Death Groups Revealed: Ranking the Most Brutal Battles in the 2026 World Cup Draw

Friday's 2026 FIFA World Cup draw presented challenges for multiple reasons, and when we finally reached the main event, the celebrity 'draw-assistants' managed to create some exciting groups.

42 countries had their potential routes to success in North America outlined at the Kennedy Center, with the remaining six positions to be decided through March's European and inter-continental playoffs.

FIFA's relentless pursuit of growth means the coming tournament will be the largest in the competition's nearly century-long existence. Originally, it was intended for the 48 teams to be sorted into 16 three-team groups, but the excitement that unfolded during the final group stage day in 2022 persuaded FIFA to reconsider and maintain four-team groups.

That surprisingly sensible choice created the possibility for a 'Group of Death' to emerge in North America, an inevitable term in draw discussions, and there are definitely several candidates for the 2026 title.

To identify the 'most difficult' draw at next summer's World Cup, Sports Illustrated calculated the average FIFA world ranking of each group on the day of the overly complex draw. So, let's examine what FIFA considers the 2026 World Cup 'Group of Death'.

Most Challenging Group at the 2026 World Cup

At first glance, Group I appears the most dangerous. France, Senegal and Norway all competing? Intense. Oh, and don't overlook the winner of Inter-Continental Playoff 2 (Bolivia, Suriname or Iraq)!

We chose not to predict who'll advance through each playoff route and calculated the average world ranking for each playoff path, using the participating nations. That number was then used to complete our group difficulty rankings, but Group I, somewhat surprisingly, doesn't top the list.

Rather, the group that will witness Kylian Mbappé and Erling Haaland clash ranks as the joint-second most difficult, alongside England's Group L.

Featuring an average world ranking of 29, L will transport English fans back to the memorable summer of 2018. The Three Lions will battle Panama and Croatia, who defeated them in that tournament's semifinals, plus Ghana for the first time on football's biggest platform.

A more understated group on paper is technically the most challenging. Few would label Group F as deadly, but the Netherlands, Japan and Tunisia all rank within FIFA's top 40. Perhaps crucially, UEFA Playoff B—featuring Ukraine, Sweden, Poland or Albania—is the most difficult pathway, and the qualifying nation will compete in a well-balanced group with an average ranking of 26.

Regarding the USMNT, Mauricio Pochettino will be quite satisfied with his team's opponents on home turf. With an average ranking of 33, Group D is the fifth-most challenging, also including Australia, Paraguay and UEFA Playoff Winner C, which will be one of Türkiye, Romania, Slovakia or Kosovo.

Their group ranks as the most difficult among the three co-hosts, with Canada in a relatively mild Group B with Switzerland, Qatar and UEFA Playoff Winner A (though that could be four-time champions Italy). Mexico will meet South Korea, South Africa and UEFA Playoff Winner D. Canada's Group B is eighth toughest and Mexico's Group A is considered slightly less challenging in ninth.

The allegedly 'simplest' group doesn't appear that way at all on paper. Group E, featuring Germany, Ecuador, African champions Ivory Coast and debut qualifiers Curaçao, has the highest average ranking of 39. The tournament newcomers are contributing significantly to that figure, with Curaçao currently FIFA's 82nd-ranked nation—the second lowest at the tournament.

Every 2026 World Cup Group Ranked by Difficulty

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