2026 FIFA World Cup draw: Date, location and format explained
This Friday, the group stage of the 2026 FIFA World Cup will be drawn at a ceremony attended by Donald Trump and numerous other personalities.
Gianni Infantino with the FIFA World Cup trophy. November 2026
In about half a year's time, a triad of countries will be the focus of the entire planet's attention for one particular event, the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The United States, Mexico and Canada will serve as hosts of the next edition of soccer's most important championship at the national team level, marking the first time in history that three different nations host the competition.
Many requirements for the 2026 FIFA World Cup are finalized and ready. However, some loose ends remain, including indispensable details, such as the configuration of the group stage, the first round of the competition for the 48 qualified teams.
Group stage draw: when and where does it take place?
This Friday, Dec, 5, representatives of the soccer world, accompanied by celebrities and journalists, will attend the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, located in Washington DC, to witness the draw for the group stage of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Those summoned to this event will need to be at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts a few hours before the start of the draw, scheduled for 12:00 PM.
Group stage draw times at other locations
- 9:00 A.M. in Los Angeles (California)
- 11:00 A.M. in Dallas (Texas)
- 11:00 A.M. in Mexico City (Mexico)
- 12:00 P.M. in Bogotá (Colombia)
- 14:00 P.M. in Buenos Aires (Argentina)
- 18:00 P.M. in Madrid (Spain)
FIFA President, Gianni Infantino, will be joined by Donald Trump, among many other personalities, and the trophy to be given to the national team that wins the 2026 FIFA World Cup final, which will be played at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey on July 19, 2026.
FIFA reported that former Manchester United player Rio Ferdinand will be the master of ceremonies for a draw that will be attended by other representatives from the world of soccer and legends from other sports such as former NHL player Wayne Gretzky, former NFL player Tom Brady, MLB player Aaron Judge and former NBA player Shaquille O'Neal.
"Leading this historic draw is an incredible honor. When I was a soccer player, I dreamed of playing in the FIFA World Cup. Now, I am grateful to play a different, but also very special, role with the help of a superb cast. Together, we will unveil the twelve groups of four teams, something everyone is looking forward to," said Ferdinand after learning that he will be the presenter of the draw.
What the group stage draw will look like
Although there are still six countries that will be in the next edition of the FIFA World Cup, they will enter through the play-offs, the 48 national teams will be divided into 12 groups of four participants each.
During the draw, four pots will be placed in which there will be 12 national teams in each of them. Each pot will contribute one national team to complete the 12 groups.
As hosts, United States (which will head Group D), Mexico (in Group A) and Canada (assigned to Group B) will be in Pot 1, as will the four national teams with the highest FIFA rankings: Spain, Argentina, France and England. This seeding ensures they will not be able to face each other until the semifinals.
What is the FIFA ranking?
The ranking is renewed every three months.
Each pot is distributed as follows:
- Pot 1: United States, Mexico, Canada, Spain, Argentina, France, England, Brazil, Portugal, Netherlands, Belgium and Germany.
- Pot 2: Croatia, Morocco, Colombia, Uruguay, Switzerland, Japan, Senegal, Iran, South Korea, Ecuador, Austria and Australia.
- Pot 3: Norway, Panama, Egypt, Algeria, Scotland, Paraguay, Tunisia, Ivory Coast, Uzbekistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and South Africa.
- Pot 4: Jordan, Cape Verde, Ghana, Curacao, Haiti, New Zealand, four UEFA playoff winners (Wales, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Italy, Northern Ireland, Ukraine, Sweden, Poland, Albania, Slovakia, Kosovo, Turkey, Romania, Czech Republic, Ireland, Denmark and North Macedonia) and two intercontinental playoff winners (New Caledonia, Jamaica, Democratic Republic of Congo, Bolivia, Suriname and Iraq).
It should also be noted that no national team may share a group with a team from the same confederation, with the exception of UEFA (Europe), which will field 16 participants.
One more knockout round than in the other editions
By having more participants, there will be more games, During the group stage, a total of 72 matches will be played. FIFA has deemed it appropriate to have one more knockout round in this edition of the FIFA World Cup, so, at the end of the group stage, there will be a round known as the round of 32, in which the top two finishers from each of the 12 groups and the eight best third-placed teams will be drawn.
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