…Spectacular draw reveals 12 exciting groups of four for game-changing tournament
SAT DEC 06 2025-theGBJournal| Africa’s contingents will be facing some of the world’s toughest footballing nations at the FIFA World Cup 2026™, after group stage map out was revealed during a dazzling Final Draw Friday at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington DC.
Ghana, Senegal, Cabo Verde, Egypt, Tunisia, Côte d’Ivoire, Morocco and South Africa, are all in for standout match-ups in the group stage, with Senegal set to relieve their fulfilling experience after beating France 1-0 at the Korea/Japan 2002 Group A match in front 62,561 screaming fans.
Senegalese star, Papa Bouba Diop, scored the only goal at the Seoul World Cup Stadium, Seoul.
Morocco, who reached the quarter-final stage in the 2022 World Cup face tough Brazil that have won the World Cup five times. Haiti and Scotland are also in the Group (C).
Côte d’Ivoire is Grouped (E) alongside tough Germany, four times winners of the prestigious World Cup, in 1954, 1974, 1990 and 2014.
Tunisia in Group F has the Netherlands, gritty Japan and Albania/Poland/Sweden/Ukraine to contend with.
Egypt in Group G will face Belgium, IR Iran and New Zealand.
Cape Verde-Africa’s biggest surprise during the qualifiers will take on sturdy South American nation, Uruguay-once a World Cup winner as well as Saudi Arabia and Spain who won the World Cup in 2010 in South Africa, and currently one of only two nations alongside Germany, to have won both the men’s and women’s World Cup.
Senegal is drawn in Group I alongside France, Norway and Bolivia/Iraq/Suriname.
Algeria in J will play Austria, Jordan and, Argentina, one of the most successful teams with three World Cup trophies in the drawer. Argentina has also been runner-up three times, in 1930, 1990 and 2014.
Ghana, in Group L will face England Croatia and Panama, as Congo DR, currently in the play-offs, will join Portugal, once European Champions, Uzbekistan and Colombia.
Meanwhile, Brazil-Morocco, Netherlands-Japan and a rematch between France and 2002 conquerors Senegal were among the standout fixtures to emerge, while debutants Cabo Verde, Curaçao, Jordan and Uzbekistan can look forward to mouth-watering match-ups against Spain, Germany, Argentina and Portugal respectively.
Mexico-South Africa was also confirmed as the tournament’s Opening Match in Mexico City on Thursday, 11 June 2026.
The next major milestone on the road to 2026 will come when the updated World Cup 2026 match schedule is unveiled live on FIFA.com today, with venues and kick-off times for all 104 matches confirmed at 12:00 EST (18:00 CET) in Washington, DC.
The 12 groups were drawn in an event conducted by former England captain Rio Ferdinand, with sporting icons Tom Brady, Wayne Gretzky, Aaron Judge and Shaquille O’Neal serving as assistants, before a live studio audience of nearly 2,000 international guests at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, and with an audience of millions engaging globally.
Kevin Hart, Heidi Klum and Danny Ramirez hosted a star-studded draw show that opened with a spine-tingling performance by Andrea Bocelli and also saw Robbie Williams, Nicole Scherzinger, Lauryn Hill and the Village People entertain the watching world.
With excitement building across the three host nations and the 16 vibrant Host Cities and nearly two million tickets already sold, the unveiling of the updated match schedule will mark another milestone on the way to what will be a truly game-changing FIFA World Cup.
Final Draw Result:
Group A
Mexico
South Africa
Korea Republic
Czechia/Denmark/North Macedonia /Republic of Ireland
Group B
Canada
Bosnia and Herzegovina/Italy/Northern Ireland /Wales
Qatar
Switzerland
Group C
Brazil
Morocco
Haiti
Scotland
Group D
USA
Paraguay
Australia
Kosovo/Romania/Slovakia/Türkiye
Group E
Germany
Curaçao
Côte d’Ivoire
Ecuador
Group F
Netherlands
Japan
Albania/Poland/Sweden/Ukraine
Tunisia
Group G
Belgium
Egypt
IR Iran
New Zealand
Group H
Spain
Cabo Verde
Saudi Arabia
Uruguay
Group I
France
Senegal
Bolivia/Iraq/Suriname
Norway
Group J
Argentina
Algeria
Austria
Jordan
Group K
Portugal
Congo DR/Jamaica/New Caledonia
Uzbekistan
Colombia
Group L
England
Croatia
Ghana
Panama
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