TThe FIFA World Cup draw, held at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC, saw a record 48 teams divided into 12 groups of four teams each. The six spots won’t be decided until March, when the 22 teams will compete in the playoffs.
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The drawing also served as the stage for U.S. President Donald Trump to win the first-ever FIFA Peace Prize.
Which group is the toughest?
Here is a list of the groups from strongest to weakest using each group’s average FIFA ranking. (For groups with placeholders, the highest-ranking qualifier possible was used.)
Group F – 23.25 (Netherlands, Japan, Tunisia, UEFA Playoffs B) Group D – 26 (USA, Australia, Paraguay, UEFA Playoffs C) Group B – 26.75 (Canada, Switzerland, Qatar, UEFA Playoffs A) Group I – 27.25 (France, Senegal, Norway, FIFA Playoffs 2) Group L – 29 (England, Croatia, Panama, Ghana) Group A – 29.75 (Mexico, South Korea, South Africa, UEFA Playoffs D) Group J – 31.75 (Argentina, Algeria, Austria, Jordan) Group C – 34 (Brazil, Morocco, Scotland, Haiti) Group H – 36.25 (Spain, Uruguay, Saudi Arabia, Cape Verde) Group G – 37 (Belgium, Iran, Egypt, New Zealand) Group K – 37.25 (Portugal, Colombia, Uzbekistan, FIFA Playoffs) 1) Group E – 39 (Germany, Ecuador, Ivory Coast, Curacao)
A sigh of relief for the US?
Overall, it looks like a pretty good draw for the USA in Group D.
The US tied Australia and Paraguay for last place in Pot 2. The only European teams in the group will be Türkiye, Romania, Slovakia or Kosovo.
These countries can still compete in the tournament
Four European teams will qualify in the UEFA Playoffs, and two additional FIFA Playoffs will feature teams from around the world.
The competing teams for each playoff match are as follows:
UEFA Playoffs A: Italy, Northern Ireland, Wales or Bosnia and Herzegovina
UEFA Playoffs B: Ukraine, Sweden, Poland, Albania.
UEFA Playoffs C: Türkiye, Romania, Slovakia, Kosovo
UEFA Playoffs D: Denmark, North Macedonia, Czech Republic, Ireland
FIFA Playoffs 1: New Caledonia, Jamaica, Congo
FIFA Playoffs 2: Bolivia, Suriname, Iraq
