The World Cup 2026 group stage draw is set to be held at 0h on 6/12, Hanoi time, at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington DC, United States. The event will be attended by US President Donald Trump, who is also a likely recipient of the FIFA Peace Award.
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A view outside the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington DC, United States, on 4/12/2025. Photo: Reuters |
FIFA will announce the match schedule and venues on 7/12, two days after the draw, due to the tournament spanning multiple time zones. The World Cup 2026 will feature 48 teams, divided into 12 groups of four. The three host nations: the United States, Canada, and Mexico, are automatically designated as top seeds, alongside other top-ranked teams by FIFA. The principle of avoiding teams from the same confederation in the same group will apply, with the exception of UEFA.
Mexico will play the opening match at Azteca Stadium on 11/6, placing its national team in Group A. Canada is in Group B, and the United States in Group D, as their subsequent matches will be held in Toronto and Los Angeles, respectively.
Spain, FIFA's number one ranked team, will be placed in a different bracket than Argentina, the number two ranked team. Similarly, France and England will not share a bracket. With the expanded format, the eight best third-place teams will advance to the round of 16.
There are still six World Cup spots yet to be determined. Europe will select four teams through play-offs, with contenders including Italy, Sweden, Poland, or Denmark. The intercontinental play-offs will feature the Democratic Republic of Congo and Iraq as seeded teams, awaiting opponents from CONCACAF, OFC, or South America.
Four teams will make their World Cup debut: Uzbekistan, Jordan, Cape Verde, and Curacao, the smallest nation to ever participate. New Zealand, with a FIFA ranking of 86, is the lowest-ranked team in the draw.
The teams participating in the World Cup are categorized into four pots ahead of the draw:
Pot one: United States, Mexico, Canada, Spain, Argentina, France, England, Brazil, Portugal, Netherlands, Belgium, Germany
Pot two: Croatia, Morocco, Colombia, Uruguay, Switzerland, Japan, Senegal, Iran, South Korea, Ecuador, Austria, Australia
Pot three: Norway, Panama, Egypt, Algeria, Scotland, Paraguay, Tunisia, Ivory Coast, Uzbekistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, South Africa
Pot four: Jordan, Cape Verde, Ghana, Curacao, Haiti, New Zealand, four winners from the European qualifying play-offs, two winners from the intercontinental play-offs.
Quang Dung - Hoang An
