Potential Group of Death in the 2026 World Cup: Norway in Pot 3, Italy to Play Playoffs, Four Asian Teams in Pot 2

Four years have passed in the blink of an eye, with the 2026 USA-Canada-Mexico World Cup approaching fast. The draw is scheduled for 1 AM Beijing time on December 6, 2025. Because of the pot system, this tournament will inevitably have some groups of death. Norway, captained by Haaland, is in Pot 3, Italy with four stars faces playoffs, and four Asian teams are in Pot 2.

First, let's look at the full list of teams in the four pots for the 2026 USA-Canada-Mexico World Cup:

• Pot 1 (including the three host nations): Canada, Mexico, USA, Spain, Argentina, France, England, Brazil, Portugal, Netherlands, Belgium, Germany.
• Pot 2 (including four Asian teams): Croatia, Morocco, Colombia, Uruguay, Switzerland,JapanSenegal,Iran, South KoreaEcuador, Austria,Australia.
• Pot 3:NorwayPanama, Egypt, Algeria, Scotland, Paraguay, Tunisia, Ivory Coast, Uzbekistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, South Africa.
• Pot 4 (Italy, Denmark, Sweden, and Turkey must play playoffs): Jordan,Cape VerdeGhana,Curaçao, HaitiNew Zealand, European playoff teams A, B, C, D, and World Cup playoff teams 1, 2.

According to the 2026 World Cup draw rules, each group can have a maximum of two European teams, and the top two FIFA-ranked teams, Spain and Argentina, will not meet before the final.

Norway, led by the prolific scorer Haaland in the European qualifiers, is in Pot 3. Along with strong teams emerging from the European playoffs, many Pot 3 and Pot 4 teams are actually stronger than three of the four Asian teams in Pot 2, except Japan. Meanwhile, there are weaker sides like Cape Verde, Curaçao, and Haiti. The group stage of the expanded 2026 World Cup could see unprecedented high-scoring matches, with strong teams easily dispatching weaker opponents. Essentially, the group stage has become a warm-up, and the real competition will begin with the unprecedented Round of 16.

Predicting the champion is difficult! But the golden boot in 2026 will likely require at least 10 goals! We might witness unprecedented feats like four or five goals in a single match. Time flies—see you at the 2026 World Cup! The World Cup is not only every player's dream but also a source of youthful memories and joy for all fans.