World Cup 2026: Draw rule change could keep England and France apart until final (and protect the Three Lions)

FIFA have announced another change for the 2026 World Cup. According to the BBC, football's governing body have determined that the four highest-ranked countries will not be able to face each other until the semi-finals of next year's World Cup.

With the announcement, Spain (top seeds) and Argentina (second seeds) will be placed in groups in opposite halves of the bracket. Meanwhile, France (third seeds) and England (fourth seeds) will also be paired, which means England will not be able to face Spain or Argentina until the semi-finals, and France until the final.

According to the English newspaper, the rule will only apply if all four countries win their groups. When two teams are paired, they are placed in opposite halves of the knockout bracket and cannot face each other until the final.

Still according to the publication, FIFA want to ensure that the highest-ranked countries do not face each other in the early knockout stages, thus avoiding exciting matches at the start of the tournament.

How will the World Cup draw work?

The group draw that will determine each nation's opponents at the World Cup will take place on 5th December at the Kennedy Center in Washington at 6pm (UK time).

The 2026 World Cup will be the first with 48 nations competing for the world championship title. With this, FIFA will divide the total teams into 12 groups, formed by four participants each.

In the initial phase, each nation will face another from their own group. The top two qualify directly. The eight best third-placed teams will also advance to the next phase, guaranteeing 32 qualified teams.

As soon as a team is drawn, they will be allocated to the first available group in alphabetical order. The draw system will ensure that Spain, Argentina, France and England are placed in groups in the correct section of the bracket.

In a change from previous draw procedures, countries will not be drawn according to the position they occupy in their groups.

The seeded countries will all go to the first position, with a predetermined random table defining how all other countries will fit into the group to create the matches.

No group can have more than one country from the same confederation.

This article was originally published on Trivela.