Top four seeds kept apart until World Cup semi-finals under new draw format

Next year’s World Cup will feature a historic change to its draw structure, with the top four seeds guaranteed to avoid each other until the semi-finals, provided they win their groups.

FIFA confirmed that Spain, ranked first, will be paired with second-seeded Argentina and placed in opposite halves of the bracket. Third-seeded France and fourth-seeded England will also be paired, preventing England from meeting Spain or Argentina before the semi-finals, and France before the final.

The pairing method, already used in tennis and the new Champions League format, ensures the highest-ranked nations do not clash in the early knockout stages. FIFA used a similar system for the Club World Cup earlier this year.

The development comes ahead of the final draw on Friday, 5 December.

Twelve groups will be drawn, each containing one team from each pot. Co-hosts Mexico, Canada, and the United States will be assigned fixed positions, so they will play all group matches at home.

Confed¬eration restrictions remain in place, with no group allowed more than one team from the same region, except Europe, which has 16 qualifiers across 12 groups.

Fixture order will be known immediately after the draw, but venues and kick-off times will be released a day later on Saturday, 6 December.

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