3 months ago
WASHINGTON -- Argentina and Lionel Messi will begin their World Cup title defense against Algeria, while the U.S. was drawn to open against Paraguay as soccer's quadrennial championship returns to North America for the first time since 1994.
Three-time champion Argentina will also face Austria and Jordan in Group J of the expanded 48-nation, 104-game tournament, which will be held across 11 NFL stadiums in the U.S., plus three venues in Mexico and two in Canada.
The draw ceremony featured U.S. President Donald Trump receiving a peace prize awarded by FIFA, and team names were drawn from balls held by famous North American athletes including Tom Brady, Shaquille O'Neal, Aaron Judge, and Wayne Gretzky.
The U.S., which reached the semifinals at the inaugural World Cup in 1930 and the quarterfinals in 2002, will start Group D against Paraguay on June 12 in Inglewood, California. The Americans will then play Australia six days later in Seattle, followed by a match against Turkey, Romania, Slovakia, or Kosovo on June 25 back at SoFi Stadium.
"Full respect," U.S. coach Mauricio Pochettino said of the Americans' group stage opponents. "But yes, believing that we can go through, but we need to perform. We need to evolve and be better every time that we are together."
Mexico was drawn to open on June 11 in Mexico City against South Africa in Group A, which also includes South Korea and the winner of playoff games among the Czech Republic, Ireland, Denmark, and North Macedonia. When South Africa hosted the tournament in 2010, it opened against Mexico and tied 1-1. South Africa then became the first host country to fail to advance from the group stage.
Forty-two teams have already qualified, while 22 are competing in playoffs for six remaining berths to be decided by March 31.
The winners and runners-up from the 12 groups will advance to the new round of 32, along with the top eight third-place teams. All matches from the quarterfinals onward will be held in the U.S., culminating in the final on July 19 in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
Specific venues for all group stage games and kickoff times were scheduled to be announced on Saturday.
England, which won its only title in 1966, will face Croatia, Ghana, and Panama in Group L, while five-time champion Brazil will meet Morocco, Haiti, and Scotland in Group C.
Top-ranked Spain, the 2010 champion, will play Cape Verde, Saudi Arabia, and Uruguay in Group H, while four-time champion Germany faces Curaçao, Ivory Coast, and Ecuador in Group E.
Two-time champion France will play Senegal, Norway, Bolivia, and either Iraq or Suriname in Group I — notably, Senegal defeated defending champion France 1-0 in the 2002 opener. Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo, like Messi expected to participate in a record sixth World Cup, will compete in Group K against Uzbekistan, Colombia, and Congo, Jamaica, or New Caledonia.
Other groups include:
G: Belgium, Egypt, Iran, New Zealand
B: Canada, Switzerland, Qatar, and Italy, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Wales, or Northern Ireland
F: Netherlands, Japan, Tunisia, and Sweden, Ukraine, Albania, and Poland
No team has repeated as champion since Brazil in 1958 and 1962, and only eight nations have won soccer's biggest prize. Italy has four titles, and Uruguay has two.
Cape Verde, Curaçao, Jordan, and Uzbekistan are making their tournament debuts. Curaçao is the smallest nation by population to qualify, an autonomous territory of about 156,000 people within the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
During the ceremony at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Trump, Mexico City Mayor Claudia Sheinbaum, and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney each selected the balls representing their countries from bowls. The lead-in show lasted nearly as long as a soccer match, with the actual draw for the expanded 48-nation tournament starting in the 87th minute.
On a wintry day with snow falling, soccer officials and celebrities filled the hall, 189 days before the tournament's start.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino presented Trump with a large gold-colored peace prize trophy and a gold medal hanging from a blue ribbon, which Trump wore around his neck. Standing beside Trump, Infantino offered high praise.
"This is truly one of the great honors of my life," Trump said.
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