New system means Spain, Argentina, France and England may not meet until the semi-finals
Fifa has confirmed a major change to how the 2026 World Cup knockout fixtures will be shaped.
Under the new system, the four highest-ranked nations in the world will be placed in separate knockout brackets. The format will ensure that Spain, Argentina, France and England, the top four teams in descending order, are kept apart until at least the semi-finals if they top their groups.
Fifa says it wants to “ensure competitive balance” in the expanded 48-team tournament.
If they win their groups, Spain and Argentina, who are ranked first and second respectively, will not be able to meet until the final. The third- and fourth-ranked sides, France and England, will be placed in the same half of the draw, meaning each could face either Spain or Argentina in the semi-finals, but won’t face each other until the finals.
It’s a clear change from previous World Cups, where knockout brackets depended entirely on which group a team qualified from.
The draw will be held on 5 December at the Kennedy Centre in Washington, D.C. All 48 teams will be divided into four pots and drawn into 12 groups of four. An updated match schedule, including venues and kick-off times, will follow the next day.
The three host nations, the United States, Mexico and Canada, will automatically be placed in pot one alongside the nine highest-ranked teams. Those nine currently include Brazil, Portugal, the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany, in addition to the four top seeds.
Pot two will feature teams such as Croatia, Morocco, Colombia, Uruguay and Japan, while pot three includes Norway, Egypt, Algeria and Scotland. Pot four will be made up of the lowest-ranked qualified sides and six intercontinental playoff winners, four of which will come from Europe.
As in previous tournaments, teams from the same confederation will generally be kept apart in the group stage. Europe has 16 teams so some teams will inevitably clash with others from the continent. The 16 Uefa nations are spread across 12 groups, so four of the groups will contain two European teams.
