Philly is closer to knowing which World Cup teams will come after a tie

Friday afternoon was the first step in determining which Philadelphia teams will host the 2026 FIFA World Cup, as the preliminary draw for the 12 competitive groups took place – with plenty of glitz and star power – in Washington, D.C.

We won’t have the full picture until tomorrow afternoon, but we do have a low list of 18 teams that could play at Lincoln Financial Field, as well as how steep the U.S. national team’s path through the tournament will be.

The event, held at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in DC, featured Philadelphia’s Heidi Klum and Kevin Hart as MCs and sports greats Shaquille O’Neal, Tom Brady, Wayne Gretzky and Aaron Judge as window decorations. The music was provided by Andrea Bocelli, Lauryn Hill and The Village People. US President Donald Trump received the newly created FIFA Peace Prize.

Back in Philadelphia, a group of local soccer fans gathered for a watch party at Stateside Live!, just steps from Linc Stadium, where six tournament games will be played next summer. They were joined by the governor of Pa. Josh Shapiro and city ​​host committee co-chair Dan Hilferty.

“I think football is going to take over the culture of this city this summer,” Shapiro said event host Anthony Gargano during the event.

Attendees wore T-shirts and gear from many of the teams that will be playing next summer. They had no way of knowing yet which teams would actually play in Philadelphia, which will host five games against teams competing in group play and a round of 16 game scheduled for July 4.

The draw was as follows: the groups that would play in Philadelphia were selected. Some of that includes a placeholder as 22 teams continue to fight for the six remaining spots that will be decided by two playoff series in March.

Group A

• Mexico
• South Africa
• Republic of Korea
• Winner of UEFA Playoff D (between Czech Republic, Denmark, Ireland and North Macedonia)

Group B

Canada

• Winner of UEFA Playoff A (between Bosnia and Herzegovina, Italy, Northern Ireland and Wales)
• Rhinitis
• Switzerland

Group C (Philadelphia Games)

• Brazil
• Morocco
• Haiti
• Scotland

Group D

• USA
• Paraguay
• Australia
• Winner of UEFA Playoff C (between Kosovo, Romania, Slovakia and Turkey)

Group E (Philadelphia Games)

• Germany
• Curacao
• Ivory Coast
• Ecuador

Group F

• Netherlands
• Japan
• UEFA Playoff B winner (Albania, Poland, Sweden and Ukraine)
• Tunisia

Group G

• Belgium
• Egypt
• IR Iran
• New Zealand

Group H

• Spain
• Republic of Cape Verde
• Saudi Arabia
• Uruguay

Group I (Philadelphia Games)

• France
• Senegal
• Winner of FIFA Playoff 2 (between Bolivia, Iraq and Suriname)
• Norway

J Group

• Argentina
• Algeria
• Austria
• Jordan

Group K

• Portugal
• FIFA Playoff 1 Winner (between Democratic Republic of the Congo, Jamaica and New Caledonia)
• Uzbekistan
• Colombia

Group L (Philadelphia Games)

• England
• Croatia
• Ghana
• Panama

Once the draw is complete, FIFA will work through the night to finalize the tournament’s 104-match schedule – the most in its history – and announce it at noon tomorrow.

As you can see above, teams from Groups C, E, I and L could play here. This includes Brazil, the 1966 World Cup winners, England and Morocco, who came to the city – along with their devoted fans – for the FIFA Club World Cup last summer.

Other possibilities: four-time World Cup champions Germany and two-time winners France, along with perennial contenders Senegal, Croatia and Ghana, as well as a team from Norway that features one of the world’s most prolific goalscorers, Manchester City’s Erling Haaland.

There may also be a weaker surprise from Panama, Haiti, Scotland, Ecuador, debutant Curacao and the eventual play-off winner. This was certainly the hope of some participants at the event in the United States.

“Everyone has their own stake”

Mount Airy resident Steve Jules was born in Haiti, which had qualified for the World Cup only once before, in 1974. Jules said that attending a World Cup match would be a lifelong dream come true – especially if it was in Philadelphia.

“It’s good to see soccer in Philadelphia and to see that we have such a voracious, hungry scene that wants to support soccer and show love for it,” he said.

It is worth noting that these are Haiti and Iran both are currently subject to a blanket travel ban imposed by the Trump administration. How will this be consistent with FIFA and the administration? initiative to prioritize visits to the US for World Cup ticket holders is unknown.

The Club World Cup showed that the most passionate fans did not necessarily come from the most recognizable teams with the biggest stars in football – although names more often seen on billboards and in video games helped fill Linc’s spots on match days.

“Everyone contributes to humanity,” said Michael Newmuis, city manager for 2026. “Every major event is about much more than just big results, but [about] uniting people. It’s about a shared experience and no matter where you come from, what country you come from or what language you speak, we all have that in common. And that’s where this opportunity lies.”

The U.S. national team can’t have too many complaints about the result of Group D, which can be modestly described as familiar and arrogantly dismissed as relatively effortless.

“I don’t think we could have asked for a better draw,” said Nick Custodio, vice president of the Philadelphia chapter of the USA supporters group. American bandits. “We avoided some of the trap games there like Norway and Italy. So I think we’re very solid.”

The U.S. team will first face Paraguay, a team it defeated 2-1 in a “friendly” match at Chester’s Subaru Park last month, on Friday, June 12 in Los Angeles. They will also face Australia, who they defeated in October. Finally, there is the winner of UEFA Playoff C – either Kosovo, Romania, Slovakia or Türkiye. Türkiye is the highest rated of all potential opponents and he defeated the USA in June.

However, USMNT and Bournemouth midfielder Tyler Adams said he is not taking any opponent for granted.

“The World Cup is not an easy match. In fact, I think some of the most difficult matches in the last World Cup were against weaker opponents,” he said. “For us, if we go forward, we have to prepare the right way. But it’s nice to know that we’ve played some of these opponents before.”

Coach Mauricio Pochettino and his team had to instill a sense of competitiveness and nervousness in the team so as not to become complacent in exhibition matches, not having to take part in qualifying for the tournament because they are co-hosts. Part of that was the performances of teams like Paraguay in Turkey and Uruguaywho never really play with the exhibition mindset.

“They were sociable, although not very friendly,” said Charlotte FC defender Tim Ream, one of the veterans of the national team. “And now add to that the increased aggression and experience of the World Cup, and all of them being finals, all of them now mean something. Everything will increase exponentially.”

To advance from the group stage, the USMNT must finish in the top three of its group. Finishing first or second in the group would eliminate them from playing in Philadelphia on the Fourth of July. Two of the three third-place scenarios that send them to New York or Boston instead of Kansas City in the round of 16 could come with a game in Philadelphia on the nation’s 250th birthday.