The draw for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which will be co-hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico, is scheduled for December 5th. This tournament marks a significant expansion, featuring 48 teams for the first time.
The competition will be divided into 12 groups of four teams, with the top two from each group and the eight best third-placed teams advancing to a 32-team knockout stage. The draw ceremony will take place in Washington D.C.
at 5 PM GMT/12 PM EST. The 48 qualified nations will be allocated into four pots based on FIFA world rankings to ensure theoretical group balance, with host nations Mexico, Canada, and the USA already assigned to Groups A, B, and C respectively.
Teams from the same confederation will generally be kept apart, with a maximum of two European teams per group. The tournament will commence on June 11th, 2026, at the Azteca Stadium in Mexico City, and conclude with the final on July 19th at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.
The allocation of World Cup spots among confederations is: UEFA (16), CAF (9), AFC (8), CONMEBOL (6), CONCACAF (6, including the three hosts), and OFC (1). The final two spots will be decided through an inter-confederation play-off competition involving six nations from various confederations.
Several teams have already qualified, including England, France, Argentina, Brazil, and the host nations.
