This was decided at the tournament draw held at the Kennedy Center in Washington, where a delegation of the Croatian Football Federation (HNS) took part, led by President Marijan Kustić, alongside Secretary General Tomislav Svetina, First Vice President Ante Vučemilović Šimunović, Head Coach Zlatko Dalić, Technical Director for the A and U-21 teams Stipe Pletikosa, Team Manager Iva Olivari, Spokesperson Tomislav Pacak and Ticket Commissioner Nikša Martinac.
The match schedule with exact locations and kick-off times will be released on Saturday at 18:00 Croatian time, but Croatia will open its World Cup campaign on 17 June against England (Toronto/Dallas), play its next match on 23 Juneagainst Panama (Boston/Toronto), and conclude the group stage on 27 June against Ghana (New York/Philadelphia).
The top two teams from each group, plus the eight best third-placed teams, will advance to the knockout stage. If teams are tied on points, the following criteria apply for ranking: goal difference, goals scored, head-to-head record, fair play, and finally a draw.
The 2026 World Cup - the largest in history - will begin in June and, for the first time, feature a format with 48 teams, an increase from the previous 32 teams used in the last seven tournaments. The 1994 World Cup in the USA was the last to feature 24 teams before FIFA expanded to 32 teams starting with the 1998 tournament in France.
The draw ceremony was hosted by German model Heidi Klum and American entertainer Kevin Hart, and featured appearances by stars such as Rio Ferdinand, Tom Brady, Wayne Gretzky, Aaron Judge, and Shaquille O’Neal. In the musical part of the program, performances were given by Andrea Bocelli, Robbie Williams, Nicole Scherzinger, and Village People.
Here are all the groups from the 2026 World Cup draw:
- Group A: Mexico, South Africa, South Korea, Winner of Denmark/North Macedonia/Czech Republic/Ireland
- Group B: Canada, Qatar, Switzerland, Winner of Italy/Northern Ireland/Wales/Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Group C: Brazil, Morocco, Scotland, Haiti
- Group D: USA, Paraguay, Australia, Winner of Turkey/Romania/Slovakia/Kosovo
- Group E: Germany, Ivory Coast, Ecuador, Curaçao
- Group F: Netherlands, Japan, Tunisia, Winner of Ukraine/Sweden/Poland/Albania
- Group G: Belgium, Egypt, Iran, New Zealand
- Group H: Spain, Cape Verde, Saudi Arabia, Uruguay
- Group I: France, Senegal, Norway, Winner of Bolivia/Surinam/Iraq
- Group J: Argentina, Algeria, Austria, Jordan
- Group K: Portugal, Uzbekistan, Colombia, New Caledonia/Jamaica/Congo
- Group L: England, Croatia, Panama, Ghana
