5 days ago
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England go into the 2026 World Cup knowing they will avoid France until the final, thanks to FIFA's newly introduced seeding rules.
The Three Lions are ranked fourth for the tournament and have been formally paired with France by FIFA, meaning the two sides cannot meet before the showpiece if both top their groups.
That avoids an early rematch of their 2022 World Cup quarter-final, when France edged England 2-1 in Qatar and crushed Gareth Southgate men's hopes.
FIFA confirmed the top four seeds will now be paired and placed into opposite halves of the knockout bracket for the first time in World Cup history.
Spain and Argentina have also been linked, meaning La Roja and the reigning world champions will be kept apart from England and France until the latter stages in North America next summer.
As a result, Thomas Tuchel's men cannot face Spain until at least the semi-finals, while any meeting with Les Bleus would only come in the final, if both sides progress as expected.
England will avoid a clash against France unless both nations reach the World Cup final, thanks to FIFA's newly introduced seeding rules
Thomas Tuchel's men are ranked fourth for the tournament, so cannot face Spain until at least the semi-finals
Spain, the Euro 2024 winners after defeating England in the final in Germany, enter as top seeds, while Argentina are the reigning world champions following their dramatic penalty shoot-out victory over France in Qatar.
FIFA outlined the changes as it confirmed the four official pots for the draw, which takes place on Friday, December 5 at 5pm GMT, at the Kennedy Center in Washington.
England sit in Pot 1 alongside Spain, Argentina, France, Germany, Portugal, Brazil, Belgium and the Netherlands, as well as host nations the United States, Mexico and Canada.
FIFA confirmed the three co-hosts will be handed fixed group positions in A1, B1 and D1, ensuring they play all group matches on home soil.
The remaining Pot 1 nations will be drawn into the other groups, with a computer system ensuring paired teams, including England and France, are placed into opposite halves of the knockout bracket.
Pot 2 contains Croatia, Uruguay, Japan, Switzerland, Iran, Senegal, South Korea, Ecuador, Austria, Australia, Colombia and Morocco.
Pot 3 includes Scotland, Norway, Egypt, Algeria, Tunisia, Paraguay, Ivory Coast, Uzbekistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Panama, with Steve Clarke’s side returning to the finals for the first time since 1998.
Pot 4 features Jordan, Cape Verde, Curacao, Haiti, New Zealand and South Africa, alongside six inter-confederation and European play-off paths, including Wales, Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland and Italy.
The draw for the tournament takes place on Friday, December 5 at 5pm GMT, at the Kennedy Center in Washington
FIFA confirmed confederation restrictions will remain in place, with no more than one country per confederation in each group, apart from UEFA, where up to two European sides can be drawn together.
Once drawn, teams will be placed into the first available group alphabetically, with all seeds occupying position one and remaining slots filled using a pre-determined fixture grid.
