Fifa announces major change to World Cup draw that could benefit England

The World Cup draw will introduce a Wimbledon-style seeding format at next summer’s tournament, which means England would avoid Spain, Argentina and France until the semi-finals if all those countries top their groups.

Fifa has announced a major change to the World Cup format ahead of the December 5 draw, with the top two teams in the Fifa rankings placed on opposite sides of the draw, along with the third and fourth-ranked sides.

Those are Spain, Argentina, France and England. They will be kept apart from each other in the 32-team knockout phase, meaning that - if they win their groups - World Cup holders Argentina will not be able to play European champions Spain until the final. By extension, the same applies to France and England, who met in the quarter-finals of the previous World Cup in 2022.

Fifa said the introduction of seeding has been made to “ensure competitive balance” ahead of the first ever 48-team World Cup, which will feature an extended knockout stage.

England have been placed in Pot 1 of the World Cup draw, which will take place on Friday December 5 in Washington DC, with Scotland in Pot 3. Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland and Wales, who are all in the play-offs, would be in Pot 4 if they qualify.

Fifa also said the World Cup match schedule, including stadiums and kick-off times, would be confirmed on Saturday 6 December.

Pot 1: Canada, Mexico, USA, Spain, Argentina, France, England, Brazil, Portugal, Netherlands, Belgium, Germany

Pot 2: Croatia, Morocco, Colombia, Uruguay, Switzerland, Japan, Senegal, IR Iran, Korea Republic, Ecuador, Austria, Australia

Pot 3: Norway, Panama, Egypt, Algeria, Scotland, Paraguay, Tunisia, Côte d’Ivoire, Uzbekistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, South Africa

Pot 4: Jordan, Cabo Verde, Ghana, Curaçao, Haiti, New Zealand, European Play-Off A, B, C and D, FIFA Play-Off Tournament 1 and 2