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Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated
Sport
Jamie Spencer

2026 World Cup Group Stage Mock Draw 3.0: European Giants Get Luckier Than Mexico, USMNT

The 2026 FIFA World Cup group stage draw, for real, is almost upon us, but that doesn’t mean we can’t still have some fun simulating what might happen when those balls are pulled out at Washington D.C.’s Kennedy Center on Friday, 12 p.m. ET (9 a.m. PT / 5 p.m. GMT).

This a defining moment in the World Cup story ahead of next summer in North America, the first triple-hosted tournament in the competition’s 95-year history, because it could pave the way for teams to either thrive or flourish straight off the bat.

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