FIFA World Cup 26 Draw: Date, pots, how to watch live

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The countries filling up the groups for the 2026 FIFA World Cup will be decided next week, when FIFA holds its official World Cup Final Draw in Washington, D.C. 

The draw will determine which of the 48 qualified nations face off in the opening round of the biggest tournament in soccer history — the first ever hosted across the United States, Mexico and Canada.

FIFA has revealed the official draw pots for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, setting the stage for the Final Draw.

When and where is the 2026 World Cup Draw?

FIFA will hold the 2026 World Cup Final Draw on Friday, Dec. 5, at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.

This marks only the second World Cup draw ever hosted in the United States, fitting for a tournament shared among 16 cities across North America.

The draw will finalize the group stage for the first 48-team World Cup, setting the stage for the largest and most ambitious tournament in FIFA history.

RELATED: How does the new 2026 FIFA World Cup format work?

How the World Cup Draw works

The draw determines which nations will face each other in the group stage of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

• 48 teams will be split into 12 groups (A–L) of four teams each.
• The top two teams from each group and the eight best third-place teams advance to the Round of 32.
• Teams are separated into four pots, based on their FIFA World Ranking (as of November 2025).
• One team is drawn from each pot to form every group, ensuring that no two teams from the same confederation (except Europe) are drawn together.

The format is designed to increase global representation while maintaining competitive balance — and to guarantee at least three matches for every team.

How does seeding work?

To ensure a competitive balance and geographical diversity, the teams are seeded and placed into different pots. The seeding is based primarily on the FIFA Men’s World Ranking. 

• Pot 1 typically contains the host nations and the highest-ranked qualified teams.
• Pots 2, 3, and 4 contain the remaining teams, ranked from highest to lowest, who have qualified for the tournament.

Teams in the World Cup Draw

As of Nov. 2025, 42 of the 48 spots for the 2026 FIFA World Cup have already been filled.

Host nations:

• Canada
• Mexico
• United States

Asia (AFC):

• Australia
• IR Iran
• Japan
• Jordan
• Korea Republic
• Qatar
• Saudi Arabia
• Uzbekistan

Africa (CAF):

• Algeria
• Cabo Verde
• Côte d’Ivoire
• Egypt
• Ghana
• Morocco
• Senegal
• South Africa
• Tunisia

North and Central America / Caribbean (CONCACAF):

South America (CONMEBOL):

• Argentina
• Brazil
• Colombia
• Ecuador
• Paraguay
• Uruguay

Oceania (OFC):

Europe (UEFA):

• Austria
• Belgium
• Croatia
• England
• France
• Germany
• Netherlands
• Norway
• Portugal
• Scotland
• Spain
• Switzerland

• Pot 1: Canada, Mexico, USA, Spain, Argentina, France, England, Brazil, Portugal, Netherlands, Belgium, Germany
• Pot 2: Croatia, Morocco, Colombia, Uruguay, Switzerland, Japan, Senegal, IR Iran, Korea Republic, Ecuador, Austria, Australia
• Pot 3: Norway, Panama, Egypt, Algeria, Scotland, Paraguay, Tunisia, Côte d’Ivoire, Uzbekistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, South Africa
• Pot 4: Jordan, Cabo Verde, Ghana, Curaçao, Haiti, New Zealand, European Play-Off A, B, C and D, FIFA Play-Off Tournament 1 and 2

How the draw works

The draw will begin with all the teams from pot 1 being drawn to groups A to L. It will then continue with pots 2, 3 and 4 in that order.

Host nations will be identified by colored balls and automatically assigned:

• Mexico (green) to Group A1
• Canada (red) to Group B1
• United States (blue) to Group D1

The remaining nine teams in Pot 1 will fill position 1 of their respective groups.

Draw constraints

To maintain a competitive balance:

• The top four ranked teams — Spain, Argentina, France, and England — will be placed on opposite sides of the bracket, ensuring they cannot meet before the final if they all win their groups.
• No group can include more than one nation from the same confederation, except UEFA, which can have up to two European teams per group.
• The two placeholders from the FIFA Play-Off Tournament and the four European Play-Off winners will occupy spots in Pot 4.
• Confederation constraints will still apply to the Play-Off Tournament teams.

Following the draw, FIFA will release the complete match schedule on Saturday, Dec. 6, assigning each game to a stadium and kickoff time across the 16 host cities in the U.S., Mexico, and Canada.

Who could the USA draw in the group stage?

When the draw for the 2026 FIFA World Cup takes place in Washington, D.C., the United States will finally learn about its first opponents — and the possibilities include everything from world champions to tournament newcomers.

READ MORE: Who could the United States face in the 2026 FIFA World Cup group stage?

Which teams can still qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup?

UEFA Play-offs

While 42 nations have already qualified, several European spots remain up for grabs. The UEFA play-offs in March 2026 will decide four more places at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

The play-offs will include the 12 group runners-up from the European qualifiers, plus four Nations League group winners who didn’t finish in the top two of their qualifying groups. Those 16 teams will be divided into four paths, each featuring semifinals and a final — all played in single-leg matches.

The four path winners will advance to join the already-qualified nations in North America.

UEFA Playoff Paths

Path A

• Italy v Northern Ireland
• Wales v Bosnia and Herzegovina

Path B

• Ukraine v Sweden
• Poland v Albania

Path C

• Türkiye v Romania
• Slovakia v Kosovo

Path D

• Denmark v North Macedonia
• Czechia v Republic of Ireland

Intercontinental playoff (last 2 spots)

Beyond UEFA’s play-offs, FIFA will run a six-team intercontinental playoff to decide the final two World Cup berths. The field includes:

• One team from each confederation: AFC, CAF, CONMEBOL, OFC
• Two teams from CONCACAF (as the host confederation for 2026)

Format: The two highest-ranked teams are seeded into the “finals.” The other four play single-match first-round games; those two winners face the seeds, and the two match winners qualify for the World Cup. It’s staged in North America as a tournament-style test event ahead of 2026.

Who’s in the mix?

• Iraq (AFC)
• DR Congo (CAF)
• Bolivia (CONMEBOL)
• New Caledonia (OFC)
• Jamaica (CONCACAF)
• Suriname (CONCACAF)

How to watch the FIFA World Cup 26 Draw

Watch live coverage of the World Cup Draw on FOX 5 DC, beginning at 9 a.m. ET on Dec. 5.

RELATED: Will FIFA World Cup 2026 be transformative for soccer in the USA?

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