The countdown to the 2026 World Cup is officially underway, with the planet’s biggest international tournament just hours from its draw in Washington. With only seven months left until an event that brings the world to a standstill, many nations are eager to learn who they will face. This will be the first edition hosted across three countries.

Team USA in Pot 1

The draw will be held at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington D.C., with several FIFA legends in attendance along with Shaquille O’Neal and Tom Brady. Rio Ferdinand and Samantha Johnson will host the event. Donald Trump, the US president, will also be among the public figures present, alongside Mexico’s president Claudia Sheinbaum and Canada’s prime minister Mark Carney. Those three national teams – the United States, Canada and Mexico – will all be placed in Pot 1.

Luis de la Fuente’s Spain, also in Pot 1, arrive among the favorites to claim the trophy, along with Argentina, France, England, Brazil and others. The draw will determine the pairings, though kick-off times and host venues will not be announced until the following day, Saturday the 6th, at another major FIFA event.

With only hours to go, we asked Artificial Intelligence to predict what the 2026 World Cup groups might look like. These were the results:

Group A:

• Mexico
• Croatia
• Egypt
• UEFA Playoff B winner (Ukraine/Sweden/Poland/Albania)

Group B:

• Canada
• South Korea
• Norway
• Ghana

Group C:

• Germany
• Uruguay
• Tunisia
• New Zealand

Group D:

• United States
• Ecuador
• Saudi Arabia
• UEFA Playoff C winner (Slovakia/Kosovo/Türkiye/Romania)

Group E:

• Spain
• Morocco
• Panama
• Jordan

Group F:

• Argentina
• Switzerland
• Algeria
• UEFA Playoff D winner (Czech Republic/Ireland/Denmark/North Macedonia)

Group G:

• France
• Japan
• Paraguay
• Cape Verde

Group H:

• Brazil
• Austria
• Uzbekistan
• UEFA Playoff A winner (Italy/Northern Ireland/Wales/Bosnia)

Group I:

• England
• Senegal
• Qatar
• Curaçao

Group J:

• Portugal
• Colombia
• South Africa
• Intercontinental Playoff B winner (Bolivia – Suriname/Iraq)

Group K:

• Netherlands
• Australia
• Ivory Coast
• Haiti

Group L:

• Belgium
• Iran
• Scotland
• Intercontinental Playoff A (New Caledonia – Jamaica/DR Congo)

According to this projection, Team USA would face Ecuador and Saudi Arabia, along with one of the weaker nations in Europe. No doubt Donald Trump would have some fun conversations with his new plane-gifting friends with that!

Spain would be placed in a group with Morocco, Panama and Jordan. They would face Africa’s leading power in the first phase – the team that eliminated them from the 2022 World Cup in Qatar – while the other two opponents appear more accessible. Lionel Messi’s Argentina, the reigning champion, would take on Switzerland and Algeria, while Carlo Ancelotti’s Brazil would face Austria, Ivory Coast and could potentially meet Italy.

Either way, the full list of opponents, game times and calendar for a historic World Cup is close to being revealed. It will be the first with 48 teams, twelve groups and played across three different countries.

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