FIFA 2026 World Cup Draw Format Unveiled
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With fewer than 200 days remaining until the kick-off of the expanded 48-team FIFA World Cup 2026 tournament, the procedures for the highly anticipated Final Draw have been confirmed.
On Friday, December 5, coaches and officials from qualified nations, and those still vying for a spot, will gather at the prestigious John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington D.C., United States, to discover their group stage opponents.
The draw will determine the pathways for the 12 unprecedented groups of four teams, with the ultimate goal of lifting the trophy on Sunday, July 19, 2026 in US.
Joint hosts, Canada, Mexico, and the USA will automatically be allocated to Pot 1. Mexico will be assigned to position A1, Canada to B1, and the USA to D1, as per the match schedule released earlier this year. The remaining 39 qualified national teams will be distributed across four pots of 12, based on the FIFA/Coca-Cola Men’s World Ranking issued on November 19, 2025, according to a statement posted on FIFA website on Tuesday.
Pot 4 will also include placeholders for the two FIFA World Cup 2026 Play-Off Tournaments and the four European play-off winners.
Key Pot Allocations Revealed:
Pot 1: Canada, Mexico, USA, Spain, Argentina, France, England, Brazil, Portugal, Netherlands, Belgium, Germany.
Pot 2: Croatia, Morocco, Colombia, Uruguay, Switzerland, Japan, Senegal, IR 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, Cabo Verde, Ghana, Curaçao, Haiti, New Zealand, European Play-Off A, B, C and D, FIFA Play-Off Tournament 1 and 2.
To ensure competitive balance, the four highest-ranked teams in Pot 1 (Spain, Argentina, France, and England) will be drawn into opposite pathways, preventing them from meeting before the final, should they win their respective groups.
A crucial draw constraint stipulates that, in principle, no group will feature more than one team from the same confederation, with the exception of UEFA, which will have 16 representatives. Each group must contain at least one, but no more than two UEFA teams.
Following the draw, an updated match schedule, detailing stadium allocations and kick-off time for each fixture, will be released on Saturday, December 6. FIFA said this meticulous allocation process aims to optimise conditions for all participating teams and enhance the viewing experience for fans across different time zones worldwide.
