2026 World Cup Draw Details Announced

The draw for the 2026 World Cup will take place on December 5 and will favor the four highest-ranked teams: Spain, Argentina, France, and England. These teams will be placed in distinct sections of a newly designed, tennis-style seeded tournament bracket.

According to FIFA’s announcement on Tuesday, if these top four teams, based on the latest men’s rankings, finish first in their respective round-robin groups, they will avoid facing each other until the semifinals of the tournament, which is set to occur from June 11 to July 19, co-hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico.

Defending champions Argentina, led by Lionel Messi, and the top-ranked European champions Spain, featuring Lamine Yamal, can ensure they do not confront each other until the final match at MetLife Stadium near New York.

In previous World Cups, teams’ paths through the knockout stage were determined by their group placements. The upcoming draw will be held at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., where 48 teams will be divided into four pots. These teams will then be allocated to 12 groups of four. An updated match schedule, detailing each match’s assigned stadium and kickoff time, will be released on December 6. The draw is expected to last approximately 45 minutes within a broader one-and-a-half-hour show, as stated by FIFA.

The three host nations have been placed in Pot 1 alongside the nine highest-ranked countries according to FIFA’s rankings. This group includes Spain, Argentina, France, England, Brazil, Portugal, the Netherlands, Belgium, and Germany.

So far, 42 teams have qualified, including Iran and Haiti, both of which FIFA expects to compete in their drawn locations, notwithstanding the complex political situations these nations face with the U.S. The tournament will feature 104 matches across 16 venues, including 11 cities with NFL stadiums in the U.S., three in Mexico, and two in Canada.

The remaining six entries will be determined in March during European and global playoff brackets, with those teams entering from the lowest-ranked draw pot. Among them could be four-time champion Italy, making the draw next week particularly intriguing.

For Pot 1, the host countries—Canada, Mexico, and the United States—will be marked by different colored balls. In the draw, they will be assigned to specific group positions: Position A1 for Mexico (green ball), B1 for Canada (red ball), and D1 for the USA (blue ball). The remaining nine top-ranked teams will be distinguished by balls of a uniform color and will be automatically assigned to Position 1 of their respective groups.

The next tier of teams, comprising the 12 highest-ranked teams, will populate Pot 2, featuring countries such as Croatia, Morocco, Colombia, Uruguay, Switzerland, Japan, Senegal, Iran, South Korea, Ecuador, Austria, and Australia.

Pot 3 will include the next 12 highest-ranked nations, consisting of Norway, Panama, Egypt, Algeria, Scotland, Paraguay, Tunisia, Ivory Coast, Uzbekistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and South Africa.

The remaining teams, along with the six winners from intercontinental playoffs, will be included in Pot 4. This pot will host nations such as Jordan, Cabo Verde, Ghana, Curaçao, Haiti, New Zealand, and four playoff entrants from Europe.

The draw process will ensure that teams from the same confederation do not end up in the same group, with the exception of European teams due to their larger representation (16 teams for only 12 groups).

To promote competitive balance, top-ranked Spain and second-ranked Argentina will be randomly allocated to opposite pathways, as will the third and fourth-ranked teams, France and England. This arrangement guarantees that the two highest-ranked teams cannot meet until the final, assuming they win their respective groups.

The U.S., having been placed in Group D, will commence its campaign on June 12 in Inglewood, California, facing a team from Pot 3. This will be followed by a match against a Pot 2 team on June 19 at Lumen Field in Seattle, concluding its group stage matches against a Pot 4 team back in Inglewood. The second match, against a Pot 2 team, is anticipated to be the most challenging for the U.S. Men’s National Team.

Similarly, Mexico will begin its tournament in Group A on June 11 against a team from Pot 3 at Estadio Azteca in Mexico City. Their subsequent matches will take place against a Pot 2 team on June 18 at Estadio Akron, followed by a final group stage match against a Pot 4 team back in Mexico City.

Canada will have a slightly different itinerary, opening on June 12 at BMO Field in Toronto against a Pot 4 team. Their second match will occur in Vancouver six days later against a Pot 3 team, concluding the group stage against a Pot 2 team, also in Vancouver.

**World Cup Draw Pots**

**Pot 1**: Canada, Mexico, USA, Spain, Argentina, France, England, Brazil, Portugal, Netherlands, Belgium, Germany

**Pot 2**: Croatia, Morocco, Colombia, Uruguay, Switzerland, Japan, Senegal, Iran, South Korea, 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 Playoff A, B, C, and D, FIFA Playoff Tournament 1 and 2.

This report utilizes information from The Associated Press.