Top Seeds Kept Apart as Fifa Unveils Historic World Cup Draw Format
Next year’s World Cup will break new ground after Fifa confirmed that the top four seeded nations will be strategically kept apart until the semi-finals for the first time in the tournament’s history.
In a move designed to secure high-stakes clashes in the latter stages, world number one Spain and second-ranked Argentina have been paired and placed in opposite halves of the knockout bracket. France, seeded third, have been paired with fourth-seeded England in a similar arrangement.
The implication is clear: England cannot face Spain or Argentina until the semi-finals, and they would only meet France if both nations reach the final. This structure only applies if all four teams win their respective groups, a challenge that still needs to be met on the pitch.
The approach mirrors seeding methods used at Wimbledon and in the revamped Champions League, where top contenders are deliberately separated early to enhance competitive drama later on. Fifa used the same ranking system during last summer’s Club World Cup.
There is history attached to these matchups. France ended England’s 2022 World Cup run with a quarter-final victory, and Spain edged the Three Lions in the Euro 2024 final, encounters that add further intrigue to the prospect of a late-tournament rematch.
How the Draw Will Unfold
The final draw, set for Friday, 5 December at 17:00 GMT, will organise 12 groups, each containing one team from each of the four pots.
Co-hosts Mexico (A1), Canada (B1), and the United States (D1) already know their group positions, ensuring each plays all group matches in their home country. Special coloured balls featuring their flags will distinguish them during the procedure.
Teams will be drawn from pot one first and placed into the next available group in alphabetical order. A computer system will ensure the seeded giants, Spain, Argentina, France, and England land correctly within the bracket to maintain their pairings.
The process then continues with pots two, three, and four. To streamline the draw, teams will not be assigned specific match positions live; instead, a pre-determined fixture grid will slot nations into the appropriate order once their group is known.
Confederation Rules Still Apply
To preserve global balance, no group can feature more than one team from the same confederation except Europe, which has 16 teams entering 12 groups, making four groups eligible for two European sides.
This restriction will heavily influence where some teams can land. For example, Colombia cannot join Argentina or Brazil in any group. Play-off pathways also face limitations:
Pathway 1 (New Caledonia, Jamaica, DR Congo) cannot be drawn with Concacaf or African nations.
Pathway 2 (Bolivia, Suriname, Iraq) must avoid South America, Concacaf and Asia.
Debutants Uzbekistan (pot 3), Jordan, Cape Verde and Curaçao (all pot 4) await their first-ever World Cup fate.
Fans will know the dates and order of matches by the end of the draw, but venues and kick-off times will only be announced the following day, on Saturday, 6 December.