The World Cup draw has sparked renewed debate, as a new rule introduced by FIFA last year means the top four seeded teams will no longer face each other before the tournament’s semi-finals.
There is a lot of discussion and criticism going on in the football arena about this.
FIFA introduced this rule in November 2025.
According to the rules, the top four seeded teams in the world rankings were drawn in such a way that they would not face each other before the semi-finals. At that time, Spain was the number one seed, and Argentina was number two.
These two teams are placed in two different groups in the knockout stage. Similarly, the third and fourth seeds France and England are also placed in separate groups.
As a result, England could only face Spain or Argentina in the semi-finals, and France in the final.
However, there was a condition for this advantage to take effect. All four teams had to finish top of their groups. In the end, that was what happened. As a result, all four teams reached the quarterfinals in their own way.
In the quarterfinals, Spain will face Belgium, Argentina will face Switzerland, France will play Morocco, and England will face Norway.
This new FIFA rule has raised questions among some fans and analysts, whether this measure has been taken to keep strong and popular teams in the tournament for longer?
Although FIFA has not admitted any irregularities in this regard, the organization’s position is that the draw structure was prepared according to pre-determined rules and all teams are subject to the same rules.