The draw for the expanded 48-team 2026 FIFA World Cup will take place on Friday, December 5, at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, DC. The event starts at 17:00 GMT and will determine the group stage matchups for the tournament hosted by the United States, Mexico, and Canada. Forty-two teams have qualified, with six spots to be decided in March 2026 playoffs.
The 2026 FIFA World Cup draw marks a key moment ahead of the tournament running from June 11 to July 19, 2026, with the final at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. For the first time, 48 nations will compete, divided into 12 groups of four teams each. The top two teams from each group, plus the eight best third-place finishers, will advance to a round of 32 knockout stage.
Teams are allocated into four pots based on FIFA rankings. Pot 1 includes the hosts—Canada, Mexico, and the United States—along with top-ranked nations Spain, Argentina, France, England, Brazil, Portugal, Netherlands, Belgium, and Germany. Mexico is fixed in Group A, Canada in Group B, and the United States in Group D. Pot 2 features Croatia, Morocco, Colombia, Uruguay, Switzerland, Japan, Senegal, Iran, South Korea, Ecuador, Austria, and Australia. Pot 3 consists of Norway, Panama, Egypt, Algeria, Scotland, Paraguay, Tunisia, Ivory Coast, Uzbekistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and South Africa. Pot 4 includes Jordan, Cape Verde, Ghana, Curacao, Haiti, New Zealand, and the six playoff winners.
Draw rules ensure no more than one team from the same confederation per group, except UEFA, which can have up to two European teams per group due to its 16 qualifiers. The top four seeds—Spain, Argentina, France, and England—are placed in separate tournament quadrants to avoid early matchups if they top their groups.
The United States will face one opponent from each of Pots 2, 3, and 4 in Group D, opening on June 12 against a Pot 3 team. Kansas City soccer legend Matt Besler, a 2014 World Cup veteran, described the draw as a 'fun kickoff event' that makes the tournament feel real, allowing fans to visualize opponents. 'Hopefully there’s some exciting teams that get drawn in the same pool,' Besler said.
Iran has announced a boycott of the draw due to U.S. visa denials for its delegation, citing obstacles beyond sporting considerations. The event will be broadcast live on BBC in the UK, FOX in the U.S., and streamed on FIFA.com and partners worldwide.
