FIFA announced on Tuesday that the group stage draw for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, to be held on December 5 at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., will separate Spain and Argentina, the two top-ranked teams. This means that if both teams win their groups, they could only meet in the final. If one of the two teams fails to win its group, the 'protection' that keeps them apart until the final is removed. In that case, Spain and Argentina could face each other earlier, with the semifinal being the first possible encounter, according to the knockout stage bracket design for the 2026 World Cup. This ensures that even if one team does not finish first in its group, the two strongest teams will not meet in previous rounds, such as the quarterfinals. This formula, which will also apply to France and England, the third and fourth-ranked teams, aims to 'guarantee competitive balance.' The Federation explained that 'two separate paths to the semifinals' have been established when creating the match schedule to distribute the four highest-ranked teams ahead of the World Cup to be held across the United States, Mexico, and Canada. 'In this way, it is guaranteed that, in case they win their groups, the two top-ranked teams will not face each other before the final,' FIFA assured. Additionally, FIFA has also introduced changes to the draw regarding the host nations, whose balls in the pot will be of a different color to ensure that Mexico is assigned to position one of Group A, Canada to position one of Group B, and the United States to position one of Group D.
