Group of Death? Ranking Every Group from Easiest to Hardest
With 12 groups in the expanded format, the variance in difficulty is significant. We rank every group and identify the potential giant-killers.
The expanded 48-team format means 12 groups of varying difficulty. Here's our ranking from easiest to hardest:
12. Group C
— Brazil should cruise. The battle for second between Morocco, Scotland, and Haiti is intriguing but one-sided.
11. Group K
— Portugal and Colombia are clearly superior to DR Congo and Uzbekistan. The top two are essentially decided.
10. Group L
— England and Croatia should advance comfortably. Ghana can threaten, but Panama will struggle.
9. Group G
— Belgium and Egypt are the class of this group. Iran's defensive style makes them frustrating opponents, but their attacking limitations will cost them.
8. Group J
— Argentina should win, but Austria under Rangnick are dangerous. Algeria can compete. Jordan are debutants.
7. Group E
— Germany must avoid another group stage disaster. Ecuador and Côte d'Ivoire are both capable of springing surprises. Curaçao's debut is the feel-good story.
6. Group A
— Mexico's home advantage is significant, but Korea Republic are a genuine threat. Czechia are well-organized. South Africa can frustrate.
5. Group B
— Switzerland's consistency vs Canada's home energy vs Bosnia's Balkan flair. The most unpredictable group.
4. Group H
— Spain vs Uruguay is the group stage's best stylistic clash. Saudi Arabia are improving. Cabo Verde debut.
3. Group F
— Netherlands, Japan, Sweden, and Tunisia. Every match is competitive. No easy games. The truest "group of death" in terms of balance.
2. Group D
— USA's home expectations, Türkiye's young stars, Australia's grit, and Paraguay's defensive organization. Four teams with very different strengths.
1. Group I
— France, Norway (Haaland!), Senegal, and Iraq. Three teams that could reasonably expect to reach the knockout stage. The group of death.