The draw for the expanded 48-team FIFA World Cup 2026 takes place Friday at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., determining the 12 groups of four teams each. Hosted by three nations for the first time, the tournament features 42 qualified teams and six playoff spots, with the event broadcast live on Fox and Telemundo. Fans can expect a spectacle including celebrity hosts and performances ahead of the June 11 kickoff.
The FIFA World Cup 2026 draw, scheduled for December 5, 2025, from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m. ET, will assign 48 teams into 12 groups, marking the largest field in the tournament's history. Held at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C., the ceremony will be co-hosted by Heidi Klum, Kevin Hart, and Danny Ramirez, with musical performances by Andrea Bocelli, Robbie Williams, and Nicole Scherzinger, closing with the Village People performing 'Y.M.C.A.' Rio Ferdinand and Samantha Johnson will conduct the draw, assisted by Tom Brady, Wayne Gretzky, Aaron Judge, and Shaquille O'Neal.
Teams are divided into four pots based on FIFA rankings, with hosts Canada, Mexico, and the United States pre-seeded in Groups B, A, and D respectively. Pot 1 includes top-ranked nations like Spain, Argentina, France, and England, which are positioned to avoid early clashes, potentially meeting only in semifinals or the final. Pot 2 features Croatia, Morocco, Colombia, Uruguay, Switzerland, Japan, Senegal, South Korea, Ecuador, Austria, and Australia. Pot 3 comprises Norway, Panama, Egypt, Algeria, Scotland, Paraguay, Tunisia, Côte d’Ivoire, Uzbekistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and South Africa. Pot 4 holds Jordan, Cape Verde, Ghana, Curaçao, Haiti, New Zealand, and placeholders for six playoff winners from UEFA and inter-confederation paths, to be decided in March 2026.
Draw restrictions ensure no more than one team per confederation per group, except UEFA with 16 teams across 12 groups, allowing two European teams in four groups. The top two teams from each group and the eight best third-placed teams advance to a round-of-32 knockout stage. The full match schedule, including venues and times, will be announced December 6. This first tri-nation hosted World Cup runs from June 11 to July 19, 2026, across 16 cities in Canada, Mexico, and the United States.
