FIFA’s decision is in: Julian Nagelsmann will be spared an extremely tough World Cup opener. However, because one rule will not be changed, the DFB team could still end up in a difficult group.
After a long wait, FIFA has officially confirmed it: Julian Nagelsmann doesn’t have to worry about early matchups against the top favorites—Argentina, Spain, and France—with the national team at the World Cup. The DFB squad will be in Pot 1, alongside the best teams, at the draw on December 5 (6:00 p.m. CET) in Washington.
Nevertheless, the DFB team could face tough opponents as early as the group stage of the tournament in the U.S., Mexico, and Canada. Contrary to recent speculation, the world governing body did not introduce a new seeding rule for playoff contenders such as Italy or Denmark. They will end up in Pot 4 at worst.
Thus, a World Cup group featuring Colombia—led by Bayern Munich star Luis Díaz—Egypt with Mohamed Salah, and longtime rival Italy is possible, provided the four-time champion still secures its World Cup berth.
A group featuring Uruguay, Norway—with Erling Haaland—and Ghana would also be a challenge. But considerably easier scenarios are also possible: Iran, Panama, and New Zealand would be one such combination, or a group with Austria and World Cup newcomers Uzbekistan and Curaçao.
For Nagelsmann, however, the priority for now is securing a spot in Pot 1. This means: Brazil, England, the Netherlands, Belgium, Portugal, and the three host nations won’t be potential opponents until the knockout stage at the earliest. This was only secured by the 6-0 victory over Slovakia last week in Leipzig, which also clinched the team’s direct spot in the final tournament.
Völler Relieved About Pot 1
Thanks to the rout of the Slovaks, captain Joshua Kimmich and his teammates finally moved past Italy and now occupy the crucial ninth spot in the November world rankings. “We’re glad we managed to pull it off at the very last minute,” said sporting director Rudi Völler.
After an unusually long wait, FIFA announced the procedure for the grand draw ceremony at the John F. Kennedy Center in the U.S. capital.
One new rule is that defending champions Argentina and European champions Spain, if they finish first in their groups, will not face each other until the final at the earliest. Matchups with France and England are only possible in the semifinals, provided those teams also finish first in their groups. The rule has no impact on the tournament path of the DFB team, which is ranked ninth in the world.
An overview of the draw pots:
Pot 1: Canada, Mexico, USA, Spain, Argentina, France, England, Brazil, Portugal, Netherlands, Belgium, Germany
Pot 2: Croatia, Morocco, Colombia, Uruguay, Switzerland, Japan, Senegal, Iran, South Korea, Ecuador, Austria, Australia
Pot 3: Norway, Panama, Egypt, Algeria, Scotland, Paraguay, Tunisia, Ivory Coast, Uzbekistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, South Africa
Pot 4: Jordan, Cape Verde, Ghana, Curaçao, Haiti, New Zealand, UEFA Playoff A (Italy, Northern Ireland, Wales, Bosnia and Herzegovina), UEFA Playoff B (Ukraine, Sweden, Poland, Albania), UEFA Playoff C (Turkey, Romania, Slovakia, Kosovo), UEFA Playoff D (Denmark, North Macedonia, Czech Republic, Ireland), FIFA Playoff 1 (New Caledonia, Jamaica, Democratic Republic of the Congo), FIFA Playoff 2 (Bolivia, Suriname, Iraq)