The top-ranked teams for the December 5 FIFA World Cup 2026 tournament draw, which includes Germany but not Croatia, were determined on Wednesday when football’s global governing body published its new rankings the day after four continents completed qualifying.
Co-hosts the United States, Canada and Mexico are joined in the No. 1 seed pot by top-ranked Spain, defending champion Argentina, France, England, Portugal, Brazil, Netherlands, Belgium and Germany.
Croatia, semi-finalists in 2022 and defeated finalists by France in 2018, were placed in pot 2 for the draw ceremony at the Kennedy Center in Washington DC. President Donald Trump will be in attendance.
The updated FIFA rankings also decided the seedings for Thursday’s draw for the play-offs in March, which will decide the final six entries in the expanded 48-nation line-up.
Of the 22 play-off teams, 16 are from Europe playing for four World Cup places and six from the other regions are chasing two places in the intercontinental competitions.
Italy headline the European competitions as the four-time world champions look to avoid a humiliating third consecutive play-off exit.
The twelfth-placed Italians were pushed into the play-offs after finishing second in a qualifying group won by Norway. Erling Haaland’s Norwegian team will be a dangerous option from pot 3 in two weeks.
Italy plays at home against a fourth-placed team on Thursday. It could be North Macedonia again, which shockingly eliminated the Italians in 2022.
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The winner on March 26 will advance to the playoff final five days later against the team emerging from the No. 2 seed versus No. 3 seed pair in the knockout round. Home advantage in the one-match play-off finals will be determined by Thursday’s draw and not by the FIFA rankings.
The teams that ultimately emerge from the four separate European play-offs are expected to be placeholders for the low-ranking Pot 4 in the December 5 draw.
In the intercontinental matches, top-seeded Iraq and Congo each await the winner of the semi-finals of the play-offs involving Bolivia, Jamaica, New Caledonia and Suriname.
Qualification for European play-offs
Pot 1: Italy, Denmark, Turkey, Ukraine.
Pot 2: Poland, Wales, Czech Republic, Slovakia.
Pot 3: Ireland, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo.
Pot 4: Northern Ireland, Romania, Sweden, North Macedonia.
Intercontinental Playoffs
Sown: Congo, Iraq.
Unsown: Bolivia, Jamaica, New Caledonia, Suriname.
Published on November 19, 2025
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