WASHINGTON (AP) — The 2026 FIFA World Cup draw will take place on Friday at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, with the aim of dividing the 48 participating teams into 12 groups of four.
The top two from each group and the eight best third-placed teams will advance to the knockout stage. The biggest World Cup in history adds a new round of 16.
In a round-robin format, the 12 groups are designated Group A, Group B… and so on, up to Group L.
Here is an explanation of how the draw works.
Pot Allocation
The 48 teams will be spread across four separate pots that are governed by each team’s current FIFA ranking, with the ranking shown in parentheses.
Pot 1 — Spain (1), Argentina (2), France (3), England (4), Brazil (5), Portugal (6), Netherlands (7), Belgium (8), Germany (9), United States (14), Mexico (15), Canada (27).
Pot 2 — Croatia (10), Morocco (11), Colombia (13), Uruguay (16), Switzerland (17), Japan (18), Senegal (19), Iran (20), South Korea (22), Ecuador (23), Austria (24), Australia (26).
Pot 3 — Norway (29), Panama (30), Egypt (34), Algeria (35), Scotland (36), Paraguay (39), Tunisia (40), Ivory Coast (42), Uzbekistan (60), Qatar (51), Saudi Arabia (60), South Africa (61).
Pot 4 — Jordan (66), Cape Verde (68), Ghana (72), Curaçao (82), Haiti (84), New Zealand (86), UEFA Playoff A, UEFA Playoff B, UEFA Playoff C, UEFA Playoff D, FIFA Playoff 1, FIFA Playoff 2.
The United States, Mexico and Canada, the three host nations, were placed in Pot 1. That’s a significant advantage because it means they won’t be drawn into groups with multiple powerhouse teams. It has already been determined that Mexico will be in Group A, Canada in Group B, and the United States in Group D.
The novelty is a guideline that prevents Spain and the defending champion Argentina from meeting before the final if they top their groups, since both teams occupy the top two spots in the rankings. The same applies to England (3) and France (4).
Teams Not Yet Qualified
Six of the balls in Pot 4 do not correspond to any specific country. That’s because six spots won’t be decided until March. Four European teams will qualify via UEFA playoffs, and the two additional FIFA playoffs will feature teams from around the world in matches to be played in Mexico.
The UEFA Playoff A winner will be Italy, Northern Ireland, Wales or Bosnia and Herzegovina. The UEFA Playoff B will be contested by Ukraine, Sweden, Poland and Albania, the UEFA Playoff C by Turkey, Romania, Slovakia and Kosovo, and the UEFA Playoff D by Denmark, North Macedonia, Czech Republic and Ireland.
New Caledonia, Jamaica and the Congo will compete in FIFA Playoff 1, and Bolivia, Suriname and Iraq in FIFA Playoff 2.
Has Italy Not Qualified Yet?
Italy, four-time world champion, has not qualified since 2014. But the Italians — currently ranked 12th — still have a chance this time. Many teams this week will likely be hoping to avoid landing in a group with the winner of UEFA Playoff A.
Additional Restrictions
The draw will be conducted with several additional requirements in mind:
— Each group must contain at least one European team, but no more than two.
— Apart from UEFA (Europe), there cannot be two teams from the same confederation in the same group. The other confederations are AFC (Asia) and CAF (Africa), CONCACAF (North, Central and Caribbean America), CONMEBOL (South America) and the OFC (Oceania).
(In a couple of quirks of global football, Suriname competes in CONCACAF and Australia competes in the AFC, but New Zealand is part of the OFC.)
Possible Groups
Although the pots are largely arranged in descending FIFA ranking, there are still many scenarios for how challenging a group could be, especially since Pot 4 could include either a traditional powerhouse like Italy or a debutant like Curaçao.
Argentina, Morocco, Norway and Italy — if Italy qualifies — could form a particularly tough group.
Canada, Austria, South Africa and New Zealand would appear much less formidable.
When Will We Learn the Match Schedule?
The full reveal of match venues and kickoff times is scheduled for Saturday, though the match dates for the three host nations have already been released.
Canada: June 12 (Toronto), June 18 (Vancouver) and June 24 (Vancouver).
Mexico: June 11 (Mexico City), June 18 (Guadalajara) and June 24 (Mexico City).
United States: June 12 (Los Angeles), June 19 (Seattle) and June 25 (Los Angeles).
