three host nations - Canada, Mexico and the United States.
This story is from the November 27, 2025 edition of The Straits Times.
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