FIFA World Cup 2026 Draw: Format, how it works, teams, pots, live streaming information

The groups for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, co-hosted by the US, Canada and Mexico, will be determined during the draw in Washington on Friday.

The build-up to the event has attracted a lot of attention, with US President Donald Trump expected to attend the proceedings. American sports superstars Shaquille O’Neal and Tom Brady will also play a role and help draft the teams.

This will be the first World Cup with 48 teams. So far, 42 countries have booked their places and the remaining six will be determined through the European and intercontinental play-offs.

Here’s how the draw for the new World Cup will work:

When will the 2026 FIFA World Cup draw take place?

The final drawing will take place on Friday, December 5, 2025 at 12:00 PM ET. In India, the draw takes place at 10:30 PM.

Where will the 2026 FIFA World Cup draw take place?

The final drawing will take place at the Kennedy Center in Washington DC.

How will the pots be distributed for the 2026 FIFA World Cup draw?

The 48 teams are divided into four pots of 12 each based on their rankings, which 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, IR 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, Curacao, Haiti, New Zealand, European Playoff A, B, C and D, FIFA Playoff Tournament 1 and 2.

How will the draw for the 2026 FIFA World Cup work?

The tournament consists of twelve groups of four teams each.

Each team from Pot 1 is divided into groups from A to L. The same process is repeated for all four pots.

Because sixteen teams from Europe are participating in the World Cup, four groups will have two European teams. With the exception of UEFA, two teams from the same confederation cannot be included in the same group.

FIFA has also introduced a new restriction for the top four teams in the world rankings: Spain, Argentina, France and England. To ensure that these teams meet in the later stages of the tournament, they will be divided into groups such that they will be in four different quadrants during the knockout stages.

Where can you watch the 2026 FIFA World Cup draw?

The live streaming for the 2026 FIFA World Cup draw will be available on FIFA.com And FIFA YouTube channel in India.

Published on December 5, 2025