Road to 2026: Groups confirmed as 71-day countdown begins

With only 71 days remaining until the 2026 FIFA World Cup kicks off across the United States, Canada, and Mexico, the 12 tournament groups have been finalised following the conclusion of the European and intercontinental playoffs.

The final six spots were sealed in March. Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Czech Republic, Sweden, and Turkey advanced through the UEFA playoffs, while Iraq and DR Congo secured the final two berths via the intercontinental playoffs.

The co-hosts, Canada, Mexico, and the United States will stage this expanded tournament from 11 June to 19 July. This marks the first edition to feature 48 teams and 12 groups. Notably, Curaçao enters the history books as the smallest nation ever to reach the World Cup.

The tournament will commence on Thursday, 11 June, with a high-stakes clash between Mexico and South Africa. This marks South Africa’s first appearance in the global showpiece since they hosted the tournament in 2010.

Bafana Bafana has been placed in Group A. Their schedule includes:

11 June: vs. Mexico (Opening Match)

Match 2: vs. Czech Republic (The Czechs booked their spot on Tuesday by defeating Denmark 3-1 in a penalty shootout after a 2-2 draw in Prague).

24 June: vs. South Korea

TOURNAMENT LOGISTICS
A total of 104 matches will be played over 34 days across North America. The host cities are:

Canada: Toronto and Vancouver.

Mexico: Guadalajara, Mexico City, and Monterrey.

United States: Atlanta, Boston, Dallas, Houston, Kansas City, Los Angeles, Miami, New York/New Jersey, Philadelphia, San Francisco, and Seattle.

FIFA WORLD CUP 2026: FINAL GROUPS
Group A: Mexico, South Africa, South Korea, Czech Republic
Group B: Canada, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Qatar, Switzerland
Group C: Brazil, Morocco, Haiti, Scotland
Group D: United States, Paraguay, Australia, Turkey
Group E: Germany, Curaçao, Ivory Coast, Ecuador
Group F: Netherlands, Japan, Sweden, Tunisia
Group G: Belgium, Egypt, Iran, New Zealand
Group H: Spain, Cape Verde, Saudi Arabia, Uruguay
Group I: France, Senegal, Iraq, Norway
Group J: Argentina, Algeria, Austria, Jordan
Group K: Portugal, DR Congo, Uzbekistan, Colombia
Group L: England, Croatia, Ghana, Panama