The world is gearing up for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, a historic tournament set to be co-hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico. As anticipation builds, the Final Draw is scheduled to take place on Friday, December 5, 2025, at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. This draw will determine the group stage paths for the 48 participating teams, marking the first time in World Cup history that the tournament has been expanded from 32 teams.
Draw Details
The draw ceremony is scheduled for December 5, 2025, at 17:00 GMT (12:00 local time). The event is expected to last approximately 45 minutes, although the overall show will be longer. Fans can watch the draw live on FIFA's official digital platforms, including FIFA.com, YouTube, and social media channels. The broadcast will include studio coverage and expert analysis. An updated match schedule, including stadium assignments and kick-off times, will be released on Saturday, December 6.
Qualified Teams and Pots
As of December 2, 2025, 42 nations have already secured their places in the tournament, representing six confederations: AFC (Asia), CAF (Africa), CONCACAF (North America, Central America, Caribbean), CONMEBOL (South America), OFC (Oceania), and UEFA (Europe). The remaining six spots will be decided through UEFA playoffs and FIFA inter-continental playoffs.
For the draw, the 48 teams are divided into four pots of 12, based on the FIFA world rankings. Pot 1 includes the co-hosts (Canada, Mexico, and the United States) and the highest-ranked nations. The six playoff winners will be placed in Pot 4.
The pots are as follows:
- 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 UEFA playoff winners, and two FIFA inter-continental playoff winners.
During the draw, teams from Pot 1 will be drawn sequentially into the 12 World Cup groups (A to L). Mexico will be assigned to position A1, Canada to B1, and the United States to D1. The remaining top-ranked teams in Pot 1 will be allocated to position 1 of their respective groups.
Draw Procedures and Restrictions
To maintain competitive balance, the four highest-ranked teams will be placed in separate pathways to the semi-finals. Spain and Argentina, as the top two ranked teams, will be drawn into opposite pathways, as will France and England. This ensures that the two highest-ranked teams cannot meet before the final.
Generally, no group will have more than one team from the same confederation, except for UEFA, which has 16 teams participating. Each group must have at least one, but no more than two UEFA teams. For the FIFA Play-Off Tournament placeholders, confederation constraints will be applied to ensure no group has more than one team from the same confederation.
Tournament Format
The 2026 World Cup will feature 12 groups of four teams. Each team will play three matches in the group stage, with a total of 72 group-stage matches. The top two teams from each group, along with the eight best third-placed teams, will advance to a new Round of 32. From there, the tournament will follow a single-elimination format, including the Round of 16, Quarter-finals, Semi-finals, and the Final. The final match is scheduled for July 19, 2026, at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
Host Cities and Venues
The 2026 FIFA World Cup will be held across 16 cities in North America.
- Canada: Toronto, Vancouver.
- Mexico: Guadalajara, Mexico City, Monterrey.
- United States: Atlanta, Boston, Dallas, Houston, Kansas City, Los Angeles, Miami, New York/New Jersey, Philadelphia, San Francisco Bay Area, Seattle.
The opening match will be held in Mexico City, and the final will be in New York/New Jersey.
With the Final Draw approaching, anticipation is building for what promises to be the biggest and most inclusive FIFA World Cup in history.
