Advancing in the World Cup isn’t easy, but there is no doubt some teams have it tougher than others every four years.
While FIFA strives to balance each World Cup group by placing teams in different pots ahead of the draw, it isn’t a perfect science. Some groups wind up being stronger than others, at least in the eyes of fans and pundits, while others might be considered weaker, giving a surprise team a seemingly easier path to advancing.
The new 48-team format throws a wrinkle into the search for a “Group of Death.” While the groups are still made up of only four teams, the world’s greatest teams are spread out a bit more evenly, and many groups will see three teams, rather than two, advance to the Round of 32. This has made the 2026 “Group of Death” feel a touch less deadly, so to speak.
Here’s what you need to know about the “Group of Death” at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
MORE: Ranking World Cup groups 1-12 based on difficulty
What is a 'Group of Death'?
While FIFA aims for competitive balance between groups by placing each team in Pot A, B, C or D before the draw, it's impossible to perfectly balance each group.
FIFA rankings, which are the basis for the pots, don't always paint the full picture of a team's strength, while the inclusion of host nations in Pot A can throw off the balance even more. In this World Cup, three host nations are in Pot A: the United States, Canada and Mexico.
The group that is considered the strongest — or, in some cases, the group that is loaded with bigger brands — is often labeled the "Group of Death." For example, England, Argentina, Sweden and Nigeria were all drawn into the same group in 2002, making Argentina the odd team out behind England and Sweden before the knockout stage.
The "Group of Death" label is subjective. FIFA does not set out to create a "Group of Death," and sometimes the label just doesn't fit any particular group in a World Cup. That means fans might disagree on which group can be called the "Group of Death," or whether there is one at all.
Some might ask whether a "Group of Death" matters as much in the 48-team era of the World Cup, as eight of the 12 groups will actually send three teams to the knockout stage. The consequence, of course, is a third-place qualifier for the knockout stage would have to face a group winner in the Round of 32, making the path to a deep run difficult.
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Which World Cup group is the 'Group of Death'?
Under the new format, it might be tough to declare a true “Group of Death.” Perhaps the closest to a “Group of Death” in the 2026 World Cup might be Group I, which includes France, Norway, Senegal and the winner of Playoff 2, which will be either Iraq, Bolivia or Suriname.
France is one of the tournament favorites once again, eight years after winning the title and four years after nearly winning another in a heart-stopping final against Argentina.
France is the clear favorite to win the group, but both Norway and Senegal will be tough competition. Norway has the ninth-shortest odds to win the World Cup despite being a Pot 3 team, while Senegal has the shortest odds to win of any African country other than Morocco. Erling Haaland and Martin Odegaard facing a loaded French team will be appointment television, and France won’t be able to rest easy in its opening match against Senegal, 24 years after falling to Senegal in a World Cup upset.
Iraq, which ranks higher in FIFA’s world rankings than a handful of teams already qualified for the World Cup, would likely be the toughest challenge out of the three teams competing for the final spot in Group I.
Other groups could better qualify as the “Group of Death” in some eyes. Group H features Spain, Uruguay and Saudi Arabia in addition to Cape Verde, while Group L is headlined by England and Croatia along with Ghana and Panama.
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Previous 'Groups of Death' at past World Cups
Modern iterations of the FIFA World Cup rarely have a consensus "Group of Death," which speaks to the effectiveness of the draw. Still, there are a few examples of groups that stand out as more difficult than the rest.
2022 World Cup — Group E
The closest to a "Group of Death" at the 2022 FIFA World Cup was Group E, which featured Japan, Germany, Spain and Costa Rica. While Costa Rica entered as a major underdog, the story entering the group stage was the simple reality that one of Japan, Germany and Spain had to be eliminated before the knockout stage.
Germany came out on the losing end of that trio, suffering elimination before the knockout stage, but there was a brief moment in which it looked like Germany and Spain might both be eliminated. Costa Rica took a 2-1 lead over Germany while Spain trailed Japan, a pair of results that would have left Costa Rica with more points than Spain, but Germany's comeback victory allowed Spain to advance.
Both Spain and Japan were eliminated in the Round of 16, so whether a "Group of Death" can earn that label despite having no teams who reached the quarterfinals is debatable.
2014 World Cup — Group B
In the 2014 World Cup, hosted by Brazil, Spain, Netherlands, Chile, and Australia were all drawn together in the same group.
Australia didn't stand a chance, falling to defeat in all three matches. The battle for the top two spots was fierce, but Spain fell short thanks to multi-goal defeats to both Netherlands and Chile. Netherlands topped the group and went on to reach the semifinals, while Chile finished second but were eliminated by Brazil in the Round of 16.
There was another contender for "Group of Death" in 2014, with Group D boasting England, Italy, Costa Rica, and Uruguay, but England and Italy were both shockingly eliminated at the first stage, proving that the group was tamer than initially believed.
2010 World Cup — Group A
The host bump was real when South Africa, ranked 83rd in the world, was the site of the 2010 World Cup, wrecking the plans that 2006 finalists France had for another positive showing.
The group, which boasted Uruguay and Mexico alongside the hosts and Les Blues, was turned upside down by a stunning showing from the African nation, who only failed to qualify for the knockout stage on goal difference.
Uruguay topped the group with seven points, while Mexico advanced in second place on four points, thanks to a +3 goal-difference advantage over hosts South Africa. France, meanwhile, were beaten by both Mexico and South Africa, seeing them bow out with just a single point. Chaos reigned!
2002 World Cup — Group F
A brutal collection of nations was sorted into Group F in the 2002 World Cup, with England, Argentina, Sweden, and Nigeria all thrown together.
Argentina were the shock losers in this iteration, falling to England and drawing with Sweden, eliminated despite collecting four points. Sweden topped the group but fell short in the Round of 16, while England came in second and reached the quarterfinals before losing to Brazil.
WORLD CUP DRAW BREAKDOWNS:
Group A | Group B | Group C | Group D | Group E | Group F
Group G | Group H | Group I | Group J | Group K | Group L
SN's Kyle Bonn contributed to this report.