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WC Draw preview RondoGOAL
Tom Hindle and Ryan Tolmich

The Rondo, World Cup draw preview edition: Who needs the friendliest group, who can make noise, and did FIFA get seeding right?

The draw is here. Who needs the easiest group? Who could make a run? And did FIFA’s seeding just tilt the field? GOAL's writers weigh in.

And so it gets real. The World Cup draw feels like an inflection point in every cycle. From the end of the previous tournament - when Lionel Messi lifted the trophy in Qatar - everything has basically been informed guesswork. We knew that some teams would be here as hosts. We could make some solid guesses as to who would join them. And even after qualifying last month yielded (most of) the rest of the field, no one substantively knows very much until the draw.

Now it's here. Starting Friday, we will get a real sense of how this tournament will look. We will know who will play who. We will know if the U.S. are odds on to make a run to the quarters, or could crash out at the group. We will have a good sense if England can really bring football home. 

Still, there are some questions to be asked here. 48 teams is a lot for a World Cup. And FIFA has set up the seeding so that the highest ranked teams are unlikely to face any of their most apparent competition later in the tournament. Sure, this is randomization, but it's not as unpredictable as in years past. Is that a good thing? Or should there be more obstacles? 

GOAL US writers break down the World Cup draw and make some far too early predictions in another edition of... The Rondo.

  • FBL-2024-COPA AMERICA-ARG-CANAFP

    Out of the USA, Mexico and Canada, which team needs a friendly draw?

    Tom Hindle: ALL OF THEM, really. But the Canadians could really do with a good one. Canada manager Jesse Marsch has hammered home the point that they could play a ton of home games if they top their group. If he manifests that, then it'll be a sight to see - but they will certainly need a little luck on the day. 

    Ryan Tolmich: All three would LOVE a friendly draw, but in terms of need? Mexico, probably, simply because they're in a place where pressure and expectations don't really match up with talent and quality. For Mexico, any World Cup where they don't genuinely compete is seen as a failure, so a group stage exit from a Group of Death would be no moral victory. Because of that, a nice waltz into the knockout stage would at least quiet the noise, even if El Tri would likely fall shortly after.

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  • Luis Diaz Colombia 2025Getty

    Who's the team to watch out for if they get a friendly group?

    TH: Norway are the obvious answer, especially considering the fact that Erling Haaland is an evil space demon. But Colombia could be the real tricky one. Every game for them will basically be a home game, and Luis Diaz is in red-hot form. They're a Pot 2 team who could win their group, and you wouldn't bet against them to make a run. 

    RT: Looking at the teams deeper in the pots, it's safe to say no one is going to want to run into Norway. They have the best goalscorer of this generation in Haaland and, when you have that, you can win any game against any team. Because of that, Norway could easily top their group, despite being in Pot 3, and, from there, who knows?

  • Erling Haaland Norway 2025Getty Images

    Which newly qualified teams or long-absent teams are you excited to follow?

    TH: If Ireland manage to qualify, it will be them, especially considering everyone is now a massive Troy Parrott enthusiast! But as for the guys that are already here, why not Curacao? They're a really fun story and play with a real confidence. Will they get battered? Probably. But they won't give up. 

    RT: We've already mentioned Norway, and that's surely one. The other obvious one is Scotland. They haven't been to the World Cup since 1998, with this run ending a six-tournament drought. That's fun! You know their fans will turn up and, given the Premier League-level talent at the squad, they might just be pretty damn competitive, too.

  • South Korea celebrate 2018 World CupGetty

    What is the group stage game you most want to see?

    TH: So many options. It's a real disappointment that England and the U.S. are both in Pot 1, because that would have been TASTY. Let's have Germany-South Korea, if only to repeat a classic match-up. 

    RT: Give us Morocco-Portugal again! The former scored a historic upset over the latter in the quarterfinals in Qatar, so seeing those two teams meet again would no doubt be personal. It would also be fun, too, as there would be plenty of star power on both sides eager to make a run this summer.

  • FBL-WC-2026-PLAYOFF-DRAWAFP

    What do we think of FIFA’s policy that keeps top teams apart early?

    TH: Very, very, very silly. The World Cup NEEDS drama. This is not a suggestion that the draw is rigged, BUT what's the point of literally setting it up so that the best teams get the easiest paths to the final? There should be a mix. Here's to hoping that a big team screw up so badly that they have to face another one in the Round of 32, anyway. 

    RT: We aren't allowed to swear here in the Rondo, so we'll just say it's baloney instead. It cheapens the journey, prevents underdog runs, and shows favoritism to teams that haven't really earned it. It's against everything this competition is about. Get it out of here.

  • Lionel Messi of Argentina lifts the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Winner's TrophyGetty Images

    Are you worried that a 48-team tournament could lead to some blowouts?

    TH: Yeah. That's inevitable. Without naming names, there are some teams here that are simply a step below everyone else. But that's sort of part of the journey. You've got to give some fans something to believe in, or get behind. Does that mean losing 7-0 to Argentina? Perhaps. But being there counts. 

    RT: Sure, but that's okay. Obviously, there's a line, but when you comb through the teams that have qualified, there's no doubt that there are 48 deserving footballing nations in this field. All have some level of quality and professionalism, and all will appreciate the moment that comes with a World Cup. Now, you can't let everyone in, but 48 seems a good number. Please don't go too much further, FIFA.