England start World Cup against Croatia, Scotland to face Brazil

Harry Poole

BBC Sport journalist

49 minutes ago

148 Comments

England will begin their World Cup 2026 campaign against Croatia, while Scotland have been drawn alongside Brazil at next summer’s tournament.

Thomas Tuchel’s England will open their tournament in Dallas or Toronto on 17 June, before also facing Ghana and Panama in Group L.

Scotland’s first match at the men’s World Cup for 28 years will be against Haiti on 13 June, in Boston or New York, followed by matches against Morocco and Brazil in Group C.

Wales or Northern Ireland would join Canada, Qatar and Switzerland in Group B, should either come through two rounds of Uefa play-off matches in March.

The Republic of Ireland could meet Mexico, South Africa and South Korea if they qualify.

The first-ever 48-team World Cup will be held in Canada, Mexico and the United States between 11 June and 19 July 2026.

Where and when each nation will play their matches will be confirmed in a separate draw which takes place on Saturday at 17:00 GMT, but there is some certainty at this stage.

Mexico will take on South Africa at Estadio Azteca in the opening match of the expanded tournament, which will involve 104 matches taking place across 16 cities.

In a major change to the draw, the top four nations in the Fifa world rankings – Spain, Argentina, France and England – have been awarded special seedings which ensure they cannot meet until the semi-finals, assuming each wins their group.

England, who achieved a flawless qualifying campaign with eight straight wins, could meet the winner of Brazil’s group in the quarter-finals.

If they win their group, the Three Lions will face one of the eight best-performing third-placed sides in the first round of knockout matches.

Drawn from pot three, Scotland must face Fifa’s fifth and 11th best-ranked nations in Brazil and Morocco as they look to reach the knockout stage at their first men’s World Cup since 1998.