World Cup 2026: The nightmare draw that could await England | OneFootball

Harry Kane

The World Cup 2026 draw takes place tomorrow. But before it happens, England has reasons to worry.

The draw for the 2026 World Cup will be held this Friday in Washington. It will be a tense moment for Thomas Tuchel, who will experience the "joys" of stress as he waits to see which nations will be grouped with England. Placed in Pot 1, England will avoid all the world’s football powerhouses such as reigning champions Argentina, Brazil, Spain, and France. They also cannot face any of the three host nations: the United States, Canada, or Mexico.

But for England, the worst-case scenario could strike as early as the group stage. Pot 2 is stacked with serious contenders in this edition, and England could end up facing a red-hot Morocco side eager to defend their stunning run to the 2022 semi-finals, where they knocked out Spain and Portugal back-to-back. Luka Modric’s Croatia, determined to make a statement in what could be his last major tournament, and Sadio Mané’s Senegal would be anything but a gift. In Pot 3, drawing Norway would be a nightmare for England, as they could fall victim to a red-hot Erling Haaland, motivated to outshine his Premier League colleagues. As for Pot 4, an Italy or Poland that just scraped through the playoffs would complete what could only be described as a group of death for England.