The excitement surrounding the FIFA World Cup 2026 officially shifts into high gear as the World Cup draw will be conducted on Friday, December 5, 2025, at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. Football fans in India will keenly tune in at 10:30 PM IST, as the group allocations are revealed, shaping the path for the biggest edition in the tournament’s history. This World Cup, jointly hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico, marks a significant milestone with an expanded lineup of 48 teams, replacing the long-running 32-team format.
Out of 48 teams, 42 have already punched their ticket to the grand stage of football competition, while 6 spots are still up for grabs through UEFA qualifiers and IC play-offs.
Defending champions Argentina, last edition’s runners-up France, and five-time champions Brazil will be part of Pot 1, which means they will at least avoid playing each other during the group stages.
FIFA World Cup 2026 Draw: Full list of qualified teams
Hosts
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- United States
- Canada
- Mexico
Asia (AFC)
- Australia
- Iran
- Japan
- Jordan
- South Korea
- Qatar
- Saudi Arabia
- Uzbekistan
Africa (CAF)
- Algeria
- Cape Verde
- Ivory Coast
- Egypt
- Ghana
- Morocco
- Senegal
- South Africa
- Tunisia
Europe (UEFA)
- Austria
- Belgium
- Croatia
- England
- France
- Germany
- Netherlands
- Norway
- Portugal
- Scotland
- Spain
- Switzerland
South America (CONMEBOL)
- Argentina
- Brazil
- Colombia
- Ecuador
- Paraguay
- Uruguay
North & Central America / Caribbean (CONCACAF)
- Curaçao
- Haiti
- Panama
Oceania (OFC)
- New Zealand
FIFA World Cup 2026 Draw: List of teams battling for open spots
UEFA Play-offs
- Albania
- Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Czechia
- Denmark
- Italy
- Kosovo
- Poland
- Republic of Ireland
- Slovakia
- Türkiye (Turkey)
- Ukraine
- Wales
- Romania
- Sweden
- Northern Ireland
- North Macedonia
Inter-Confederation Play-offs
- Bolivia
- DR Congo
- Iraq
- Jamaica
- New Caledonia
- Suriname
FIFA World Cup 2026 Draw: Format
The draw for the 2026 FIFA World Cup will allocate all 48 participating nations — including those yet to qualify through play-offs — into 12 groups of four teams each. Placement into the four seeding pots will be determined by the latest FIFA men’s world rankings.
Each group will contain one team from each pot. Canada, Mexico, and the United States qualify automatically as co-hosts and will take their places in Pot 1, alongside the nine highest-ranked sides in the world. The remaining seeds are distributed down the order: Pot 2 and Pot 3 follow the rankings, while Pot 4 consists of the lowest-ranked qualifiers along with placeholders for those coming through the play-off routes.
To maintain continental balance, FIFA’s draw rules prevent more than one representative from the same confederation being placed in a group, with Europe the exception. UEFA countries may be drawn in pairs, meaning one or two European teams are permitted per group.
A further condition separates the four highest-ranked teams in the competition — Spain, Argentina, France, and England — preventing them from crossing paths before the semi-finals, assuming they all progress.
As of now, 42 of the 48 World Cup berths are confirmed. The final six entrants will be decided in March 2026 through four European play-off brackets and a two-path inter-confederation knockout series. Their eventual winners, or placeholders, will be assigned to Pot 4 for the draw.
The draw will also lay out the knockout bracket, mapping how teams advance from the expanded Round of 32 through to the latter stages, providing a full tournament pathway from the outset.
FIFA World Cup 2026 Draw: Pots
| FIFA World Cup 2026 Group Stage Draw Pots | |||
| The draw will use four pots of 12 teams each: | |||
| Pot 1 | Pot 2 | Pot 3 | Pot 4 |
| USA (D1) | Croatia | Norway | Jordan |
| Canada (B1) | Morocco | Panama | Cape Verde |
| Mexico (A1) | Colombia | Egypt | Ghana |
| Spain | Uruguay | Algeria | Curacao |
| Argentina | Switzerland | Scotland | Haiti |
| France | Japan | Paraguay | New Zealand |
| England | Senegal | Tunisia | UEFA play-off winners |
| Brazil | Iran | Ivory Coast | UEFA play-off winners |
| Portugal | South Korea | Uzbekistan | UEFA play-off winners |
| Netherlands | Ecuador | Qatar | UEFA play-off winners |
| Belgium | Austria | Saudi Arabia | IC play-off winners |
| Germany | Australia | South Africa | IC play-off winners |
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