Source: Radio New Zealand
The World Cup draw will take place on Saturday morning (6am NZT) in Washington DC, with the updated match schedule, including stadiums and kickoff times, to be released Sunday morning.
The 23rd edition of the cup will be the first to feature 48 teams, and will be hosted by the US, Mexico and Canada. It kicks off on 11 June, with the opening two games in Mexico, and finishes on 19 July with the final in New York.
A new rule in the draw aims to maintain competitive balance in the expanded 48-team format. It means top-ranked Spain and No.2 world champions Argentina are in opposite halves of the bracket, with the same applying to No.3 France and No.4 England.
If the top four seeds win their groups, those countries won’t meet until the semi-finals for the first time in the tournament’s history.
Chris Wood with the All Whites in March 2025. Andrew Cornaga / www.photosport.nz
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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand
