Fifa to keep top seeds apart in World Cup draw

For the first time in the history of the tournament, the top four nations will not be able to compete until the semi-finals of the next World Cup.

Spain (1st seed) and Argentina (2) will be “paired” and placed in groups that are in opposition to the draw, according to Fifa.

England will not face Spain or Argentina until the semi-finals, nor will France or England until the final because both France and England will also be paired.

If the four nations are successful in their groups, this only applies.

Two teams are placed in opposite ends of the knockout bracket when they are paired, and they are unable to compete in the final. Both at Wimbledon and in the new Champions League format, where seeds are split up in pairs, occur in this format.

Fifa wants to prevent the top-ranked nations from competing in the knockout rounds, which could lead to blockbuster games in the tournament. The Club World Cup’s summer competition featured the same ranking system.

Spain defeated the Three Lions in the Euro 2024 final while France won the 2022 World Cup with a 2-1 victory in the quarter-finals.

The final draw, which will take place on Friday, December 5th, 17:00 GMT, has also confirmed the four pots.

The six play-off paths, which include Wales, Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland, and Italy, will place Scotland in pot three.

One team from each of the four pots will make up the 12 World Cup groups.

The first game of Fifa will be drawn from pot one.

Co-hosts Mexico (A1), Canada (B1), and the United States (D1) will have colored balls bearing their respective flags to represent their unique status. They play all of their games in their own countries because their group positions have been predetermined.

In alphabetical order, a team will be placed in the first group that has been chosen after being drawn. The draw computer will place Spain, Argentina, France, and England in groups that match the bracket’s correct placement.

The draw then moves on to pot three, four, and three more.

Countries will not be placed in their group positions as a result of a change to previous draw procedures and to accede to the process.

Position one will be assigned to the seeded nations, with a predetermined random grid determining how all other nations will fit into the group to create the fixtures.

No group is permitted to possess more than one nation from the same confederation. For instance, Colombia cannot join Argentina or Brazil in a group when they are drawn from pot two.

This applies to all pots, with the caveat that there will be 16 European qualifiers drawn into 12 groups in each of the four groups, with two of which will have two European nations.

There won’t be many possible group selections for the inter-confederation play-offs. It is impossible to join a group that includes Concacaf or African teams in Pathway 1 (New Caledonia, Jamaica, and the Democratic Republic of Congo). South America, Concacaf, and Asia must be avoided in Pathway 2 (Bolivia, Suriname, Iraq).