World Cup Draw Date and Ghana's Potential Opponents: New 2026 Format Explained
- The Black Stars, along with nine other African nations, have officially booked their place at the 2026 FIFA World Cup
- A total of 28 countries have now secured qualification for the historic tournament, which will be staged across three host nations
- YEN.com.gh takes a closer look at Ghana’s potential opponents, as the expanded 48-team World Cup introduces a brand-new format
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Ghana have officially booked their place at the 2026 FIFA World Cup after a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Comoros secured top spot in Group I.
Mohammed Kudus’ decisive goal ensured the Black Stars joined Algeria, Egypt, Morocco, and Tunisia as Africa’s confirmed representatives for the tournament.
Source: Twitter
Per FIFA, this marks Ghana’s fifth appearance at the global showpiece, with their best run coming in 2010 when they reached the quarter-finals in South Africa before a heartbreaking penalty shootout loss to Uruguay.
The qualification also vindicates the confidence placed in head coach Otto Addo, who faced criticism last year but has now led the team back to the world stage.
Ghana will learn their group-stage opponents on December 5 when the official draw is held at the Kennedy Centre in Washington, where former U.S. President Donald Trump is expected to attend.
Who could Ghana face at the World Cup?
Ghana currently sit 75th in FIFA’s world rankings, which means they are likely to be placed in Pot 3 for the World Cup draw. This placement increases their chances of being grouped with stronger teams such as Argentina, Spain, or France.
Pot 1 will consist of the three host nations, the USA, Canada, and Mexico, along with the top nine-ranked countries that have qualified: Spain, France, Argentina, Portugal, Brazil, the Netherlands, Belgium, and Croatia are currently occupying those top spots.
Pots 2, 3, and 4 will then feature the next 12 best-ranked sides in descending order, ensuring that the groups are balanced and that top teams are kept apart until the knockout stages.
Additionally, teams from the same confederation will not be drawn into the same group, except in the case of Europe, which has more teams (16) than groups. No group will feature more than two European nations.
The final FIFA rankings update, which will determine pot placements, is expected in November.
Source: Getty Images
How the World Cup draw works
The 48 qualified nations will be divided into 12 groups of four teams each, with one team from each of the four pots.
As mentioned earlier, Pot 1 will include the host nations, USA (Group C), Canada (Group B), and Mexico (Group A), along with the nine highest-ranked qualified countries. Pots 2, 3, and 4 will follow based on ranking order.
FIFA explained the reasoning behind this format change on their official website, stating:
“Adopting 12 groups of four was chosen over the option of 16 groups of three teams, based on a thorough review that took into consideration a number of factors, including team and fan experience, player welfare, and sporting integrity.”
The new structure means that the team lifting the trophy on July 19, 2026, will have played eight matches, one more than at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, due to the inclusion of an additional Round of 32.
FIFA also emphasised that the revised format “ensures fair play and that all teams play a minimum of three matches, while providing balanced rest time between competing teams.”
The 2026 World Cup will mark a major expansion, growing from 32 to 48 teams.
Alongside the new Round of 32, the tournament will include the top two teams from each group, plus the eight best third-place finishers.
In total, the number of matches will rise dramatically from 64 to 104, extending the competition from 29 days (as in Qatar 2022) to 39 days for the first time in history.
After the final round of the CAF qualifiers, nine teams confirmed their places at the tournament: Ivory Coast, Senegal, Morocco, Tunisia, Algeria, Egypt, South Africa, Cape Verde, and Ghana.
Meanwhile, as the top runners-up in their respective groups, according to FIFA, Nigeria, Gabon, Cameroon, and DR Congo will compete in a high-stakes play-off in November.
Check out the pairing for Africa's playoff path:
Eight nations barred from World Cup
Earlier, YEN.com.gh reported that eight nations are not allowed to take part in the World Cup qualifiers because FIFA does not officially recognise them.
Some of these countries are trying to gain membership but face major financial and infrastructure challenges.
Source: YEN.com.gh
