The most “agonizing” World Cup draw ceremony, with only the “Haaland showdown” sparking excitement

Written by Han Bing Following the lengthiest World Cup draw ceremony ever, fans at last got the awaited results: despite the 12-group setup guaranteeing most groups would have clear disparities, the encounter between France and Norway brought the hottest topic of the “Haaland showdown.”

Representatives from North America’s four major professional sports leagues — NFL (National Football League), NBA (National Basketball Association), MLB (Major League Baseball), and NHL (National Hockey League) — all took the stage. Combined with interspersed musical performances, especially the famous “YMCA,” and the unusually prominent presence of U.S. President Trump compared to previous World Cup hosts’ leaders, the ceremony felt overly “Americanized.” Much like the ongoing joke about whether football should be called Soccer or Football, it highlighted an awkward American vibe for global football fans.

The only elements that gave fans a traditional football atmosphere were the familiar draw host Heidi Klum, Andrea Bocelli’s “Nessun Dorma,” and Robin Williams. In contrast, Williams and Nicole Scherzinger’s duet of the official World Cup anthem “Desire” clearly failed to ignite fans’ enthusiasm for the draw. The expected stars at the ceremony, such as Kaka and Latin pop queen Shakira, appeared only in promotional videos. Meanwhile, Argentina’s coach Scaloni and Brazilian legend Carlos were interviewed live, though the latter’s answers were not translated into English.

During Lauren Hill’s performance, there was no response from the participating team representatives and guests in the audience—all were eagerly awaiting the draw results, which surprisingly took 90 minutes to reveal just the three host teams’ already known group placements. Ferdinand’s awkward acting in two promotional videos sparked widespread ridicule on social media. His jokes at the start of the draw also led to uncomfortable silences.

The actual draw ceremony was riddled with problems. North American hockey legend Gretzky mispronounced North Macedonia as “North Macadon,” Curaçao as “Kolok,” and even got Jordan wrong, clearly showing he hadn’t prepared adequately. By contrast, New York Yankees legend Jeter’s precise pronunciation only made Gretzky look worse. Netizens joked, “Gretzky reading all the World Cup team names would be the real ‘Group of Death.’”

Fortunately, the final results were eventually revealed, with traditional powerhouses showing little surprise except for France. England was grouped with Panama and Croatia, both of whom they faced in the 2018 World Cup, while Brazil will again face Scotland and Morocco, just like in the 1998 group stage. The opening match opponents Mexico and South Africa swapped roles after 16 years, continuing the World Cup tradition in a surprising coincidence.

With no other thrilling matchups, global media sought alternative storylines. For example, the last two World Cup champions came from Group C, and this time Brazil is also in Group C, just like when they won in 2002. However, betting odds do not support such “mysticism”: after the draw, Spain (5.5) topped the odds, England (6.5) was second, and France, Argentina, and Brazil (all 9) tied for third. It is almost certain Brazil will share a knockout path with either England or France, making coach Ancelotti’s World Cup dreams less optimistic for Brazilian fans.

FIFA altered the schedule for ticket sales and ratings by dividing the 48 teams into four separate “advancement path” brackets, placing the world’s top four ranked teams — Spain, Argentina, France, and England — each in a different quadrant to prevent them from meeting before the semifinals. This further reduced the group stage’s appeal, but fans still got at least one “Group of Death” to watch. Group I contains France, Senegal, Norway, and the winner of Intercontinental Playoff 2 (Bolivia, Suriname, or Iraq), with the clash between top scorers Mbappé and Haaland as the main highlight.

This season, Haaland and Mbappé have been the standout forwards. Haaland, the European World Cup qualifying top scorer, led Norway back to the World Cup after 28 years. Alongside Odegaard and Sorloth, this “golden generation” is expected to achieve Norway’s best-ever World Cup result. Mbappé’s France reached the World Cup final in the last two editions, winning the trophy in 2018 and scoring a hat trick in the 2022 final. The duel between these two global superstars is the only World Cup group stage event drawing worldwide attention.

Senegal, led by Mané, is often called “France’s second team.” In their 2002 World Cup group debut, they defeated defending champions France and reached the quarterfinals; in 2022, they made it to the round of 16. French legend Henry emphasized that matches against former colonial teams have always been tough for France. The perceived weakest of the intercontinental playoff qualifiers, Suriname, is known as the “third Dutch team,” and Iraq ranks just behind DR Congo (58th) in the playoff group world rankings. Teams underestimating them may pay a heavy price.

In Group I, France (ranked 3rd), Senegal (19th), and Norway (29th) all rank within the top 30 globally. France and Senegal are the second-highest ranked teams in Europe and Africa respectively, making this a “Group of Death” by ranking standards. Among the 12 World Cup groups, only Group L also has three teams ranked in the top 30: England (4th), Croatia (10th), and Panama (30th). Ghana (72nd) ranks lower but remains strong, making it arguably the second toughest group after Group I.

If all four seeded teams from the European playoffs qualify, four more groups will feature three teams ranked in the top 30, adding suspense to the group stage. These include Group A: Mexico (15th), South Korea (22nd), Ukraine (28th); Group B: Canada (27th), Italy (12th), Switzerland (17th); Group C: USA (14th), Australia (26th), Turkey (25th); and Group F: Netherlands (7th), Japan (18th), Denmark (21st). Both Group D (with the USA) and Group F (with the Netherlands) have all four teams ranked within the top 40, making them the most competitive “Groups of Death” by ranking — though whether the actual matches will be this tough remains uncertain.