Canada, ranked twenty seventh on this planet, has been drawn with No. 17 Switzerland, No. 51 Qatar and a yet-to-be decided European workforce in Group B at subsequent summer time’s FIFA World Cup.
The European workforce could possibly be No. 12 Italy, which is collaborating in a European playoff in March together with No. 32 Wales, No. 69 Northern Eire and No. 71 Bosnia and Herzegovina. The Italy-Northern Eire winner will face the Wales-Bosnia victor to see who joins Canada in Group B.
The Canadian males will open play June 12 in Toronto towards the European facet, the workforce drawn from Pot 4, earlier than heading west to Vancouver, the place they may face Qatar (Pot 3) on June 18 after which Switzerland (Pot 2) on June 24. Each Vancouver video games are at B.C. Place Stadium.
The street map for the expanded 48-team event unfolded on the draw on the Kennedy Middle for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C., earlier than a star-studded crowd together with Prime Minister Mark Carney, U.S. President Donald Trump and Mexican president Claudia Sheinbaum, whose three international locations are co-hosting the competitors.
In a shock transfer, all three leaders took the stage for the draw. However they have been solely there to attract their groups, which had already been assigned to particular teams.
Canada is internet hosting 13 of the event’s 104 video games, with seven in Vancouver and 6 in Toronto.
Argentina, Messi to open World Cup
Friday’s draw decided Argentina and Lionel Messi will begin their title protection towards Algeria and the U.S. will open towards Paraguay.
Groups from five-time champion Brazil to newcomers Cape Verde, Curaçao, Jordan and Uzbekistan discovered their group stage opponents within the expanded 48-nation, 104-game event that begins June 11 within the U.S., Canada and Mexico.
The lead-in present was virtually so long as a soccer match, with the precise draw for the expanded 48-nation event beginning within the 87th minute. Balls with workforce names have been plucked by well-known North American athletes Tom Brady, Shaquille O’Neal, Aaron Choose and Wayne Gretzky.
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Three-time champion Argentina opens on June 16 at both Kansas Metropolis, Missouri, or Santa Clara, California. Particular websites for all group stage video games and kickoff instances have been to be introduced Saturday. The Albiceleste then face Austria and Jordan in Group J. Argentina surprisingly misplaced its 2022 opener to Saudi Arabia earlier than happening to win the ultimate over France on penalty kicks.
The U.S., which reached the semifinals on the inaugural World Cup in 1930 and the quarterfinals in 2002, begins Group D towards Paraguay on June 12 in Inglewood, California. The People play Australia six days later at Seattle, then face Turkey, Romania, Slovakia or Kosovo on June 25 again at SoFi Stadium.
The People had friendlies towards Turkey in June and Paraguay final month.
“We all know them however they know us,” U.S. coach Mauricio Pochettino stated. “A very powerful is the evolution and hold bettering.”
Mexico hosts the event opener at Azteca Stadium in Mexico Metropolis on June 11 towards South Africa in Group A, a rematch of the 2010 opener in Johannesburg, a 1-1 draw. El Tri then meets South Korea and closes the primary spherical towards the Czech Republic, Eire, Denmark or North Macedonia.
Forty-two of the groups have been decided and 22 are competing in playoffs for six berths that might be determined March 31.
Winners and second-place nations from the 12 teams advance to the brand new spherical of 32 together with the highest eight third-place groups. All video games from the quarterfinals on might be within the U.S., culminating within the July 19 closing at East Rutherford, New Jersey.
England, which received its solely title in 1966, performs Croatia, Ghana and Panama in Group L, and five-time champion Brazil meets Morocco, Haiti and Scotland in Group C.
High-ranked Spain, the 2010 champion, faces Cape Verde, Saudi Arabia and Uruguay in Group H, whereas four-time champion Germany performs Curaçao, Ivory Coast and Ecuador in Group E.
Two-time champion France begins June 16 towards Senegal at East Rutherford, New Jersey, or Foxborough, Massachusetts. With Les Bleus coming off their first world title, they misplaced to Senegal 1-0 within the 2002 opener. France then faces Bolivia, Iraq or Suriname in Group I.
Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo, like Messi anticipated to play in a document sixth World Cup, has Group Okay matches towards Uzbekistan, Colombia and Congo, Jamaica or New Caledonia. If Portugal and Argentina win their teams, Ronaldo and Messi might meet in a quarterfinal at Arrowhead Stadium.
Different teams embody:
- G: Belgium, Egypt, Iran, New Zealand
- B: Canada, Switzerland, Qatar and Italy, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Wales or Northern Eire
- F: Netherlands, Japan, Tunisia and Sweden, Ukraine, Albania and Poland
No workforce has repeated as champion since Brazil in 1958 and ’62 and solely eight nations have received soccer’s largest prize. Italy has 4 titles and Uruguay two.
—With recordsdata from the Related Press
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