Racing
League
Rugby
Cricket
Golf
Motorsport
Combat Sports
Football
Netball
Basketball
Other Sports
Sport Nation
How the Socceroos has benefitted from being in Pot 2
Nicholas Quinlan • November 29th, 2025 7:39 pm
The Socceroos have learnt who they could play in the 2026 FIFA World Cup after FIFA released the seedings for the Group Stage.
Seeds for the 48-team tournament were confirmed on Wednesday, with Australia, currently ranked 26th in the world, making Pot 2 after FIFA stated that the UEFA playoff winners will be placed into Pot 4 irrespective of their ranking, given that those teams won't be known until after the draw.
Since the 2018 World Cup, when FIFA let all four pots be based on rankings rather than just the first pot, the Socceroos had only been previously drawn into the lowest pot, which is Pot 4, which meant that all three of their group opponents were ranked higher than them.
This is also due to having qualified through the inter-confederation playoffs but they still would have placed there even if they automatically qualified.
Having earned their place in Pot 2, this means they have now avoided the likes of Croatia, Uruguay and Morocco, amongst others, in the group stage, which should make the path to a second straight knockout appearance a much smoother one.
While theoretically their route to the Round of 32 is easier, sports broadcaster Daniel Garb noted there is also the possibility that the Socceroos could still draw a tough group, considering the strength that Pot 3 has alongside the unknown of a European playoff winner in Pot 4.
“On paper, it’s simply an easier draw,” Garb told SEN’s Afternoons.
“It doesn’t mean that you’ll definitely get an easier draw, but as it stands right now, the teams in Pot 2 are just far more difficult than the teams in Pot 3, which was really the edge we were on.
“We were the last team to make it into Pot 2, and it was always going to be dicey. We just scraped in due to some other factors.
“There is still some difficult teams that you can get in Pot 3. Norway, who have Erling Haaland leading the line, Mohamed Salah’s Egypt (and) Scotland are very strong at the moment.
“If you look at the teams in Pot 2, it means that we avoid Croatia, Colombia, our old mates Uruguay, Switzerland are strong, Japan (and) Ecuador.
“So, the Pot 3 teams are far weaker, and that should help Australia’s hopes of getting through the group as it stands.
“But you can also get in Pot 4, one of the European sides that will end up qualifying. That includes Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal, potentially, maybe Italy, some other strong nation.”
The Group Stage draw for Football’s biggest tournament is taking place on December 6 from 4am (AEDT).
The 2026 FIFA World Cup will begin on June 11 with SEN having LIVE coverage of the 48-team tournament.
