The field for the 2026 FIFA World Cup is set following the group-stage draw at the Kennedy Center in Washington on Friday. Some teams had luck on their side, while others have more reason to be nervous than they did before the draw.
Here is a ranking of the 2026 World Cup groups from easiest to toughest based on average FIFA World Rankings.
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12. Group K
Countries: Portugal, Colombia, Uzbekistan, Intercontinental Playoff 1
Average FIFA ranking: 40.2
Highest-ranked team: Portugal (6)
The match between Portugal (6) and Colombia (13) is going to be appointment viewing, and the winner of that match will likely decide the winner of the group. Why? The next-closest team is ranked 50th, and that won’t change if the Congo, New Caledonia or Jamaica qualify.
11. Group E
Countries: Germany, Ecuador, Ivory Coast, Curaçao
Average FIFA ranking: 39
Highest-ranked team: Germany (9)
Germany was the big winner on Friday, drawing into a group with the lowest average FIFA ranking. Curaçao is the lowest-ranked team in Group E at 82. It made history in November as the smallest nation by population to qualify for a World Cup with a total of 156,115 people as of January.
10. Group G
Countries: Belgium, Iran, Egypt, New Zealand
Average FIFA ranking: 37
Highest-ranked team: Belgium (8)
Belgium’s best days might be behind it with its Golden Generation reaching the twilight years, but the team should have no problem advancing to the Round of 32, with Iran being the only other country in the group with a FIFA ranking higher than 20.
9. Group H
Countries: Spain, Uruguay, Saudi Arabia, Cape Verde
Average FIFA ranking: 36.3
Highest-ranked team: Spain (1)
Spain got a tough draw with Uruguay, which is ranked 16th in the world by FIFA. But it was favorable otherwise, with Saudi Arabia and Cape Verde ranked 60th and 68th, respectively.
8. Group A
Countries: Mexico, South Korea, South Africa, European Playoff D
Average FIFA ranking: 36.3
Highest-ranked team: Mexico (15)
Co-host nation Mexico is the highest-ranked team in its group, but only by seven spots, as South Korea is ranked 22nd in the world by FIFA. That gap could get even smaller if Denmark, the 21st-ranked team in the world, wins its playoff matches and rounds out Group A.
7. Group B
Countries: Canada, Switzerland, Qatar, European Playoff A
Average FIFA ranking: 35.3
Highest-ranked team: Switzerland (17)
Despite being a Pot 1 team, Canada is not the highest-ranked team in its group. That honor belongs to Switzerland, which is ranked 17th in the world by FIFA. However, that could change again if Italy — ranked 12th — qualifies out of European Playoff A.
6. Group I
Countries: France, Senegal, Norway, Intercontinental Playoff 2
Average FIFA ranking: 34.2
Highest-ranked team: France (3)
It should come as no surprise that a group headlined by Kylian Mbappé, Erling Haaland and Sadio Mané is one of the tougher groups in the tournament. It would be higher on the list if it weren’t for the Intercontinental Playoff 2 teams — Iraq, Bolivia and Suriname — weighing the average down.
5. Group C
Countries: Brazil, Morocco, Scotland, Haiti
Average FIFA ranking: 34
Highest-ranked team: Brazil (5)
This is where things start to get interesting. Brazil has won the most World Cups (five) of any country ever, but it was drawn into a group with two scrappy teams: Morocco, which finished fourth at the 2022 World Cup, and Scotland, which advanced to the 2026 tournament in dramatic fashion.
4. Group D
Countries: USA, Australia, Paraguay, European Playoff C
Average FIFA ranking: 32.1
Highest-ranked team: USA (14)
The U.S. ended Friday’s draw much closer to the best-case scenario than the worst-case scenario, but the European teams competing in Playoff C — Slovakia, Kosovo, Türkiye and Romania — all have the potential to play spoiler. Türkiye specifically would immediately become the second-highest-ranked team at 25, jumping Australia (26).
3. Group J
Countries: Argentina, Austria, Algeria, Jordan
Average FIFA ranking: 31.8
Highest-ranked team: Argentina (2)
With or without Lionel Messi, Argentina should win Group J comfortably. After that, the group is wide open with only 11 spots separating Austria and Algeria. Still, it’s worth noting that Argentina at No. 2 inflates this group’s overall ranking on this list.
2. Group L
Countries: England, Croatia, Panama, Ghana
Average FIFA ranking: 29
Highest-ranked team: England (4)
Is this the toughest group in the tournament? Based on FIFA rankings, it has a strong case. Group L is the only group in the tournament with two top-10 teams in England (4) and Croatia (10). Of all the groups, this one might be the toughest to pencil in an outright winner.
1. Group F
Countries: Netherlands, Japan, Tunisia, European Playoff B
Average FIFA ranking: 26.6
Highest-ranked team: Netherlands (7)
While Group F might not feature the heavyweights that Group C, Group I and Group L do, the closeness in the world standings might make it the most competitive of the bunch. Before the European Playoff is settled, the furthest gap between the opponents is 22 spots, and that is almost guaranteed to change with one of Poland or Ukraine favored to qualify.
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