Argentina drawn in World Cup group with Algeria, Austria and Jordan

Argentina’s World Cup group stage rivals have been revealed: Algeria, Austria and debutants Jordan.

It’s a favourable draw for the reigning champions, who lifted the trophy last time out at the Qatar 2022 World Cup after winning a thrilling 4-3 win over France in the final.

Lionel Scaloni’s side managed to avoid the big hitters and will be the hot favourites to qualify for the knockout stage.

Five-time winners Brazil play 2022 semi-finalists Morocco as well as Scotland and Haiti in their group, while France take on Senegal, Norway and a qualifier from the play-offs in their group.

The event in Washington started the final countdown to the tournament, six months out from the first-ever 48-team World Cup, with much-fancied France among those receiving a harder task. 

Heavily-fancied Spain, the European champions, will kick off their campaign against first-time qualifiers Cape Verde before also taking on Uruguay and Saudi Arabia in Group H.

Thomas Tuchel's England will hope to win Group L that features beaten 2018 finalists Croatia as well as Ghana and Panama.

Two-time winners France, meanwhile, face awkward tests against Senegal and Erling Haaland's Norway in Group I, which will be completed by an intercontinental play-off winner from either Iraq, Bolivia or Suriname.

Trump given peace prize

Before the draw began at the Kennedy Center, FIFA chief Gianni Infantino, who has built a close relationship with Donald Trump, awarded the US president FIFA's inaugural peace prize.

FIFA says the honour "recognises the enormous efforts of those individuals who unite people, bringing hope for future generations,” but most believe it was created to boost Trump’s ego, after he failed in his bid for the Nobel Peace Prize.

Trump called the FIFA prize "one of the great honours of my life” in a brief speech.

The most logistically complex World Cup in history will be held across the United States, Mexico and Canada from June 11 to July 19, with 16 more teams added to the global showpiece, up from the 32 nations involved in Qatar in 2022. 

That means a total of 104 matches, compared to 64 games last time.

While the US will host the majority of matches including the final at the MetLife Stadium outside New York, three of the 16 venues will be in Mexico and two in Canada

The draw was co-hosted by supermodel Heidi Klum and US actor and comedian Kevin Hart, and featured performances by the Village People, Robbie Williams and Andrea Bocelli.

Retired England footballer Rio Ferdinand, NFL legend Tom Brady, ice hockey icon Wayne Gretzky and former NBA superstar Shaquille O'Neal were among the stars helping to conduct the draw.

Trump has made the World Cup a centrepiece event of both his second presidency and the 250th anniversary of US independence next year.

But he has injected domestic politics into the preparations, threatening to move World Cup matches from Democratic-run cities if he deems conditions "unsafe.”

"I would call Gianni, the head of FIFA, who's phenomenal, and I would say, let's move it to another location. And he would do that," Trump said recently.

 

‘Outstanding cooperation’

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum drew out the pre-marked balls for their countries as the draw started, while Trump pulled out the USA ball. 

Trump has had tense relations with both of his neighbours in recent months but he hailed the leaders for their "outstanding" cooperation in helping organise next year's tournament.

In another political incident surrounding the draw, Iran vowed to boycott the ceremony because the United States refused to grant visas to several members of its delegation. In the end, Iranian head coach Amir Ghalenoei was due to attend.

Eleven of the 16 World Cup venues are in the United States, with three in Mexico and two in Canada.

The Azteca Stadium in Mexico City will host the opening game and the final will take place at the MetLife Stadium outside New York City.

 

Albiceleste put title on line

Lionel Messi's Argentina are the reigning champions after winning the World Cup for the third time in Qatar in 2022.

Messi will turn 39 during the tournament but this week told ESPN: "I hope I can be there. I've said before that I'd love to be there."

During the ceremony, Argentina's coach Scaloni brought the trophy onstage, using a pair of white gloves to avoid leaving fingerprints on the trophy. 

Recalling the Albiceleste's triumph three years ago, Scaloni said that his players "continued to believe – at no point did we believe that the match would end badly.

The venues for Argentina's matches have not yet been decided, but Group J will be contested between the Central and Western regions of the United States, covering the cities of San Francisco, Dallas and Kansas City.

Scaloni's side will make their debut as champions against Algeria, in a match in which Messi could become the first player to compete in six World Cups. 

The star, who will turn 39 at the start of the tournament, has not yet confirmed his participation, but his extraordinary level of play and his recent contract renewal with Inter Miami until 2028 are fuelling the highest expectations among Argentine fans to once again enjoy their captain.

"In the new World Cup, we will try to continue competing and never give up. That is what our people expect of us and what we are going to try to do," said Scaloni.

 

Top seeds

Argentina were among the top seeds along with European champions Spain, record five-time winners Brazil, France, Germany, England, Portugal, the Netherlands and Belgium. The three host nations complete the first pot of seeds.

The decision to expand the tournament has also cleared the way for several first-time qualifiers, including Cape Verde, Jordan and Curacao.

While the expansion is not to everyone's liking, FIFA's head of global football development Arsene Wenger insisted this week that it was a "natural evolution" and that 48 teams is "the right number.”

Those teams will be split into 12 groups of four, with the top two from each advancing alongside the eight best third-placed sides to the last 32.

Because of the complexity, teams will only learn the full details of their match venues and kick-off times on Saturday, a day after the draw.
 

 

World Cup groups

The 12 groups for the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico from June 11 to July 19, 2026 following Friday's draw in Washington:

Group A
Mexico, South Africa, South Korea, a qualifier 

Group B
Canada, a qualifier, Qatar, Switzerland

Group C
Brazil, Morocco, Haiti, Scotland

Group D
United States, Paraguay, Australia, a qualifier

Group E
Germany, Curacao, Ivory Coast, Ecuador

Group F
Netherlands, Japan, a qualifier, Tunisia

Group G
Belgium, Egypt, Iran, New Zealand

Group H
Spain, Cape Verde, Saudi Arabia, Uruguay

Group I
France, Senegal, qualifier, Norway

Group J
Argentina, Algeria, Austria, Jordan

Group K
Portugal, a qualifier, Uzbekistan, Colombia

Group L
England, Croatia, Ghana, Panama

 

– TIMES/AFP