FIFA has finalized the pots for the 2026 FIFA World Cup group stage draw, set for December 5 in Washington, D.C. With 42 teams already qualified and six more to be decided in March playoffs, the event will shape the tournament featuring 48 nations across North America from June 11 to July 19.
The 2026 FIFA Men's World Cup, the first with 48 teams co-hosted by the United States, Mexico, and Canada, will see its group stage groups determined by the upcoming draw. The ceremony at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C., begins at 12:00 p.m. ET, with FOX Sports providing 3.5 hours of live coverage starting at 11:30 a.m., anchored by Rob Stone and Jenny Taft alongside analysts Alexi Lalas and Stu Holden.
Teams are divided into four pots of 12 based on the FIFA World Rankings from November 19. Pot 1 includes the hosts—United States, Mexico, and Canada—along with top-ranked nations: Spain, Argentina, France, England, Portugal, Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, and Brazil. Pot 2 features Croatia, Morocco, Colombia, Uruguay, Switzerland, Japan, Senegal, Iran, South Korea, Ecuador, Austria, and Australia. Pot 3 consists of Panama, Norway, Egypt, Algeria, Scotland, Paraguay, Ivory Coast, Tunisia, Uzbekistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and South Africa. Pot 4 includes Jordan, Cape Verde, Ghana, Curaçao, Haiti, New Zealand, plus four UEFA playoff winners and two intercontinental playoff winners.
Of the 48 spots, 42 are filled, with automatic qualification for hosts and others via regional competitions. South America has six qualifiers: Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay, Uruguay. Africa has nine: Algeria, Cabo Verde, Côte d'Ivoire, Egypt, Ghana, Morocco, Senegal, South Africa, Tunisia. Europe has 12: Austria, Belgium, Croatia, England, France, Germany, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Scotland, Spain, Switzerland. Asia has eight: Australia, Iran, Japan, Jordan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Uzbekistan. CONCACAF has six: Canada, Costa Rica (wait, sources confirm Curaçao, Haiti, Panama, plus hosts US, Mexico). Oceania: New Zealand.
The draw ensures one team from each pot per group, avoiding same-pot matchups in the group stage. The tournament opens June 11 at Mexico City's Estadio Azteca and concludes July 19 at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.
