As preparations for the 2026 World Cup ramp up, which is set to kick off on June 11 and wrap up with the final on July 19, here’s everything you need to know about the upcoming draw.
When is the World Cup draw?
The draw ceremony will take place on December 5, starting at noon ET (5 p.m. GMT) at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.
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Who has qualified for the World Cup?
Currently, 42 of the 48 qualifying teams are confirmed. You can find out who’s in and who’s still vying for a spot.
Why are six teams still unconfirmed?
The six teams that will qualify through the UEFA and interconfederation playoffs won’t be determined until March, when the final matches of those competitions take place.
It is anticipated that Pot 4 will include placeholders for the four UEFA playoff qualifiers and the two interconfederation playoff qualifiers, similar to previous World Cups. However, FIFA’s confirmation is still awaited. Alternatively, playoff winners could be assigned to pots based on their FIFA rankings.
For more details about the playoffs, check out this section.
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How is the draw seeding structured?
The 48 teams or placeholders will be distributed into four pots of 12 teams, based on the FIFA World Rankings published on November 19. Each World Cup group will include one team from each pot.
The host nations—United States, Canada, and Mexico—will automatically be placed in Pot 1 and assigned to specific groups. The top nine ranked countries will join the three hosts in Pot 1, followed by the next 12 ranked teams in Pot 2, and so on.
Teams from the same pot cannot compete against each other during the group stage.
Below are the likely pot assignments, assuming playoff teams are included in Pot 4.
Pot 1:
United States
Mexico
Canada
Spain
Argentina
France
England
Portugal
Netherlands
Belgium
Germany
Pot 2:
Croatia
Morocco
Colombia
Uruguay
Switzerland
Japan
Senegal
Iran
South Korea
Ecuador
Austria
Australia
Pot 3:
Panama
Norway
Egypt
Algeria
Scotland
Paraguay
Ivory Coast
Tunisia
Uzbekistan
Qatar
Saudi Arabia
South Africa
Pot 4:
Jordan
Cape Verde
Ghana
Curacao
Haiti
New Zealand
UEFA playoff winners (4 teams)
Interconfederation playoff winners (2 teams)
How will the draw be conducted?
The draw will commence with Pot 1, as the host nations United States, Mexico, and Canada have already been placed in specific groups and are aware of their match scheduling. For instance, Mexico will kick off the tournament on June 11 at Estadio Azteca in Mexico City.
If prior methods are followed, teams from Pot 1 will be assigned alphabetically, one team per group, up to Group L. This process will be repeated for Pots 2, 3, and 4, with each pot drawn entirely before moving on to the next.
Are there any special rules for the draw?
Indeed: Teams from the same confederation cannot be drawn into the same group, with the exception of Europe. Given that 16 teams will qualify from UEFA, some groups will feature two UEFA teams.
– Details on World Cup 2026 qualifying: Who has qualified and how others can secure their spots
How will the remaining qualifiers be determined?
The paths for the UEFA and interconfederation playoffs were established on November 20 during the draws.
For the UEFA playoffs, four paths have been created, each featuring four teams competing in two semifinals, with the winners facing each other for a World Cup slot.
Here are the four paths, with semifinals scheduled for March 26 (the first team listed will host) and finals on March 31:
UEFA PLAYOFFS
Playoff Path A: Italy vs. Northern Ireland, Wales vs. Bosnia and Herzegovina; the winner of Wales-Bosnia will host the final.
Playoff Path B: Ukraine vs. Sweden, Poland vs. Albania; the winner of Ukraine-Sweden will host the final.
Playoff Path C: Turkey vs. Romania, Slovakia vs. Kosovo; the winner of Slovakia-Kosovo will host the final.
Playoff Path D: Denmark vs. North Macedonia, Czechia vs. Republic of Ireland; the winner of Czechia-Republic of Ireland will host the final.
In the interconfederation playoffs, two paths have been created, featuring a total of six teams. DR Congo and Iraq, the two highest-ranked teams, are seeded and will advance directly to each path’s final. The other four teams will compete in two semifinals, with the winners taking on the seeded teams. Notably, Jamaica and Suriname, both from Concacaf, cannot be placed in the same path.
INTERCONFEDERATION PLAYOFFS
Playoff Path A: New Caledonia vs. Jamaica; the winner will contest against DR Congo.
Playoff Path B: Bolivia vs. Suriname; the winner will face Iraq.