The 2026 FIFA World Cup draw takes place on Friday in Washington, D.C., sorting the expanded 48-team field into groups before the tournament unfolds from June 11 to July 19 across the United States, Canada and Mexico. Check out everything you need to know about the event.
How to watch
When: Friday, December 5
Time: 12 pm ET
Watch: FOX, Telemundo, TSN, FIFA.com
How does the draw work?
Of the 42 qualified countries, 39 are split into four pots as determined by the November 2025 FIFA Men's World Rankings.
Host nations USA, Canada and Mexico enter Pot 1. Lastly, the two FIFA World Cup 2026 Play-Off Tournament placeholders, as well as the four European play-off placeholders, are allocated into Pot 4.
All the groups – A through L – can have no more than one team from each region, except for UEFA. Each group will have at least one European team and no more than two.
For the World Cup draw, FIFA has adopted a seeding structure to ensure that the four highest-ranked nations – Spain, Argentina, France and England – can't meet until the semifinals, should they win their respective groups.
Who has qualified?
Host nations USA, Canada and Mexico automatically qualified, with 45 other teams earning berths via their confederation’s respective path.
There are 42 spots locked up; the remaining six berths will be known next March via playoffs.
Africa (CAF)
- Algeria
- Cape Verde
- Egypt
- Ghana
- Ivory Coast
- Morocco
- Senegal
- South Africa
- Tunisia
Europe (UEFA)
- Austria
- Belgium
- Croatia
- England
- France
- Germany
- Netherlands
- Norway
- Portugal
- Scotland
- Spain
- Switzerland
North America, Central America & Caribbean (Concacaf)
- Canada (co-host)
- Curaçao
- Haiti
- Mexico (co-host)
- Panama
- United States (co-host)
Oceania (OFC)
- New Zealand
South America (Conmebol)
- Argentina
- Brazil
- Colombia
- Ecuador
- Paraguay
- Uruguay
Who else can qualify?
Six (6) spots remain undecided.
European pathway
From March 26-31, 16 UEFA nations will participate in the European playoffs – 12 group runners-up during qualifying and the four highest-ranked remaining UEFA Nations League section winners.
Each path's top team qualifies.
Path A
- Italy vs. Northern Ireland
- Wales vs. Bosnia and Herzegovina
Final: Italy/Northern Ireland vs. Wales/Bosnia and Herzegovina
Path B
- Ukraine vs. Sweden
- Poland vs. Albania
Final: Ukraine/Sweden vs. Poland/Albania
Path C
- Türkiye vs. Romania
- Slovakia vs. Kosovo
Final: Türkiye/Romania vs. Slovakia/Kosovo
Path D
- Denmark vs. North Macedonia
- Czechia vs. Republic of Ireland
Final: Czechia/Republic of Ireland vs. Denmark/North Macedonia
Inter-confederation playoffs
The final two (2) teams will also be decided from March 26-31, in Mexico, via playoff paths. They are as follows:
Pathway 1
- Semifinal: New Caledonia vs. Jamaica
- Final: New Caledonia/Jamaica vs. Congo DR
Pathway 2
- Semifinal: Bolivia vs. Suriname
- Final: Bolivia/Suriname vs. Iraq
Which countries are in which pot?
The four pots were decided following the November 2025 update to the FIFA Men's World Ranking.
The draw will begin with all the teams from Pot 1 being drawn to groups A to L. It will then continue with Pots 2, 3 and 4 in that order.
Pot 1
- Canada
- Mexico
- United States
- 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
- European Playoff A
- European Playoff B
- European Playoff C
- European Playoff D
- FIFA Intercontinental Playoff Tournament 1
- FIFA Intercontinental Playoff Tournament 2
