Group A
The opening game in the Azteca will be a repeat of the opener in 2010 when South Africa drew 1-1 with Mexico in Soccer City, Soweto. Mexico have won one knockout game at the World Cup, beating Bulgaria last time they hosted, in 1986. Their manager, Javier Aguirre, was a forward in that side and will be targeting their third quarter-final as hosts. South Africa, coached by the veteran Belgian Hugo Broos, qualified for their first World Cup since hosting, finishing above Nigeria and Benin, despite having a game against Lesotho they appeared to have won awarded against them for fielding a suspended player.
This will be South Korea’s 11th consecutive World Cup. Hong Myung-bo played in four of those, and came third in the voting for the Golden Ball when South Korea reached the semi-final in 2002. He is now their coach and led them unbeaten through a far from straightforward qualifying group. The fourth team in Group A will be a European playoff winner from the Czech Republic, Denmark, North Macedonia or Republic of Ireland.
Group B
Canada have qualified for the World Cup twice and although Qatar 2022 brought their first goal in a finals, it did not bring their first point. Jesse Marsch is manager of probably the best squad in their history, with Jonathan David playing for Juventus and Alphonso Davies for Bayern. How kind the draw looks depends largely whether Italy make it through the Uefa playoff (the other three teams are Bosnia and Herzegovina, Northern Ireland and Wales).
After failing to qualifying in 1998 and 2002, Switzerland have got through the groups in four of the past five World Cups and were quarter-finalists at the past two Euros. Murat Yakin’s side qualified unbeaten from probably the easiest of the Uefa groups and, in Ricardo Rodriguez and Granit Xhaka, have two players hoping to play at their fourth World Cups. Having finished fourth in their third-round qualifying group, Qatar were handed a significant advantage by being chosen as a host for the fourth round and secured progress with a 2-1 win over the UAE. Julen Lopetegui’s squad is entirely drawn from the Qatari league.
Group C
Scotland’s first World Cup in 28 years looks a lot like the last one, when they lost to Brazil and Morocco; Haiti take the place of Norway. Their aim will be to make it through to the knockout phase for the first time after eight group-stage exits. Haiti’s only previous World Cup, in 1974, was notable less for their three defeats than for the fate that befell the midfielder Ernst Jean-Joseph who, after failing a drugs test, was beaten by Haitian army officers at the Munich Sheraton before being sent back to Port-au-Prince. They will have limited support because Haiti is on the USA’s travel ban list.
Carlo Ancelotti became Brazil’s third manager in a qualifying campaign that included a run of three successive defeats, but there is little jeopardy in Conmebol qualifying these days. He has overseen a clear improvement. Semi-finalists in Qatar in 2022, Morocco look the best of the north African sides, capable both of overwhelming opponents and playing on the counter, qualifying with a 100% record.
Group D
Early last year, the USA seemed in a dismal state, losing to Panama and Canada in the Concacaf Nations League and to Turkey and Switzerland in friendlies. But over the past year, Mauricio Pochettino has seemingly begun to get his message across and in November the USA beat Paraguay before thrashing Uruguay 5-1 in friendlies. They will start against Paraguay, who are playing in their sixth World Cup. They have won one game at each of the previous five, a record that has led to both group-stage exits and a quarter-final. The familiar defensive mindset hasn’t changed: they scored only 14 goals in their 18 games in Conmebol qualifying.
This is not the most fluent Australia and their squad lacks obvious stars, but despite an iffy start to the third round of AFC qualifying, Tony Popovic’s side made it through by beating Japan at home and Saudi Arabia away under intense pressure in their final two matches. The group’s fourth team will come from the winner of Europe’s playoff C (Kosovo, Romania, Slovakia or Turkey).
Group E
After successive group-stage exits, Germany are no longer the bogeymen of old. The shift to a more progressive style has brought a vulnerability and the draw initially looked like presenting a huge challenge to Julian Nagelsmann’s side. Ecuador were the revelations of qualifying, finishing second behind Argentina in Conmebol. Although they scored only 14 goals in 18 games, a defence featuring Willian Pacho of Paris Saint-Germain and Piero Hincapié of Arsenal, protected by Chelsea’s Moisés Caicedo, conceded a paltry five.
Côte d’Ivoire live in a state of permanent declinism, where nothing is ever quite as good as the golden squad of 15-20 years ago. But since taking charge during the 2023 Cup of Nations, the head coach, Emerse Faé, has proved inspirational. After an implausible Afcon success on home soil, Côte d’Ivoire were ruthless in qualifying, scoring 25 without reply.
The smallest country ever to qualify, Curaçao, were the fourth team drawn, though, making the group look a lot less daunting than it might have been.
Group F
Ronald Koeman’s Netherlands perhaps lack the star quality of previous Dutch generations, but they qualified unbeaten and Memphis Depay, who scored eight goals in qualifying, always looks a more reliable player with his national side than at club level. They open against Japan, who will play in their eighth successive World Cup, and were by some way the most impressive of the Asian sides in qualifying, losing one of their 16 games across the two groups, with a combined goal difference of 54-3.
Tunisia made sure of a third consecutive World Cup appearance by dominating a straightforward qualifying group, picking up 28 points of a possible 30. Sami Trabelsi’s squad are perhaps not as dour as certain previous Tunisian sides; they had a remarkable 14 different scorers in qualifying. If Graham Potter’s Sweden make it through the Uefa playoff (against Ukraine in the semi, then either Poland or Albania in the final), that will set up a repeat of the group game in Dortmund in 1974 when Johan Cruyff first performed the Cruyff Turn.
Group G
Belgium and Egypt are emerging from the shadow of golden generations. Rudi Garcia’s Belgium were erratic in qualification, finding the net eight times but conceding five in two wins over Wales, scoring freely at times, but also struggling to a 1-1 draw away to Kazakhstan.
Egypt are the most successful side in African history, but having failed to qualify during their golden period 15-20 years ago, they have never quite done themselves justice on the global stage. Mohamed Salah and Omar Marmoush give them cutting edge, but it was a defence that conceded twice in 10 games that meant they qualified unbeaten.
A guaranteed place for Oceania effectively meant a spot at the finals for New Zealand, who cruised through qualifying, winning five games out of five, scoring 29 goals, nine of them by Chris Wood, but they are the lowest-ranked side to have secured their place in North America next summer. Iran, who lost once in a tricky third-round qualifying group, are on Donald Trump’s travel ban list, potentially presenting a range of logistical problems.
Group H
Spain, the European champions, are the No 1 side in the Fifa rankings and with good reason. Blending the technical quality and patient possession game that has defined recent Spanish football with direct wingers comfortable running with the ball, Luis de la Fuente’s side dropped only two points and averaged 3.5 goals per game in qualifying. Uruguay started extremely promisingly under Marcelo Bielsa, but performances have declined and, after a humiliating 5-1 defeat by the USA last month, there were reports of a divided dressing room.
The rise of Cape Verde has been remarkable. They did not reach their first Africa Cup of Nations until 2013, and have not qualified for this year’s tournament in Morocco. Their stingy defence, though, was enough to eliminate Cameroon. Back under the management of Hervé Renard, Saudi Arabia lurched through qualifying, forced into the fourth-round repechage, conveniently held in Jeddah, and avoiding a further playoff for a place in the inter-confederational playoff on goals scored.
Group I
The headline will be the meeting of Kylian Mbappé and Erling Haaland as France face Norway in their final group game, but before that France take on Senegal, who beat them in the opening game in 2002. France have absurd depth in every position yet seem less than the sum of their parts. Mbappé is not an easy player to fit in a coherent system and there is a growing sense that Didier Deschamps, who captained them to glory in 1998 and managed them to glory 20 years later, with his fixation on Aimé Jacquet-style solidity, is holding them back. Norway qualified with a 100% record as top scorers in Europe: 37 goals in eight games.
Senegal, managed by Pape Thiaw, a squad member in 2002, have been the best sub-Saharan African team for a while now. Sadio Mané remains the main threat, but their strength is the midfield, with Ismaïla Sarr, Pape Matar Sarr, Habib Diarra and Iliman Ndiaye all capable of contributing goals. The fourth team in the group will come from playoff 2 (Bolivia, Suriname or Iraq)
Group J
Once the drought broke for Argentina, the rain has not stopped. They went 28 years without winning anything, but in the past four years under Lionel Scaloni they’ve lifted not only the World Cup but also two Copas América, while finishing first in Conmebol qualifying. The only question is whether Lionel Messi, who will turn 39 during the tournament, is still worth his place in the starting lineup.
Vladimir Petkovic’s Algeria, in their fifth World Cup, are more open and entertaining than the team that won the Cup of Nations in 2019. Ralf Rangnick’s Austria were one of the most watchable sides at the last Euros and although they had to come from behind against Bosnia and Herzegovina in their final game to secure automatic qualification, they have largely maintained that form, thanks to a dynamic midfield in which Konrad Laimer is key. Jordan’s coach, the former Morocco midfielder Jamal Sellami, favours a 3-4-3 that proved particularly effective away from home, absorbing pressure and striking on the break.
Group K
Cristiano Ronaldo, two games of his suspension for violent conduct mysteriously suspended, will be available for start of the tournament – although that is a mixed blessing for Roberto Martínez, who has made clear he will select the 40-year-old come what may. Without him, Portugal’s fleet of gifted attacking midfielders scored nine against Armenia in the final qualifier and there is a clear sense that his lack of mobility gums the mechanisms. DR Congo could offer a testing start if they progress through the playoff (against either New Caledonia or Jamaica).
The tendency is to hold up Uzbekistan as one of the beneficiaries of the expansion of the tournament, but they had the fourth-best record in Asian qualifying and on that logic would have qualified for a 32-team tournament. Only Japan let in fewer goals in the third phase of Asian qualifying. Colombia reached the final of the last Copa América, held in the US. The evergreen James Rodríguez and Luis Díaz ensure plenty of attacking options.
Group L
Thomas Tuchel was appointed with a specific brief: to win the World Cup. And for the second time in a row, England go to a World Cup not just with hope but expectation. They qualified without conceding a goal and Tuchel had perhaps the greatest array of creative talent any England manager has been able to choose from. They really need Harry Kane to stay fit, though. For the third time in five tournaments they will face Zlatko Dalic’s Croatia. The highest-ranked of the pot two sides, they qualified with the minimum of fuss, dropping two points in the group.
Ghana’s failure to reach this winter’s Africa Cup of Nations was almost inexplicable given the attacking talent available – Antoine Semenyo, Mohammed Kudus, Iñaki Williams, Abdul Fatawu, Jordan Ayew – and, with Otto Addo back as head coach they made their point by winning eight of 10 matches in qualifying. Panama passed unbeaten through the final round of Concacaf qualifying to reach their second World Cup; England put six past them in Russia.
