What is FIFA World Cup 2026 Fantasy Football?

FIFA World Cup 2026 Fantasy Football is an official game run by FIFA that lets you build a squad of real players competing at the 2026 World Cup, earning points based on their real-world performances. You pick players within a budget, make transfers between matchdays, and compete against friends or globally.

How are fixture difficulty ratings calculated for World Cup 2026?

The table offers two rating systems. Elo mode (the default) uses World Football Elo ratings from eloratings.net — a continuous, form-sensitive system that accounts for opponent strength and recent results. FIFA mode uses the official FIFA world rankings, bucketed into a 1–5 scale (top 8 → 5, ranks 9–16 → 4, 17–24 → 3, 25–35 → 2, rest → 1). In Elo mode the Score column shows the raw sum of inverted Elo ratings, giving finer separation between teams than the bucketed FIFA approach.

Which teams have the easiest group stage fixtures at the 2026 World Cup?

Use this table sorted by Score to find teams with the easiest overall group stage run. The Score column sums difficulty ratings across all three matchdays — teams at the top have the most favourable fixtures, making their players better value picks for World Cup fantasy.

How do I use this table to plan my World Cup fantasy team?

The table sorts all 48 teams by their total group stage difficulty score — higher score means easier fixtures. Use the matchday slider to focus on a specific matchday range, and the group filter to zoom into a single group when comparing players within it. Pick players from teams with mostly green (1–2) cells for the best returns.

What does the Score column mean?

Score sums each team's fixture difficulties across the selected matchday range. A higher score means an easier run — so the default sort puts the best fixture draws at the top. Adjust the slider to score just MD1 or any subset of the group stage.

How many teams are in the 2026 World Cup?

The FIFA World Cup 2026 features 48 teams for the first time, up from 32 at previous tournaments. Teams are split into 12 groups of four, with the top two from each group plus the eight best third-placed teams progressing to the Round of 32.

When does the FIFA World Cup 2026 start?

The FIFA World Cup 2026 begins on 11 June 2026 and runs through to the final on 19 July 2026. The group stage runs from 11 June to 27 June, giving fantasy managers three matchdays to score points before the knockout rounds begin.

How does the matchday range slider work?

The dual-handle slider lets you select any range of matchdays from MD1 to MD3. Drag the left handle to set the start matchday and the right handle to set the end. The Score column and sort order update instantly to reflect only the selected range, helping you plan transfers for a specific part of the group stage.

What is the difference between Elo and FIFA difficulty ratings?

FIFA rankings are updated periodically and can lag behind recent form — a team that has improved sharply may still carry a lower ranking. World Football Elo ratings update continuously after every result and weight wins by opponent strength, so they tend to reflect current form more accurately. In practice the two systems agree on the elite teams but diverge significantly for mid-table nations: Norway, Turkey, and Colombia rank much higher in Elo than their FIFA position suggests, while Qatar sits much lower.

Will knockout round fixtures be added?

Yes. Once the group stage concludes and Round of 32 pairings are confirmed, knockout fixtures and difficulty ratings will be added to the table. Bookmark this page to check back as the tournament progresses.

Where are the 2026 World Cup matches played?

The 2026 World Cup is co-hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Matches are spread across 16 cities including New York, Los Angeles, Dallas, Toronto, Vancouver, Mexico City, and Guadalajara.

World Cup 2026 Fixture Difficulty

FIFA World Cup 2026 fixture difficulty for all 48 teams — including projected knockout fixtures through to the Final. Confirmed results replace predictions round by round; dashed cells are still projected. Ratings default to World Football Elo — a continuous, form-based system that many fantasy managers consider more accurate than the official FIFA rankings. Switch to FIFA mode to compare. Have questions? See the FAQs ↓

Group stage complete. R32 fixtures are confirmed; R16 through Final are Elo-projected and updated as real results come in. Dashed cells are predictions — solid cells are confirmed. View the bracket → Standings last updated 29 June 2026.

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MD1 MD2 MD3 R32 R16 QF SF Final

Filter by group 48 teams

Team	Grp	Score
ARG Argentina	J	ENG	403
ESP Spain	H	FRA	337
ENG England	L	ARG	323
FRA France	I	ESP	310
MEX Mexico	A	—	0
USA United States	D	—	0
BEL Belgium	G	—	0
KOR South Korea	A	—	0
CAN Canada	B	—	0
SUI Switzerland	B	—	0
BRA Brazil	C	—	0
AUS Australia	D	—	0
GER Germany	E	—	0
POR Portugal	K	—	0
QAT Qatar	B	—	0
MAR Morocco	C	—	0
EGY Egypt	G	—	0
URY Uruguay	H	—	0
IRN Iran	G	—	0
COL Colombia	K	—	0
RSA South Africa	A	—	0
CZE Czechia	A	—	0
BIH Bosnia-Herzegovina	B	—	0
PAR Paraguay	D	—	0
TUR Turkey	D	—	0
NED Netherlands	F	—	0
ECU Ecuador	E	—	0
NZL New Zealand	G	—	0
SEN Senegal	I	—	0
ALG Algeria	J	—	0
AUT Austria	J	—	0
CRO Croatia	L	—	0
JPN Japan	F	—	0
CIV Ivory Coast	E	—	0
NOR Norway	I	—	0
JOR Jordan	J	—	0
HAI Haiti	C	—	0
SCO Scotland	C	—	0
CUW Curaçao	E	—	0
CPV Cape Verde Islands	H	—	0
KSA Saudi Arabia	H	—	0
IRQ Iraq	I	—	0
COD Congo DR	K	—	0
GHA Ghana	L	—	0
UZB Uzbekistan	K	—	0
SWE Sweden	F	—	0
TUN Tunisia	F	—	0
PAN Panama	L	—	0

Difficulty:

Rankings data: 26 May 2026

About this tool

This free World Cup 2026 fixture difficulty planner lets you compare all 48 teams' group stage fixtures at a glance. Difficulty ratings are derived from FIFA world rankings and mapped to the same 1–5 scale used on our FPL fixture difficulty table. Use the matchday slider to focus on any part of the group stage, and filter by group to compare players within the same pool. No signup, no paywall — just the data you need to plan your World Cup fantasy squad.

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Frequently asked questions

What is FIFA World Cup 2026 Fantasy Football?: FIFA World Cup 2026 Fantasy Football is an official game run by FIFA that lets you build a squad of real players competing at the tournament, earning points based on real-world performances. You pick players within a budget, make transfers between matchdays, and compete against friends or globally.
How are fixture difficulty ratings calculated for World Cup 2026?: The table offers two rating systems, switchable via the Elo / FIFA toggle. Elo mode (the default) uses World Football Elo ratings from eloratings.net — a continuous system that weights wins by opponent strength and updates after every result. The cell colours still use a 1–5 scale, but the Score column uses raw Elo values, giving finer separation between teams. FIFA mode uses the official FIFA world rankings bucketed into 1–5 (top 8 → hardest, rest → easiest).
Which teams have the easiest group stage fixtures at the 2026 World Cup?: The table is sorted by Score descending by default, so teams at the top have the easiest overall group stage run. Use the matchday slider to isolate a specific round, or filter by group to compare teams within the same pool.
How do I use this table to plan my World Cup fantasy squad?: Look for teams with mostly green (1–2) cells across the group stage. Their players are likely to perform well and score fantasy points. Use the group filter to narrow down to a specific pool when deciding between similar players, and the matchday slider to focus on the round you're targeting for transfers.
What does the Score column mean?: Score sums each team's fixture difficulties across the selected matchday range. A higher score means easier fixtures overall. Adjust the slider to score just MD1 or any subset of the group stage — the sort order updates instantly.
How many teams are in the 2026 World Cup?: The FIFA World Cup 2026 features 48 teams for the first time, up from 32 at previous tournaments. Teams are divided into 12 groups of four, with the top two from each group plus the eight best third-placed teams advancing to the Round of 32.
When does the FIFA World Cup 2026 start?: The FIFA World Cup 2026 begins on 11 June 2026 and concludes with the final on 19 July 2026. The group stage runs from 11 June to 27 June, giving fantasy managers three matchdays before the knockout rounds begin.
What is the difference between Elo and FIFA difficulty ratings?: FIFA rankings are updated periodically and can lag behind recent form. World Football Elo ratings update continuously after every result and account for opponent strength, so they tend to reflect current form more accurately. The two systems largely agree on elite teams but diverge for mid-table nations — Norway, Turkey, and Colombia rank considerably higher in Elo than their FIFA position suggests, while Qatar sits much lower. Many fantasy managers find Elo a better predictor of match outcomes for exactly this reason.
Will knockout round fixtures be added?: Yes. Once the group stage concludes and Round of 32 pairings are confirmed, knockout fixtures and difficulty ratings will be added. Bookmark this page to check back as the tournament progresses.
Where are the 2026 World Cup matches played?: The 2026 World Cup is co-hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico, across 16 cities including New York, Los Angeles, Dallas, Seattle, Toronto, Vancouver, Mexico City, and Guadalajara — making it the most geographically spread World Cup ever.
How does this compare to the FPL fixture difficulty table?: The FPL fixture difficulty table covers all 20 Premier League teams across the full 38-gameweek season, using official FPL difficulty ratings. This World Cup table covers 48 international teams across the group stage, with a choice of World Football Elo or FIFA ranking-based ratings. Both use the same 1–5 colour scale for the fixture pills.