The seeded selections for the World Cup tournament draw on December 5th have already been defined. The event, which is approaching with great anticipation, revealed the teams that will lead each group in the competition.
The announcement was made on Wednesday, one day after the qualifying phase ended on four continents. Among the seeded teams, Germany stands out, although Croatia failed to secure a place in this select group.
The United States, Canada, and Mexico, co-hosts of the tournament, will join Spain, Argentina (current champion), France, England, Portugal, Brazil, the Netherlands, Belgium, and Germany in the seeded teams’ pot.
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Croatia, semi-finalist in 2022 and finalist in 2018, was relegated to pot 2 for the draw, which will be held at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., with the scheduled attendance of President Donald Trump.
FIFA rankings also determined the seedings for the March playoff draw, where the final six teams that will complete the 48-nation lineup will be decided.Germany’s Leroy Sané celebrates after scoring his team’s fourth goal with Nick Woltemade (left) and Serge Gnabry, Florian Wirtz (center) during the FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifying match between Germany and Slovakia at the Red Bull Arena on November 17, 2025 in Leipzig.The playoffs will feature 22 teams, including 16 from Europe who will compete for four spots and six from other regions who will seek two places in the intercontinental playoffs.
Italy leads the European playoffs, seeking to avoid a third consecutive elimination. The Italians, ranked 12th, were relegated to the playoffs after finishing second in their qualifying group.
The team of Erling Haaland, Norway, is shaping up to be a dangerous rival from pot 3. Italy will face a team from pot 4 at home. It could be North Macedonia again, who eliminated the Italians in 2022.
The winner of the March 26th match will advance to a playoff final five days later, against the team emerging from the match between the second and third seeds in their elimination group.
The teams emerging from the four European playoff groups are expected to fill the positions in pot 4 in the draw on December 5th.
In the intercontinental playoffs, Iraq and Congo await the winner of the semi-finals involving Bolivia, Jamaica, New Caledonia, and Suriname.
