World Cup 2026 Group Previews

All 12 World Cup 2026 groups, confirmed at the FIFA Final Draw on 5 December 2025 in Washington D.C. Teams listed below; live group-winner and to-qualify odds plus our editorial picks surface on the live page where published — groups without a pick yet show an honest "no selection" state.

FIFA World Cup 2026 — the essentials

• Hosts: United States, Canada and Mexico — the first three-nation World Cup.
• Dates: 11 June 2026 to 19 July 2026 (39 days, the longest World Cup in history).
• Teams: 48 nations — the first expanded-format tournament.
• Format: 12 groups of four. Group winners and runners-up plus the eight best third-placed sides progress to a Round of 32, then standard knockout through to the final.
• Total matches: 104 (up from 64 in Qatar 2022).
• Opening match: Mexico vs South Africa, Estadio Azteca, Mexico City — 11 June 2026.
• Final: MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey — 19 July 2026.
• Host cities (16): Atlanta, Boston, Dallas, Houston, Kansas City, Los Angeles, Miami, New York/New Jersey, Philadelphia, San Francisco Bay Area, Seattle (USA); Toronto, Vancouver (Canada); Guadalajara, Mexico City, Monterrey (Mexico).

The 12 groups

• Group A: Mexico (host), South Africa, South Korea, Czech Republic.
• Group B: Canada (host), Bosnia and Herzegovina, Qatar, Switzerland.
• Group C: Brazil, Morocco, Haiti, Scotland.
• Group D: United States (host), Paraguay, Australia, Turkey.
• Group E: Germany, Curaçao, Ivory Coast, Ecuador.
• Group F: Netherlands, Japan, Sweden, Tunisia.
• Group G: Belgium, Egypt, Iran, New Zealand.
• Group H: Spain, Cape Verde, Saudi Arabia, Uruguay.
• Group I: France, Senegal, Iraq, Norway.
• Group J: Argentina, Algeria, Austria, Jordan.
• Group K: Portugal, DR Congo, Uzbekistan, Colombia.
• Group L: England, Croatia, Ghana, Panama.

How the 12-group format reads for betting

Twelve groups of four feed a Round of 32, with group winners, runners-up and the eight best third-placed sides advancing. Qualification-from-group markets price tighter than they used to, but goal difference now matters far more — backing attacking favourites in Over 2.5 and BTTS markets across all three group fixtures tends to outperform straight match-result picks at this stage.

More World Cup 2026 coverage

• World Cup 2026 hub — tournament overview, schedule and key dates.
• Outright winner odds — contender tiers and where the value sits.
• Top Scorer / Golden Boot — leading contenders and minutes-played angles.
• Group previews — all 12 confirmed groups with live group-winner odds and our picks.
• Daily World Cup tips — match-by-match selections during the tournament.

All World Cup picks are tracked publicly toward our headline ROI ledger. 18+ · BeGambleAware.org. Odds correct at time of writing; check your bookmaker before staking.

How we analyse matches

• Data sources: API-Football live odds (bet365 mainline), rolling xG, last 10 form, head-to-head, lineups and team news.
• Method: five-step value filter — fixture screen, real-odds verification, projected probability, edge floor, then a published 0.25u–3u confidence×odds staking grid.
• Tracking: Recent tracked record: 55W / 52L · ROI 4.6% · full audit.
• Editorial review: reviewed by the King's Top Tips editorial team. See our full methodology & audit and editorial policy.
• Last updated: 9 June 2026 (UK time).