The stage is almost set for the 2026 World Cup, which begins June 11 and concludes with the final July 19. Here’s what to know about the draw.
When is the World Cup draw?
The draw ceremony will be held at noon ET (5 p.m. GMT) at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., on Dec. 5.
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Who has qualified for the World Cup?
So far, 42 of the 48 qualifiers are known. You can check out who’s in, and who else is still in the running.
Why are the identities of six teams still unknown?
The six teams to qualify through the UEFA and interconfederation playoffs will not be known until March, when the final matches of those competitions will be held.
It is expected that Pot 4 will contain placeholders for those four UEFA playoff qualifiers and two interconfederation playoff qualifiers, as has been the case in past World Cups, but this is pending FIFA confirmation. An alternative would be assigning the playoff winners to pots based on their FIFA rankings.
Details on the playoffs can be found below.
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How does the draw seeding work?
The 48 teams or placeholders will be divided into four pots of 12 teams, using the FIFA World Rankings list published Nov. 19. Each World Cup group will consist of one team from each pot.
The hosts — United States, Canada and Mexico — will be placed in Pot 1, as always, and have already been assigned to specific groups. The top nine countries will join the three hosts in Pot 1, with the next 12 in Pot 2, and so on.
Teams in the same pot cannot face each other in the group stage.
Below are the expected pot assignments, assuming the playoff winners will be assigned to Pot 4.
Pot 1:
United States
Mexico
Canada
Spain
Argentina
France
England
Portugal
Netherlands
Belgium
Germany
Pot 2:
Croatia
Morocco
Colombia
Uruguay
Switzerland
Japan
Senegal
Iran
South Korea
Ecuador
Austria
Australia
Pot 3:
Panama
Norway
Egypt
Algeria
Scotland
Paraguay
Ivory Coast
Tunisia
Uzbekistan
Qatar
Saudi Arabia
South Africa
Pot 4:
Jordan
Cape Verde
Ghana
Curacao
Haiti
New Zealand
UEFA playoff winners (4 teams)
Interconfederation playoff winners (2 teams)
How will the draw work?
The draw will start with Pot 1, though hosts United States, Mexico and Canada have been already allocated to groups and know the dates and locations of their group stage matches. Mexico, for example, will play in the first match of tournament June 11 at the Estadio Azteca in Mexico City.
If past procedures are retained, the rest of Pot 1 will then be allocated, one team in each group, in alphabetical order through to Group L. The same process would then completed for Pots 2, 3 and 4. Each pot would be drawn in its entirety before moving on to the next pot.
Are there any special conditions for the draw?
Yes: Two countries from the same confederation cannot be drawn into the same group.
The one caveat is Europe, from which 16 countries will qualify, making it impossible to prevent a clash. Therefore, four groups will contain two UEFA teams.
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How will the remaining qualifiers be determined?
The UEFA and interconfederation playoff paths were determined Nov. 20 when the draws were held.
For the UEFA playoffs, four paths were created. Each path consists of four teams contesting two semifinals, with the winners facing off in the final to book a place at the World Cup.
The four paths are listed below. The semifinals will be played March 26 (teams listed first will host), and the finals March 31.
UEFA PLAYOFFS
Playoff path A: Italy vs. Northern Ireland, Wales vs. Bosnia and Herzegovina; winner of Wales-Bosnia hosts final
Playoff path B: Ukraine vs. Sweden, Poland vs. Albania; winner of Ukraine-Sweden hosts final
Playoff path C: Turkey vs. Romania, Slovakia vs. Kosovo; winner of Slovakia-Kosovo hosts final
Playoff path D: Denmark vs. North Macedonia, Czechia vs. Republic of Ireland; winner of Czechia-Republic of Ireland hosts final
For the interconfederation playoffs, two paths were created for six total teams. The two teams with the highest FIFA ranking — DR Congo and Iraq — were seeded and advanced directly to each path’s final. The remaining four teams will contest two semifinals, with the winners facing the seeded teams. Jamaica and Suriname, the two Concacaf teams, could not be drawn into the same path.
The two paths are listed below. The matches will be played in March and held in Mexico — two matches in Guadalajara, and two in Monterrey.
INTERCONFEDERATION PLAYOFFS
Playoff path A: New Caledonia vs. Jamaica, winner plays DR Congo
Playoff path B: Bolivia vs. Suriname, winner plays Iraq
