Which countries could Cristiano Ronaldo, Portugal face at the FIFA World Cup 2026 group stage?

The soccer world eagerly awaits December 5th to learn how the groups for the 2026 FIFA World Cup will be structured. Here is a breakdown of the possible rivals that Cristiano Ronaldo and Portugal could face in their group.

This edition of the World Cup will be historic, as it will feature 48 nations competing for the coveted trophy, up from the traditional 32. To form the groups, all qualified nations will be divided into four pots based on their FIFA World Ranking classification. Cristiano Ronaldo and his teammates are in Pot 1 and will be seeded in their group.

Portugal will not be drawn against any other nation in Pot 1 (top seeds), which includes the three host nations—Mexico, United States, and Canada—and the other top-ranked teams like Spain, France, England, Brazil, Argentina, Germany, and the Netherlands.

A key rule in the World Cup draw is that FIFA does not allow two nations from the same confederation to be placed in the same group. However, UEFA is the only exception: since there are 16 qualified European teams filling 12 groups, four groups will necessarily contain two European teams.

Potential group rivals for Portugal

The groups for the 2026 FIFA World Cup will be composed of one team from each pot, while adhering to the rules that prohibit nations from the same confederation from sharing a group, with the exception of UEFA.

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In this way, there is a possibility that Portugal will have one European team within their group. Cristiano Ronaldo and company could face any team from each pot, but if one UEFA nation is drawn, there cannot be another from the same confederation in their group.

These are all the nations that will participate in the World Cup, divided into their respective pots:

Pot 2

• Croatia
• Morocco
• Colombia
• Uruguay
• Switzerland
• Japan
• Senegal
• Iran
• South Korea
• Ecuador
• Austria
• Australia

Pot 3

• Norway
• Panama
• Egypt
• Algeria
• Scotland
• Paraguay
• Tunisia
• Ivory Coast
• Uzbekistan
• Qatar
• Saudi Arabia
• South Africa

Pot 4

• Jordan
• Cape Verde
• Ghana
• Curaçao
• Haiti
• New Zealand
• European Playoff 1
• European Playoff 2
• European Playoff 3
• European Playoff 4
• Intercontinental Playoff 1
• Intercontinental Playoff 2