The2026 FIFA World Cup draw— the biggest (and longest?) in tournament history — was held Friday at the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C., and let's just say thata lothappened, from the heads of state picking the already decided balls to Rio Ferdinand attempting his best acting skills to Lauryn Hill singing "Doo Wop (That Thing)" in front of a lot of confused, suited members of FIFA.
But in terms of the actual draw, there are plenty of narratives to discuss, as it gave us some very tasty matches and scintillating group action. Due to the fact that we have 48 national teams divided into 12 groups of four, the possibilities for chaos are endless, so without further ado, here are the winners and losers from Friday's FIFA World Cup draw.
WINNERS
USMNT
Mauricio Pochettino likely left the Kennedy Center feeling extremely happy, asthe U.S. men's national team will face Paraguay, Australia and the winner of Türkiye, Romania, Slovakia and Kosovo— all winnable matches. It was only last month that the U.S. came out victorious against Paraguay with a 2-1 result, and a month before that, it was the same result against Australia. Obviously, the competitive nature of the World Cup will give us a different environment, but I think it will be the same outcome.
As for the other fixture? I see Türkiye and Real Madrid's Arda Güler eventually punching their ticket to become the remaining opponent, but again, the Americans have enough to see it through.
Feliz Navidad, Poche. This is a great group for your side.
Spain
Honestly, if the European champions play the way they're supposed to, this group should be a piece of cake for Lamine Yamal and Co., who played scintillating football throughout the majority of the World Cup qualifiers.
La Roja'sfirst match is against Saudi Arabia, the same team that shocked Argentina and Lionel Messi back in Qatar 2022, but I don't see Luis de la Fuente's side committing the same mistakes. After that, it's a fixture against the Cinderella story of Cape Verde, then ending with Uruguay, who have not been as strong in recent months under Marcelo Bielsa. (In fact, Bielsa wasn't even at the draw, and there is a lot of talk about major changes in the next few months.)
But as far as Spain is concerned, it should win this group with relative ease.
England
It's an incredibly English mentality to suggest that theirs is a challenging group (Croatia, Ghana and Panamá) and Thomas Tuchel's side should be nervous and careful. But this is the way all conversations start when British media talk about the Three Lions. However, it's time for some optimism and to expect success from this tremendously talented team's potential.
Croatia is always a tough cookie to crack, but it's also an aging one, as the likes of 40-year-old Luka Modrić and 36-year-old Ivan Perišić cannot control the game like they used to. It will be the hardest match of the group, but because it's the first one, I see England coming out strong to prove a point in this tournament. The venue is likely a bigger problem because if it's in the Dallas area, they're going to need to be wary of the temperatures, as Tuchel knows.
Meanwhile, Ghana has players of Premier League experience, but defensively, it's not enough to dominate against this deeply talented roster, while Panamá (second appearance at the World Cup after 2018), which is also dealing with an over-reliance on veterans, won't be a problem.
There's a difference between arrogance and confidence, and Tuchel's England needs a dose of both to realize that this group is absolutely there to be taken.
LOSERS
France
Group I is not an easy one forLes Bleus.
First, it's an opening game against Erling Haaland's Norway, which won every qualifier on their way to the World Cup. After that, it's the winner of Bolivia, Iraq or Suriname, ending with a game against Senegal, a country so deeply connected to the French, who also did well in qualifiers.
From a footballing perspective, it was in 2002 that Senegal beat France 1-0 in the opener, and that meant the defending World Cup champions at the time did not get out of the group. I am not saying that's happening next summer, but this very talented French team — the last under Didier Deschamps — is also not experienced in the competition as much as it used to be, as many veterans have retired from the international game.
We'll have to see if the French can win the group and find an easier path in the knockout stages. Because if it doesn't, things get complicated.
This is the Group of Death, alongside …
Group E (though the fans win)
This is a very difficult group to predict.
There is obvious historical bias with Germany, the four-time World Cup champion, and so many think that Julian Nagelsmann's side will succeed with ease here, but his project is still to be determined. The qualifying campaign did not start well, so there are still questions about the consistency, which was once a trademark characteristic forDie Mannschaft.
Then you have a very resilient, strong and determined Ecuador, which ended second in CONMEBOL qualifiers, its best-ever finish since the region's campaign moved to a single table.
The Ivory Coast is tough, too, returning for the first time since 2014, ended undefeated in qualifiers without conceding a goal. There's so much talent there who are also familiar with the German game.
Finally, Curaçao. Yes, the Caribbean island andsmallest nation in World Cup historyis undoubtedly a Cinderella story, but it's also a very good project with a great roster that could cause problems for anyone, thanks to its expanded diaspora. Defensively resilient, it's managed by the legendary Dick Advocaat, who has managed seven nations including his Netherlands, whom he took to the quarterfinal stage in 1994 in the USA. At 78, he will become the oldest manager to lead a team in the World Cup, and I am sure both him and his team will look to ruffle a few feathers.
Watch out for this group. It's going to be interesting to see who comes out of it.
