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Pool A

The opening fixture at the iconic Azteca Stadium will replay the opener from 2010, when South Africa tied 1-1 with El Tri. Mexico's elimination phase history at the worldwide tournament includes just one victory, secured against Bulgaria when they previously were hosts in 1986. The coach, Javier Aguirre, was a forward in that team and will be aiming for a third-ever last-eight appearance as hosts. The South African side, led by veteran Belgian tactician Hugo Broos, qualified for their first finals since they hosted, ending above Nigeria and Benin even after having a win over Lesotho given against them for using an ineligible player.

This will represent Korea Republic's 11th consecutive finals appearance. Legend Hong Myung-bo featured in four of those, and finished third in the Best Player award when South Korea reached the semi-final in 2002. Hong is now their manager and led them unbeaten through a far from straightforward qualification group. The final team in Group A will be the winner of a UEFA qualifying play-off featuring the Czech Republic, Denmark, North Macedonia, or the Republic of Ireland.

Pool B

The Canadian team have qualified for the World Cup on two occasions and, while Qatar 2022 yielded their maiden goal, it did not deliver their first point. Jesse Marsch is the manager of arguably the most talented group of players in their nation's history, with key men like Jonathan David at Juventus and Alphonso Davies at Bayern Munich. How kind the group looks depends mostly on whether the Italian national team make it through the European play-off (the other 3 contenders are Bosnia and Herzegovina, Northern Ireland, and Wales).

Following failing to qualify in 1998 and 2002, the Swiss have navigated the group stage in four of the last five tournaments and were quarter-finalists at the past two European Championships. Murat Yakin’s side qualified without defeat from arguably the easiest of the UEFA qualifying groups and, with experienced campaigners like Ricardo Rodriguez and Granit Xhaka, have players hoping to play at their fourth finals. The Qatari team, having ended up in fourth in their third-round qualification section, were handed a significant advantage by being selected as a tournament host for the final round and clinched qualification with a 2-1 victory over the UAE. Julen Lopetegui’s entire squad is selected entirely from the domestic league.

Pool C

Scotland's first World Cup in 28 years bears a lot like their previous outing, when they were defeated to Brazil and Morocco; the Haitian team occupy the spot of Norway. Their aim will be to make it to the knockout phase for the first time after eight previous group-stage eliminations. Haiti’s only prior World Cup, in 1974, was notable less for their three losses than for the ordeal that happened to midfielder Ernst Jean-Joseph who, after failing a drugs test, was assaulted by Haitian army officers before being sent back. They will have restricted away support due to a travel ban involving the USA.

Carlo Ancelotti became Brazil’s third manager in a qualifying campaign that featured a run of three successive losses, but there is minimal jeopardy in South American qualification these days. He has overseen a noticeable upturn in form. Semi-finalists in Qatar in 2022, Morocco appear the strongest of the north African sides, capable both of overwhelming opponents and playing on the counter-attack, securing qualification with a 100% record.

Pool D

Early last year, the United States seemed in a poor condition, suffering defeats to Panama and Canada in the Concacaf Nations League and to Turkey and Switzerland in friendly matches. But over the last year, Mauricio Pochettino has apparently begun to get his ideas across and in November the USA beat Paraguay before thrashing Uruguay 5-1 in friendlies. They will begin against Paraguay, who are playing in their 6th World Cup. They have won one game at each of the prior five, a record that has resulted to both group phase eliminations and a last-eight appearance. Their familiar cautious mindset hasn't changed: they managed only 14 goals in their 18 games in South American qualification.

This is not the most free-flowing Australia team and their roster lacks obvious superstars, but despite an iffy beginning to the third round of Asian qualification, Tony Popovic’s side qualified by defeating Japan at home and Saudi Arabia away under intense pressure in their final two fixtures. The group’s fourth team will come from the winner of Europe’s Play-off C (Kosovo, Romania, Slovakia, or Turkey).

Pool E

After back-to-back group-stage exits, Die Mannschaft are no longer the bogeymen of old. The transition to a more progressive philosophy has introduced a fragility and the draw initially looked like presenting a massive challenge to Julian Nagelsmann’s side. The Ecuadorian team were the surprise package of qualification, finishing in second place behind Argentina in South America. Although they scored only 14 goals in 18 games, a backline featuring Willian Pacho of Paris Saint-Germain and Piero Hincapié of Arsenal, protected by Chelsea’s Moisés Caicedo, let in a mere five.

Côte d’Ivoire exist in a state of constant declinism, where nothing is ever as good as the golden generation of 15-20 years ago. But since assuming control during the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations, head coach Emerse Faé has proved inspirational. After an implausible continental triumph on home soil, Côte d’Ivoire were ruthless in qualification, scoring 25 goals and conceding none.

The smallest country ever to qualify, the Curaçao team, were the fourth team picked, however, making the group look a lot less daunting than it could have been.

Group F

Ronald Koeman’s Dutch side perhaps do not possess the galacticos of past Dutch generations, but they qualified without losing and Memphis Depay, who scored eight goals in qualification, always looks a more reliable player with his country's side than at domestic level. They open against the Japanese team, who will participate in their eighth successive World Cup, and were by far the most dominant of the Asian nations in qualifying, suffering one of their 16 games across the two phases, with a total goal difference of 54-3.

Tunisia made sure of a third consecutive World Cup berth by dominating a straightforward qualification group, picking up 28 points of a possible 30. Sami Trabelsi’s squad are perhaps not as defensive as certain previous Tunisian teams; they had a remarkable 14 different scorers in qualification. If Graham Potter’s Sweden make it through the European play-off (against Ukraine in the semi, then either Poland or Albania in the final), that will create a rematch of the group stage game in Dortmund in 1974 when Johan Cruyff first executed the iconic Cruyff Turn.

Pool G

The Belgian Red Devils and the Pharaohs are emerging from the legacy of their most talented generations. Rudi Garcia’s Belgium were erratic in qualifying, finding the net eight times but letting in five in two wins over Wales, scoring freely at times, but also struggling to a 1-1 draw away to Kazakhstan.

Egypt are the most decorated side in African football history, but having not managed to qualify during their golden period 15-20 years ago, they have never quite fulfilled their potential on the global stage. Mohamed Salah and Omar Marmoush give them attacking threat, but it was a defence that conceded only twice in 10 games that meant they qualified unbeaten.

A reserved place for Oceania effectively meant a spot at the finals for New Zealand, who cruised through qualification, winning five games out of five, netting 29 goals, nine of them by Chris Wood, but they are the lowest-ranked side to have booked their place in North America next summer. Team Melli, who lost once in a difficult third phase qualifying group, are on a list of restricted nations, potentially