26 May 2026
New: FIFA World Cup 2026 Fixture Difficulty Table
With the 2025/26 Premier League season wrapped up, attention is turning to the FIFA World Cup 2026 — which kicks off on 11 June in the USA, Canada, and Mexico. Today we're launching a free World Cup 2026 fixture difficulty table to help you plan your World Cup fantasy football squad.
What's in the table
The table covers all 48 qualified nations across the group stage — three matchdays for each team. Just like the FPL fixture difficulty table, each cell is colour-coded on a 1–5 scale:
- Green (1–2) — easy fixture against a lower-ranked nation
- Grey (3) — evenly matched
- Red (4–5) — tough fixture against a top-ranked nation
The Score column sums difficulty across all selected matchdays — teams at the top have the easiest overall group stage draw, making their players the best value picks for World Cup fantasy.
How difficulty ratings are calculated
Unlike club football, FIFA doesn't publish official fixture difficulty ratings. Instead, ratings are derived from the FIFA world rankings and mapped to the familiar 1–5 scale:
- Top 8 ranked nations → strength 5 (hardest to face)
- Ranks 9–16 → strength 4
- Ranks 17–24 → strength 3
- Ranks 25–35 → strength 2
- All remaining nations → strength 1
A team's fixture difficulty equals the strength of their opponent. So facing Argentina (ranked 1st) gives you a difficulty-5 fixture; facing a lower-ranked side from the CONCACAF or AFC region is likely difficulty 1 or 2.
Matchday range slider and group filter
Two controls help you narrow the table to exactly what you need:
- Matchday slider — drag either handle to score and sort teams across any combination of MD1, MD2, or MD3. Useful when you're planning transfers ahead of a specific round rather than the full group stage.
- Group filter — click any group (A–L) to show only the four teams in that group. Handy when you're deciding between two players who happen to be in the same pool.
Knockout rounds
The table currently covers the group stage only. Once the round of 32 pairings are confirmed (from around 28 June), knockout fixtures and ratings will be added. Bookmark the page to check back as the tournament progresses.