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Pool A

This first game at the historic Azteca Stadium will echo the opener from 2010, when South Africa drew 1-1 with Mexico. Mexico's knockout stage history at the global showpiece features just a single win, achieved against Bulgaria when they last were hosts in 1986. Their coach, Javier Aguirre, was a forward in that team and will be targeting a third-ever last-eight berth as hosts. The South African side, led by experienced Belgian manager Hugo Broos, secured their place for their initial finals since they hosted, finishing above Nigeria and Benin despite seeing a win over Lesotho awarded against them for using an ineligible footballer.

This will represent South Korea's 11th successive finals qualification. Legend Hong Myung-bo played in four of those, and finished in third place in the Golden Ball voting when South Korea made the semi-final in 2002. He is now their manager and led them without a loss through a anything but easy qualification group. The fourth team in Group A will be the winner of a UEFA qualifying play-off involving the Czech Republic, Denmark, North Macedonia, or the Republic of Ireland.

Pool B

Canada have made it for the global finals on two occasions and, while Qatar 2022 yielded their maiden goal, it did not deliver their first-ever point. Jesse Marsch is the manager of probably the best group of players in their nation's history, with key men like Jonathan David at Juventus and Alphonso Davies at Bayern Munich. The extent to which favorable the group appears depends mostly on whether Italy progress through the UEFA playoff (the remaining three teams are Bosnia and Herzegovina, Northern Ireland, and Wales).

Following failing to qualify in 1998 and 2002, Switzerland have got through the initial phase in four of the last five World Cups and were quarter-finalists at the past two European Championships. Murat Yakin’s side booked their ticket without defeat from probably the easiest of the UEFA groups and, with veterans like Ricardo Rodriguez and Granit Xhaka, have individuals hoping to feature at their fourth finals. Qatar, having ended up fourth in their third phase qualification group, were given a significant advantage by being selected as a tournament host for the final round and secured qualification with a 2-1 victory over the UAE. Julen Lopetegui’s entire squad is selected exclusively from the Qatari league.

Pool C

Scotland's first finals in 28 years bears a lot like their last appearance, when they were defeated to the Seleção and the Atlas Lions; Haiti occupy the spot of Norway. Their primary objective will be to progress to the elimination stage for the first time after eight prior group-stage exits. Haiti’s sole previous finals, in 1974, was notable less for their three defeats than for the ordeal that befell midfielder Ernst Jean-Joseph who, after failing a doping test, was assaulted by Haitian army officers before being sent back. They will have restricted away support due to a travel ban from the USA.

Carlo Ancelotti took over as Brazil’s third manager in a qualifying process that featured a run of three successive losses, but there is little risk in South American qualifying these days. He has overseen a clear improvement. Last-four participants in Qatar in 2022, Morocco look the strongest of the north African nations, capable both of dominating opponents and playing on the counter-attack, qualifying with a perfect record.

Group D

At the start of last year, the United States seemed in a poor condition, suffering defeats to Panama and Canada in the Concacaf Nations League and to Turkey and Switzerland in friendly matches. But over the past year, Mauricio Pochettino has apparently begun to get his message across and in November the USA beat Paraguay before thrashing Uruguay 5-1 in friendlies. They will begin against the Paraguayan side, who are competing in their 6th World Cup. They have secured one game at each of the prior five, a record that has resulted to both group phase eliminations and a quarter-final place. Their familiar defensive mindset has not changed: they scored only 14 goals in their 18 games in South American qualification.

This is not the most free-flowing Australian team and their roster lacks obvious stars, but in spite of an shaky start to the third phase of Asian qualification, Tony Popovic’s side qualified by defeating Japan at home and Saudi Arabia away under intense pressure in their final two matches. The group’s final team will come from the victor of Europe’s Play-off C (Kosovo, Romania, Slovakia, or Turkey).

Group E

Following back-to-back group-stage eliminations, Die Mannschaft are no longer the feared force of old. The transition to a more progressive philosophy has brought a fragility and the group initially looked like presenting a huge test to Julian Nagelsmann’s side. The Ecuadorian team were the surprise package of qualification, finishing second behind Argentina in South America. Although they scored only 14 goals in 18 games, a defence including Willian Pacho of Paris Saint-Germain and Piero Hincapié of Arsenal, protected by Chelsea’s Moisés Caicedo, let in a paltry five.

Ivory Coast exist in a state of permanent declinism, where nothing is ever quite successful as the glorious generation of 15-20 years ago. But since assuming control during the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations, head coach Emerse Faé has proved transformative. Following an implausible continental success on home soil, Côte d’Ivoire were clinical in qualifying, scoring 25 goals and conceding reply.

The tiniest country ever to qualify, the Curaçao team, were the final team picked, though, making the group look a lot far less intimidating than it could have appeared.

Group F

Ronald Koeman’s Dutch side perhaps do not possess the galacticos of previous Dutch eras, but they secured qualification without losing and Memphis Depay, who scored eight goals in qualification, always looks a more effective player with his country's side than at club level. They open against the Japanese team, who will play in their 8th successive finals, and were by some way the most impressive of the Asian nations in qualifying, suffering one of their 16 games over the two groups, with a combined goal difference of 54-3.

Tunisia made sure of a third straight finals appearance by dominating a straightforward qualifying group, accumulating 28 points of a available 30. Sami Trabelsi’s squad are perhaps not as dour as certain previous Tunisian teams; they had a staggering 14 different scorers in qualifying. If Graham Potter’s Sweden make it through the European play-off (against Ukraine in the semi-final, then either Poland or Albania in the final), that will set up a repeat of the group game in Dortmund in 1974 when Johan Cruyff first executed the iconic Cruyff Turn.

Pool G

The Belgian Red Devils and Egypt are emerging from the shadow of their most talented generations. Rudi Garcia’s Belgium were inconsistent in qualification, scoring the net eight times but conceding five in two wins over Wales, scoring freely at times, but also struggling to a 1-1 draw away to Kazakhstan.

Egypt are the most decorated side in African history, but having failed to reach the finals during their golden period 15-20 years ago, they have never fully fulfilled their potential on the global stage. Mohamed Salah and Omar Marmoush give them cutting edge, but it was a defence that conceded just twice in 10 games that ensured they qualified unbeaten.

A reserved place for Oceania effectively equated to a spot at the finals for the All Whites, who cruised through qualifying, winning five games out of five, scoring 29 goals, nine of them by Chris Wood, but they are the lowest-ranked side to have secured their place in North America next summer. Team Melli, who lost once in a difficult third phase qualification group, are on a list of restricted nations, potentially