Lionel Messi and Argentina will open their title defense against Algeria (Image credit: AFP)

NEW DELHI: Defending champions Argentina and European powerhouse Spain received favourable group draws for the 2026 World Cup during a star-studded ceremony that also saw U.S. President Donald Trump awarded FIFA’s new peace prize.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!The draw, held at the Kennedy Center in Washington, marked the official countdown to the expanded 48-team tournament, now just six months away.

Lionel Messi and Argentina will open their title defense against Algeria, with further group-stage fixtures against Austria and tournament debutants Jordan in Group J.Spain, among the leading contenders and current European champions, will begin their campaign against first-time qualifiers Cape Verde before facing Uruguay and Saudi Arabia in Group H.“All the praise will not weaken us, quite the opposite,” insisted Spain coach Luis de la Fuente. “We want to do something big at this World Cup and that means making sure we do well in the group stage, then carrying on from there.”Thomas Tuchel’s England, seeking to win the World Cup for the first time since 1966, 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.For the first time, the draw was done in such a way as to ensure the four highest-ranked nations were kept apart — Spain, Argentina, France and England cannot meet before the semi-finals, if all four top their groups.However, the path to that stage — with an extra knockout round now following the group phase — looks perilous for some of the contenders.If the top seeds all finish first in their groups, England could, for example, find themselves playing co-hosts Mexico in Mexico City in the last 16 and then Brazil in the quarter-finals, before a last-four clash with Argentina.The tournament 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 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 three hosts have experienced turbulent relations since Trump came to power but he brushed that aside. “We’ve worked closely with those two countries, and the coordination and friendship and relationship has been outstanding,” Trump said after receiving his peace prize from FIFA president Gianni Infantino.“It is truly one of the great honors of my life. It is such an honor to be with Gianni. He has done such an incredible job,” Trump added.Trump seized the limelight, even dancing when the Village People performed, but Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum were also in attendance.The event was co-hosted by supermodel Heidi Klum and American actor and comedian Kevin Hart. NFL legend Tom Brady, ice hockey icon Wayne Gretzky and former NBA superstar Shaquille O’Neal were among the stars who helped conduct the draw.Co-hosts Mexico will take on South Africa in Group A in the opening game of the tournament at the Estadio Azteca in Mexico City on June 11.Carlo Ancelotti’s Brazil and surprise 2022 semi-finalists Morocco came out together in Group C, which also features Scotland and Haiti.Germany’s opponents in Group E will be Ivory Coast, Ecuador and Caribbean minnows Curacao, while Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal will face Uzbekistan, Colombia and a play-off winner.Co-hosts the United States got a manageable draw, with Paraguay, Australia and a European play-off winner in Group D.The top two teams in each group advance to the last 32, joined by the eight best third-placed teams.“It will be the greatest World Cup ever,” Infantino claimed. “This is like 104 Super Bowls in one month — this is the magnitude of what we are organizing.”Because of the complexity, teams will only learn the full details of their match venues and kick-off times on Saturday.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 AMexico, South Africa, South Korea, a qualifier Group BCanada, a qualifier, Qatar, SwitzerlandGroup CBrazil, Morocco, Haiti, ScotlandGroup DUnited States, Paraguay, Australia, a qualifierGroup EGermany, Curacao, Ivory Coast, EcuadorGroup FNetherlands, Japan, a qualifier, TunisiaGroup GBelgium, Egypt, Iran, New ZealandGroup HSpain, Cape Verde, Saudi Arabia, UruguayGroup IFrance, Senegal, qualifier, NorwayGroup JArgentina, Algeria, Austria, JordanGroup KPortugal, a qualifier, Uzbekistan, ColombiaGroup LEngland, Croatia, Ghana, Panama(With inputs from AFP)