FIFA Defines Procedure for the 2026 World Cup Draw: 48 Teams and Pots

2026 World Cup Draw Procedure Defined

FIFA announced the procedure for the 2026 World Cup draw, which will be held on December 5th. This event will define the composition of the groups and the order in which the teams will face each other in the tournament. The draw, which will take place at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., will involve 48 teams divided into four pots. From these pots, the teams will be drawn to form 12 groups of four. The updated match schedule, which will assign each match to a stadium with its start time, will be announced on Saturday, December 6th.

Composition of the Drums

The three host countries, along with the nine highest-ranked teams according to the FIFA ranking, will make up Pot 1.

Spain
Argentina
France
England
Brazil
Portugal
Netherlands
Belgium
Germany

Canada, Mexico, and the United States, as host countries, will be identified with balls of different colors and, when drawn, will be assigned position A1 for Mexico (green ball), B1 for Canada (red ball), and D1 for the United States (blue ball). The following 12 highest-ranked teams will be in Pot 2, including:

Croatia
Morocco
Colombia
Uruguay
Switzerland
Japan
Senegal
Iran
South Korea
Ecuador
Austria
Australia

Pot 3 will be made up of the following 12 teams:

Contents

2026 World Cup Draw Procedure Defined Composition of the Drums

Norway
Panama
Egypt
Algeria
Scotland
Paraguay
Tunisia
Ivory Coast
Uzbekistan
Qatar
Saudi Arabia
South Africa

Pot 4 will be made up of the remaining teams and the six winners of the intercontinental play-offs. This pot includes:

Jordan
Cape Verde
Ghana
Curacao
Haiti
New Zealand

The four winners of the intercontinental play-offs will include four teams from UEFA and two teams from other confederations. The draw will be held in such a way that teams from the same confederation cannot be in the same group. The exception to this is Europe, because there are more European teams (16) than groups (12). This will result in four groups with two European teams and the rest with one team from Europe.

To ensure competitive balance, Spain and Argentina, the top-ranked teams, will be drawn and placed in groups on opposite paths. The same will apply to the teams ranked third and fourth (France and England). This ensures that, if each one wins its group, the two top-ranked teams will not face each other before the final.

FIFA Defines Procedure for the 2026 World Cup Draw: 48 Teams and Pots — El presidente de la FIFA, Gianni Infantino, y el presidente de EE. UU., Donald Trump, asistirán al sorteo del Mundial el 5 de diciembre.

The United States, which was previously placed in Group D, will face a team from Pot 3 in its opening match on June 12 in Inglewood, California. This will be followed by a match against a team from Pot 2 on June 19 at Lumen Field in Seattle, and its final group stage match will be against a team from Pot 4, also in Inglewood.

Mexico, located in Group A, will open the tournament on June 11 against a team from Pot 3 at the Azteca Stadium in Mexico City, followed by matches against a team from Pot 2 on June 18 at the Akron Stadium, outside of Guadalajara, and its last group stage match six days later against a team from Pot 4, again in Mexico City. Canada will have a slightly different schedule. They will start the tournament on June 12 at BMO Field in Toronto against a team from Pot 4. Their second match will be in Vancouver six days later against a team from Pot 3, with the last group stage match against a team from Pot 2 also in Vancouver.