re: 2026 World Cup Draw

I just took a minute at work, while bored, to tally the groups 'hardest' to 'easiest' based on average FIFA ranking of group used for the draw. Obviously, I threw in the highest ranked playoff team in each case. USA spikes their own group average up having been ranked 14th ahead of draw. We also drew the lowest Pot 2 team Australia (ranked 26). Paraguay at 39, and Turkey at 25.

Group F: 23.25 (Netherlands, Japan, Ukraine, Tunisia)
Group D: 26.00 (USA, Paraguay, Australia, Turkey)
Group B: 26.75 (Canada, Italy, Qatar, Switzerland)
Group I: 27.25 (France, Senegal, Iraq, Norway)
Group L: 29.00 (England, Croatia, Ghana, Panama)
Group A: 29.75 (Mexico, South Africa, South Korea, Denmark)
Group K: 31.25 (Portugal, DR Congo, Uzbekistan, Colombia)
Group J: 31.75 (Argentina, Algeria, Austria, Jordan)
Group C: 34.00 (Brazil, Morocco, Haiti, Scotland)
Group H: 36.25 (Spain, Cape Verde, Saudi Arabia, Uruguay)
Group G: 37.00 (Belgium, Egypt, Iran, New Zealand)
Group E: 39.00 (Germany, Curacao, Ivory Coast, Ecuador)

France group is easily the toughest.