How the 2026 World Cup pots look today and Argentina’s possible opponents | OneFootball

Just a few months before the 48-team competition begins, let's review who would be qualifying, the seeded teams, and which teams the Albiceleste could face.

The 2026 World Cup is getting closer and while the Argentine team finished the Conmebol qualifiers quite early, other continents are still in the defining stage. So far, only 18 teams have secured their spot. Nevertheless, there is an overview of how the pots would be arranged and the possible rivals for the Albiceleste.

Keep in mind that in this edition there will be 48 teams divided into 12 groups of four. The top two will advance along with the 8 best third-placed teams to form a round of 32. How are the groups defined? By draw from four pots in which the teams will be organized according to the ranking.

The teams in the first pot will be the seeded ones, which include the three hosts and Argentina, along with other powerhouses. Therefore, those led by Lionel Scaloni should look at the other two pots to know who they could face.

In pot 2, there are teams of caliber such as Colombia, Uruguay, Switzerland, Senegal, and even Japan. A priori, the strongest rival for the group heads would come from there. Meanwhile, from pot 3 the level drops and there are teams that have been a surprise in these qualifiers, such as Paraguay, in Conmebol, or North Macedonia, in UEFA. Also, historic teams like Ivory Coast or Algeria are included.

Finally, the remaining pot is the one that raises the most doubts because today there would be humble teams, like Jamaica, Cape Verde, and Suriname, but those from the playoff round are still missing. Two spots will be for those who will play the new playoff in Mexico next year, among which is Bolivia, but the other four places are for the Europeans and some powerhouses could appear.

Today, very historic teams like Italy, Germany, Belgium, Sweden, and even Poland are missing out on the tournament. Any of these, if they finally go to a playoff, could fall into pot 4 and would become a team to avoid in the draw.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇪🇸 here.