Holders Argentina and leading contenders Spain were handed kind draws for the 2026 World Cup in a star-studded ceremony that saw US President Donald Trump receive Fifa's new peace prize.

The event at the John F Kennedy Centre in Washington on Friday started the final countdown to the tournament, six months out from the first-ever 48-team World Cup, with much-fancied France among those receiving a harder task.

Lionel Messi's Argentina will begin their defence of the trophy they won in Qatar in 2022 against Algeria and also face Austria and debutants Jordan in Group J.

Heavily-fancied Spain, the European champions, will kick off their campaign against first-time qualifiers Cape Verde before also taking on Uruguay and Saudi Arabia in Group H.

Thomas Tuchel's England will hope to win Group L that features beaten 2018 finalists Croatia as well as Ghana and Panama.

Two-time winners France, meanwhile, face awkward tests against Senegal and Erling Haaland's Norway in Group I, which will be completed by an intercontinental play-off winner from either Iraq, Bolivia or Suriname.

The 2026 tournament will be held across the United States, Mexico and Canada from June 11 to July 19, with 16 more teams added to the global showpiece, up from the 32 nations involved in Qatar in 2022.

That means a total of 104 matches, compared to 64 games last time.

While the United States will host the majority of matches including the final at the MetLife Stadium outside New York, three of the 16 venues will be in Mexico and two in Canada.

Elsewhere in the draw, co-hosts Mexico will take on South Africa in Group A in the opening game of the tournament at the Estadio Azteca in Mexico City on June 11.

Carlo Ancelotti's Brazil and surprise 2022 semi-finalists Morocco came out together in Group C, which also features Scotland and Haiti.

Germany's opponents in Group E will be Ivory Coast, Ecuador and Caribbean minnows Curacao, while Cristiano Ronaldo's Portugal will face Uzbekistan, Colombia and a play-off winner.

Co-hosts the United States got a manageable draw, with Paraguay, Australia and a European play-off winner in Group D.

The top two teams in each group advance to the last 32, joined by the eight best third-placed teams.

Six finals berths are still to be decided in playoffs to take place in March.

Because of the complexity, teams will only learn the full details of their match venues and kick-off times on Saturday, a day after the draw. (AFP)