On Friday, December 5, football fans from all around the world will focus on North America as FIFA holds the draw for the inaugural 48-team World Cup.
The expanded FIFA World Cup, which will take place in the United States, Mexico, and Canada from June 11 to July 19, 2026, represents a significant change in the competition’s structure. The draw determines the groupings for each of the 48 nations and determines the favorites’ first course.
Everything you need to know about the 2026 FIFA World Cup is provided below:
Top Seeds Separated
Based on the most recent world rankings, FIFA will split the 48 teams into four pots of 12. One team from each pot will be included in each group.
The draw was created for the first time by the governing body to avoid early matches between the top four countries.
If each team wins their group, Spain, Argentina, France, and England will be kept separated until at least the semi-finals.
With the exception of Europe, no group may have more than one team from the same confederation. There will be two European teams in each of the four groups, with 16 UEFA countries predicted to qualify.
Already Assigned Host Nations
Since each of the three host countries has already been assigned to a group, they will completely avoid the draw.
Group D will be led by the United States, who will play twice in Seattle and Los Angeles. Group A will be led by Mexico, who will have a great home crowd, particularly at Azteca Stadium, where they will begin the competition on June 11 before traveling to Guadalajara for their third group match.
In Group B, Canada will play two games in Vancouver and one in Toronto.
Additional Round of Knockout
An extra knockout stage is added to the expanded structure. Following the group stage, the competition will advance to a round of 32 that will include the top eight third-place teams as well as the top two teams from each group.
Only 16 countries will be eliminated after the first 72 games, meaning that 32 will advance from the group stage.
How the Pots Appear
The United States, Mexico, Canada, Spain, Argentina, France, England, Brazil, Portugal, the Netherlands, Belgium, and Germany make up Pot 1.
Croatia, Morocco, Colombia, Uruguay, Switzerland, Japan, Senegal, Iran, South Korea, Ecuador, Austria, and Australia make up Pot 2.
Norway, Panama, Egypt, Algeria, Scotland, Paraguay, Tunisia, Ivory Coast, Uzbekistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and South Africa make up Pot 3.
Pot 4: four UEFA play-off winners, two intercontinental play-off winners, Jordan, Cape Verde, Ghana, Curaçao, Haiti, New Zealand.
UEFA Play-Off Routes
The remaining four spots will be contested by sixteen European teams:
Path A: Northern Ireland or Italy versus Wales or Bosnia & Herzegovina
Path B: Poland or Albania versus Sweden or Ukraine
Path C: Romania or Turkey versus Slovakia or Kosovo
Path D: Denmark or North Macedonia versus the Czech Republic or Ireland
The finals will be held on March 31, with all semifinals scheduled on March 26.
Play-offs across continents
Two World Cup berths will be contested by the six remaining teams. Mexico will host both of the play-off routes.
Path 1: DR Congo vs. New Caledonia or Jamaica
Path 2: Iraq versus Bolivia or Suriname
The final matches are set for March 31, with the semi-finals planned for March 26.
Take note that the 2026 FIFA World Cup draw will start at 3 p.m. Nigerian time in the United States.
