The draw for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which will feature an expanded 48 teams for the first time, will take place on December 5th at 5pm GMT/12pm EST at the Kennedy Center in Washington DC. This tournament will be jointly hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico. The World Cup will commence on June 11th at Mexico's Azteca Stadium and conclude on July 19th at the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.
The 48 qualified nations will be divided into 12 groups of four teams each. These teams will be drawn from four pots, with Pot 1 containing the three host nations (USA, Canada, Mexico) and the nine highest-ranked qualified teams. Mexico has been assigned to Group A, Canada to Group B, and the USA to Group C. The remaining pots will be filled with teams based on their FIFA world rankings to ensure a theoretical balance and to prevent top teams from meeting until later stages. Teams from the same confederation will be kept apart in the group stage, with the exception of Europe, where no group will contain more than two European nations.
Under the new format, the top two teams from each group, along with the eight best third-placed teams, will advance to the last-32 knockout stage. Tie-breaking criteria for third-placed teams will include points, goal difference, goals scored, team conduct scores (based on disciplinary records), and finally, the team's world ranking. Qualification spots for each confederation are allocated as follows: Europe (UEFA) 16, Africa (CAF) 9, Asia (AFC) 8, South America (CONMEBOL) 6... download the app to read more
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