Tomorrow, at 18:00 local time, the draw for the 2026 World Cup groups will take place at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.
The draw is scheduled for 12:00 local time on Friday, December 5, which corresponds to 18:00 local time in our country.
The 2026 World Cup, co-hosted by the USA, Canada, and Mexico, will feature 48 national teams. The opening match will take place on June 11, and the final will be held on July 19, 2026. Before the draw, the teams will be divided into four pots, each containing 12 teams.
Pot 1 consists of the three co-hosts – the USA, Mexico, and Canada – along with the nine highest-ranked teams in the current FIFA ranking.
The remaining three pots are determined based on FIFA rankings, with the lowest-ranked teams placed in Pot 4. Each of the 12 World Cup groups will then be formed by drawing one team from each pot.
The top two teams from each group will qualify for the next round, along with the eight best third-placed teams from all groups. This will determine the 32 teams advancing to the knockout stage.
White House Press Secretary Caroline Leavitt confirmed that President Donald Trump will attend the draw ceremony.
Pot Distribution for the Draw:
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, Ivory Coast, Uzbekistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, South Africa.
Pot 4: Jordan, Cape Verde, Ghana, Curaçao, Haiti, New Zealand, four European play-off teams (including Kosovo and Albania), and two intercontinental play-off teams.
