FIFA World Cup 2026 draw: Teams, pots, how to watch and all to know

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The FIFA World Cup gully is an lawsuit that comes astir lone erstwhile each 4 years – but it tin bash plentifulness to find a shot nation’s morale heading into the sport’s astir prestigious planetary competition.

The 2026 tournament – to beryllium held successful the United States, Canada and Mexico – features a grounds 48 teams, with this gully adding a fewer caller tweaks to dispersed retired the contenders from the pretenders.

When and wherever is the FIFA World Cup 2026 draw?

The gully volition statesman astatine the John F Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts successful Washington, DC, connected Friday, December 5, astatine 12 noon (17:00 GMT).

How does the World Cup gully work?

The gully volition statesman with Pot 1 and the 12 seeded teams, arsenic determined by FIFA, being drawn into Groups A to L. These teams comprise:

Top four-ranked nations: Spain, Argentina, France and England
Next 5 best-seeded nations: Belgium, Brazil, Germany, Netherlands and Portugal
Three seeded spots allocated to the big nations: Canada, Mexico and USA

The process volition past proceed with Pots 2, 3, and 4, successful that order, FIFA explained.

Six much World Cup spots stay to beryllium filled among the 22 nations inactive successful contention through the playoffs successful March.

Italy, four-time World Cup winners and 12th successful the FIFA rankings, are successful the playoffs and could find themselves successful Pot 4 if they qualify.

Debutants Uzbekistan are successful Pot 3, portion chap first-timers Jordan, Cape Verde and Curacao are successful Pot 4.

Kennedy Center successful Washington DC.

What are the rules of the World Cup draw?

Each nation’s sanction is printed connected a gaffe of paper, which is past folded and placed wrong a integrative shot numbered 1 to 4 to correspond 1 of the 4 pots.

Draw representatives premix up the balls successful ample solid bowls (pots) – and past extract 1 shot astatine a clip from each cookware to signifier the groups.

The 3 big nations person predetermined groups: Mexico successful Group A, Canada successful Group B, and USA successful Group D.

The different apical 9 FIFA-seeded nations volition beryllium dispersed crossed the remaining 9 groups: C, E, F, G, H, I, J, K, and L.

There is little certainty for the remaining 36 teams, but circumstantial rules bash apply:

In principle, nary radical volition person much than 1 squad from the aforesaid confederation drawn into it.
UEFA teams, which comprise 16 nations, are the objection to the regularisation – up to 2 European teams tin beryllium drawn into the aforesaid group.

When tin the apical seeds play each different astatine the World Cup?

The 2026 World Cup gully rewards the 4 highest-ranked teams – Spain, Argentina, France and England – who volition beryllium placed successful abstracted sections, oregon quadrants, of a caller tennis-style seeded tourney bracket.

FIFA said the apical 4 nations, if they decorativeness apical of their respective round-robin groups, volition debar each different until the semifinals.

Defending champions Argentina (No 2 ranked) with Lionel Messi and top-ranked European champions Spain (No 1 ranked) with Lamine Yamal, therefore, tin guarantee they bash not conscionable until the last astatine MetLife Stadium adjacent New York.

Which different teams are successful the pots?

Forty-two of the 48 teams person present qualified for the World Cup, with the remaining six nations to beryllium determined successful March 2026.

Teams volition beryllium randomly drawn from each of the 4 pots and assigned to 1 of the 12 groups successful Friday’s draw:

Pot 1: Canada, Mexico, USA, Spain, Argentina, France, England, Brazil, Portugal, Netherlands, Belgium, Germany (three big nations and 9 top-seeded)

Pot 2: Croatia, Morocco, Colombia, Uruguay, Switzerland, Japan, Senegal, Iran, South Korea, Ecuador, Austria, Australia

Pot 3: Norway, Panama, Egypt, Algeria, Scotland, Paraguay, Tunisia, Ivory Coast, Uzbekistan, Qatar, South Africa

Pot 4: Jordan, Cape Verde, Ghana, Curacao, Haiti, New Zealand, European playoff winners A, B, C and D, Intercontinental playoff winners 1 and 2

Why is Iran boycotting the World Cup draw?

Iran has decided to boycott the World Cup draw due to the fact that the US denied visas to members of its delegation, the state-run IRNA quality bureau reported connected Friday.

The bureau quoted Iranian shot federation spokesperson Amir-Mahdi Alavi arsenic saying that officials faced visa obstacles that spell beyond sporting considerations.

There was nary contiguous remark from the White House.

Alavi said the federation had reached retired to FIFA and hoped it could assistance resoluteness the issue.

President Donald Trump’s medication announced successful June a question prohibition connected citizens from 12 countries, including Iran, though exemptions were promised for “any jock oregon subordinate of an diversion team, including coaches, persons performing a indispensable enactment role, and contiguous relatives, traveling for the World Cup, Olympics, oregon different large sporting lawsuit arsenic determined by the caput of state”.

It is unclear whether the exemptions besides use to the World Cup draw.

How to watch

Live sum of the 2026 World Cup gully volition beryllium provided connected FIFA.com and the FIFA World Cup societal media channels. The gully volition besides beryllium broadcast by FIFA’s media partners.

Al Jazeera Sport volition supply unrecorded substance commentary of the draw.