Which World Cup group is the group of death in 2026 and who goes out?

[TheRock]

With 48 teams and 12 groups of four, the group stage structure is different from any previous tournament. The top two from each group advance automatically plus the eight best third-placed teams across all groups. That changes the mathematics of the group of death concept significantly - third place is now a viable route through in a way it never was with 32 teams. Which group do you think is the hardest draw and which big team is most likely to go out early?

[Gareth5]

Group D looks brutal on paper: Portugal, Mexico as host nation and potentially Croatia or Uruguay depending on the draw. Portugal in their prime years, Mexico with home support and extreme crowd pressure, and Croatia who always make tournaments difficult. Getting through that group at all requires winning two games against quality opposition

[Baz]

The host nation pressure is the X factor the group stage draw cannot account for. Mexico, USA and Canada all have home advantage but that creates enormous weight of expectation. USA in 2002 reached the quarter-finals at home. Mexico historically underperforms in the knockout rounds despite home support. The pressure is real

[ThreadNecro]

Argentina are the big team I am most nervous about going out early. They are defending champions but they are in transition, Messi is not the guaranteed 90-minute player he was and the squad is being rebuilt around Alvarez and Martinez. Any group with a European giant in it becomes dangerous for them

[Owen84]

The third-place progression route changes the psychology of the group stage dramatically. A team that would previously have played desperately for second place now has a mathematical path through from third. That produces more cautious football in the final group game which is arguably worse for entertainment but better for the quality of teams reaching the round of 32

[Finley_19]

Germany in a group with England should be the group of death by reputation but both sides are strong enough to qualify from almost any draw. The genuine danger is the third team in that group being better than anyone expects. Slovakia or Croatia in that group would make it genuinely competitive

[TheGame92]

Brazil going out at the group stage is my controversial early exit pick. The squad has attacking quality but the defensive organisation has been questioned under the current setup and any group that includes a compact European side playing on the counter could catch them cold in the opener

[Baz]

Is the rule you have to have it installed before the opening ceremony? will amazon be able to deliver it in time I wonder?