Sean LeahyContributing writerWed, December 3, 2025 at 8:06 PM UTC·5 min readThe 2026 FIFA World Cup draw will be held on Friday in Washington, D.C. and the qualified teams will learn who their three group stage opponents will be, as well as their paths to the final.
The biggest World Cup ever will kick off in June and feature 48 teams, up from the 32 that we saw at the previous seven tournaments. USA 1994 was the last World Cup to feature 24 teams after FIFA increased the total number of participating nations to 32 beginning with France 1998.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementOn Friday, we will learn where the 39 qualified countries and three host nations will land in each of the 12 World Cup groups. On Saturday, FIFA will reveal the match venues and kickoff times with the tournament beginning June 11 at Estadio Azteca in Mexico City.
Who is in each pot?
The qualified teams and hosts have been placed into four, 12-team pots based on the most recent FIFA world rankings.
The three host nations — the U.S., Mexico and Canada — along with the top nine ranked teams make up Pot 1. Teams ranked 13-24 are in Pot 2; teams ranked 25-36 fall into Pot 3; while the final 12 ranked teams, including the six TBD playoff winners, have been placed into Pot 4.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementPot 1: Canada, Mexico, USA, Spain, Argentina, France, England, Brazil, Portugal, Netherlands, Belgium, Germany
Pot 2: Croatia, Morocco, Colombia, Uruguay, Switzerland, Japan, Senegal, 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, Cape Verde, Ghana, Curaçao, Haiti, New Zealand, European Playoff A, B, C and D, Intercontinental Playoff 1 and 2
Overall, there will be 16 teams from Europe, nine teams from Africa, eight teams from Asia, six teams from North America, six teams from South America, and one team from Oceania.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThere have been 12 qualifiers so far from Europe, leaving four places up for grabs during the March playoff matches. The Intercontinental Playoffs, also in March, will feature two teams from North America, one from Asia, one from Africa, one from South America, and one from Oceania vying for two spots.
How does the draw work?
Once the draw commences, teams will be placed into one of 12, four-team groups beginning with the U.S., Canada and Mexico and the remaining Pot 1 teams. The host countries have already been drawn into their respective groups with Mexico going into Group A; Canada into Group B; and the U.S. in Group D.
Once Pot 1 teams have been drawn into their respective groups, draws for Pot 2, 3 and 4 teams will complete the process.
Teams will play against one another in three group games to determine the countries that will advance to the knockout round stage.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThere will be 32 teams advancing to the knockout round following the group stage. The top two teams from each group will move on along with the eight best third-place teams. Tiebreakers will consist of (in order) goal differential, goals scored, head-to-head play, fair play record and then drawing of lots.
For this World Cup, FIFA has tweaked things. In the pursuit of competitive balance, two pathways have been created to the semifinals which will prevent the two highest-ranking teams from meeting before the final should they win their respective groups. As an example, Spain is the highest-ranked team in the tournament, with defending champion Argentina ranked second. Those two nations will be drawn into opposite pathways. The same will go for France (No. 3) and England (No. 4) so the top four teams, should they win their groups, will not meet until the semifinals.
As with all World Cups, teams from the same confederation (example: Brazil and Uruguay) cannot be drawn into the same group, except for those from Europe. Each group will feature at least one, but not more than two European nations.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementWhen and where will the U.S., Canada and Mexico play?
As we await to find out their opponents, we do know the dates and venues for the three host nations for group stage play.
The U.S. will kick off the tournament on June 12 at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles. They will finish the group stage with matches on June 19 at Lumen Field in Seattle and June 25 back at SoFi Stadium.
Canada will open up on June 12 at BMO Field in Toronto, before finishing the group stage June 18 and June 24 with matches at BC Place in Vancouver.
Mexico gets the honor of playing in the opening match on June 11 at Estadio Azteca in Mexico City. They will play next at Estadio Akron near Guadalajara on June 18 before returning to Mexico City for their final group game on June 24.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementWhat are the playoff matchups?
European semifinals - March 26 Pathway A: Italy vs. Northern IrelandPathway A: Wales vs. Bosnia & HerzegovinaPathway B: Ukraine vs. Sweden Pathway B: Poland vs. AlbaniaPathway C: Türkiye vs. Romania Pathway C: Slovakia vs. KosovoPathway D: Denmark vs. North Macedonia Pathway D: Czech Republic vs. Ireland
European finals - March 31 Wales or Bosnia-Herzegovina vs. Italy or Northern Ireland Ukraine or Sweden vs. Poland or Albania Slovakia or Kosovo vs. Türkiye or Romania Czech Republic or Ireland vs. Denmark or North Macedonia
Intercontinental semifinals - March 26 New Caledonia vs. Jamaica Bolivia vs. Suriname
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementIntercontinental Finals - March 31 Congo vs. New Caledonia or Jamaica Iraq vs. Bolivia or Suriname
The winners of the six playoff qualifiers will be placed into Pot 4.
How to watch the FIFA World Cup draw
Watch Fox
DirecTV Try free at DirecTVWatch the NFL on FOX One
FOX One + ESPN bundle$40/month at Fox via ESPNWhen: Friday, Dec. 5, 12 p.m. ETWhere: John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Washington, D.C.TV: Fox Streaming: Fox One, Directv
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