With 48 nations spread across 12 groups, the 2026 FIFA World Cup group stage contains more matches than any previous edition of the tournament. The format change has brought fresh matchups, new rivalries on a global stage, and a draw that has thrown up several fixtures that football fans across the world will have circled since the groups were confirmed.
Whether you’re following the tournament from home or already planning to bet on FIFA World Cup 2026, the group stage promises several standout clashes that go well beyond the usual opening-round fare. Here are the fixtures that should not be missed.
Brazil vs Morocco – Group C
Brazil and Morocco have never met at a World Cup, yet this has the look of one of the group stage’s defining clashes. Morocco arrived at the 2022 tournament in Qatar and reached the semi-finals, becoming the first African side in history to do so. They eliminated Spain and Portugal along the way, and that squad has largely stayed together.
Brazil, meanwhile, have gone 24 years without lifting the trophy and enter this tournament with a point to prove after their quarter-final exit in 2022. The Selecao have genuine attacking threats throughout, and a Morocco defence that held some of the world’s best will make for a serious examination. This one has the feel of a last-16 fixture, not a group opener.
France vs Norway – Group I
France are currently the number one-ranked team by FIFA and the favourites to win the tournament, and their Group I assignment looked straightforward on the surface until Norway’s name came out of the pot. Erling Haaland has transformed Norway into a team no side wants to face in the group stage, and Les Bleus will know that a slip here could make life complicated.
Norway have never beaten France at a major international tournament, but Haaland arrives at this World Cup after an extraordinary run of club form and with something to prove on the international stage. France still have the squad depth to handle it, but this is the fixture in Group I that will determine the pecking order before the knockout rounds come into view.
Argentina vs Austria – Group J
Argentina head into this tournament as world champions and have every right to believe another title is possible. Their Group J assignment features Austria as the standout challenge, a side who have developed considerably under Ralf Rangnick and topped their European qualifying group ahead of some well-established nations.
Lionel Messi will almost certainly play his final World Cup at this tournament, and fixtures like this one come loaded with expectation. Austria will press high, disrupt, and look to make Argentina uncomfortable, and with the world watching, this has all the ingredients of a group stage surprise waiting to happen. Anyone following football betting oddsaround the tournament will already have noticed the attention this fixture is drawing.
Netherlands vs Japan – Group F
Japan have become one of the most watchable sides in international football over the past few years. They beat Germany and Spain at the 2022 World Cup and have consistently punched above their weight against the higher-ranked nations. The Netherlands are a different kind of challenge, a physical, well-organised side with genuine quality in the final third, but this fixture has upset written all over it.
For the Dutch, a stumble against Japan would throw Group F wide open and potentially reshape their path through the tournament. Japan will come prepared, well-drilled, and with no fear. For a neutral, it’s one of the most compelling group stage matchups on paper.
England vs Croatia – Group L
These two sides met in the semi-final of the 2018 World Cup, when Croatia came from behind to eliminate England 2-1 after extra time. They also met in the Euro 2020 group stage, where a Raheem Sterling goal settled things in England’s favour. There is history between these nations, and it carries into this World Cup meeting.
Croatia’s squad is ageing, and this may be the last major tournament for several of their key players, but they have shown at previous tournaments that they can produce when it counts. England will be expected to progress from Group L with little trouble, yet the Croatia fixture is the one they will prepare for most carefully. The storyline writes itself.
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