Ireland will be bottom seeds if they qualify for World Cup
James Cox
The Republic of Ireland will be bottom seeds if they qualify for the 2026 World Cup in North America.
The six playoff winners will be in Pot Four for next Friday's group-stage draw, as will Roberto Lopes' Cape Verde.
Scotland, who qualified automatically last week, will be in Pot Three for the draw.
Heimir Hallgrímsson's team face a playoff semi-final against the Czech Republic in Prague on March 26th. If the Boys in Green get through that test, the reward is a playoff final against Denmark or North Macedonia in the Aviva Stadium on March 31st.
The World Cup draw is on Friday week at the Kennedy Center in Washington DC, at 5pm Irish time.
Spain cannot meet Argentina and France will not face England before the World Cup final — provided they win their groups — after Fifa announced the new draw procedure.
The rule aims to maintain competitive balance in the expanded 48-team format, ensuring the top-ranked team (Spain) and number two (world champions Argentina) are in opposite halves of the bracket, with the same applying to number three (France) and number four (England).
The top four seeded countries will not be able to meet until the semi-finals for the first time in the tournament's historyif those teams win their groups.
Hosts Canada, Mexico and the US are in Pot 1 which includes Spain, Argentina, France, England, Brazil, Portugal, Netherlands, Belgium and Germany.
Pot 2 has Croatia, Morocco, Colombia, Uruguay, Switzerland, Japan, Senegal, Iran, South Korea, Ecuador, Austria and Australia.
Pot 3 will include Norway, Panama, Egypt, Algeria, Scotland, Paraguay, Tunisia, Ivory Coast, Uzbekistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and South Africa.
Pot 4 will be Jordan, Cape Verde, Ghana, Curacao, Haiti, New Zealand, and the winners from the European playoff A, B, C and D, and the Fifa Play-Off tournament 1 and 2.
