After months of anticipation, the 2026 FIFA World Cup draw on Friday gave us a much clearer picture of how next summer's tournament -- the first staged with a record 48 teams -- will play out.

There still is the business of six qualification spots, four coming from Europe and two more from FIFA's intercontinental playoffs, both set to be staged in March. But we now mostly know the group alignments, the potential paths and the storylines that are likely to captivate us for more than a month next summer.

Here are a few key takeaways:

Group of Death: Group L -- England, Croatia, Ghana, Panama

Co-host Canada's Group B could become very formidable if Italy emerges from its playoff path. The same could be said of the USA's Group D if Turkiye joins. And any of the three confirmed Group I team

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