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Washington, Dec 6: The draw for the 2026 FIFA World Cup was revealed on Friday night during an event in Washington DC. The ceremony took place in the presence of US President Donald Trump, FIFA President Gianni Infantino and other senior officials.

The event ran longer than expected, leaving supporters waiting. Performances by Robbie Williams and former Pussycat Dolls singer Nicole Scherzinger, along with speeches by Trump and Infantino, stretched the program before the draw finally began. It took a total of 59 minutes to complete. Mexico’s President Claudia Sheinbaum and Canada’s Prime Minister Mark Carney joined Trump on stage as leaders of the co host nations.

This World Cup will feature 48 teams for the first time, making it the largest tournament in history. It will also introduce a Round of 32. The expanded format has drawn some criticism from those who feel the group stage may lose intensity. There will be 12 groups, each including four teams.

Matchups between top football nations are limited in the group stage. England versus Croatia is seen as the standout fixture, mainly because the two sides met in the 2018 semifinals. It is also the only meeting between two top 10 ranked teams in the group stage. Brazil, ranked fifth, will face eleventh ranked Morocco in another notable fixture. The Netherlands appear to have the toughest group on paper, facing Japan, Tunisia and one playoff winner. Germany, in contrast, are seen to have a more manageable draw, grouped with Ecuador, Ivory Coast and Curaçao.

Football fans will also get a much anticipated showdown between Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappé. Haaland helped Norway qualify for the first time since 1998, scoring 16 goals in eight qualifiers. Norway will face Senegal, one playoff winner, and Mbappé’s France in their group. Many are looking at this as a contest between two of the most prolific scorers of the era. At 26, Mbappé is only two goals away from becoming France’s top scorer of all time. Haaland is already Norway’s all time leading scorer. Both have strong club seasons behind them, raising expectations for their meeting.

The opening match will see Mexico play South Africa at Estadio Azteca. The two teams also opened the 2010 World Cup in Johannesburg, a match that ended 1-1. Another eye catching matchup will see France take on Senegal, recalling Senegal’s upset victory over the reigning champions in 2002.

Several nations are set to make their World Cup debut, including Uzbekistan, Cape Verde, Jordan and Curaçao. Their qualification came with the expanded format, though they now face former world champions and continental champions in the group stage. Curaçao will become the smallest nation ever to play at a World Cup and will meet Germany in Group E. Cape Verde will face Spain in Group H. Jordan will take on defending champions Argentina and Lionel Messi in Group J. In Group K, Uzbekistan will be guided by former Italy captain Fabio Cannavaro as they face Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal.

If top teams progress as expected, the knockout rounds could bring major clashes early on. A possible Round of 16 meeting between Germany and France is already generating attention. On the other side of the draw, supporters are watching the possibility of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo meeting in the quarterfinals, provided Argentina and Portugal top their groups and advance through the early rounds.

People’s News Monitoring Service