The 2026 tournament – to be held in the United States, Canada and Mexico – features a record 48 teams, with the draw adding some new changes to separate the contenders from the contenders.
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Here’s what you need to know before allocating those all-important little plastic balls to their pots:
When and where is the FIFA World Cup 2026 draw?
The draw begins on Friday, December 5 at 12 noon (17:00 GMT) at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, DC.
How does the World Cup draw work?
The draw will start from Pot 1 and include the 12 seeded teams from Groups A to L, as determined by FIFA. These teams include:
- Top four ranked countries: Spain, Argentina, France and England
- Next five best seeded countries: Belgium, Brazil, Germany, Netherlands and Portugal
- The host countries were allocated three seeded spots: Canada, Mexico and the United States.
FIFA explained that the process would continue with Pots 2, 3 and 4 in that order.
Six more World Cup spots remain to be filled among the 22 nations still in contention through playoffs in March.
Italy, four-time World Cup winners and 12th in the FIFA rankings, are in the playoffs and could find themselves in Pot 4 if they qualify.
Newcomers Uzbekistan are in Pot 3, while fellow first-timers Jordan, Cape Verde and Curaçao are in Pot 4.
What are the rules of the World Cup draw?
The name of each nation is printed on a slip of paper, which is then folded and placed inside a plastic ball numbered 1 to 4 to represent one of the four vessels.
Have delegates mix the balls in large glass bowls (pots) – and then remove one ball at a time from each pot to form groups.
There are predetermined groups of three host countries: Mexico in Group A, Canada in Group B, and the USA in Group D.
The other top nine FIFA seeded nations will be spread across the remaining nine groups: C, E, F, G, H, I, J, K and L.
There is less certainty for the remaining 36 teams, but specific rules apply:
- In principle, no group will include more than one team from the same confederation.
- UEFA teams, which consist of 16 countries, are an exception to the rule – a maximum of two European teams can be drawn in the same group.
When can the top seeds play each other in the World Cup?
The 2026 World Cup draw awards the four highest-ranked teams – Spain, Argentina, France and England – who will be placed in separate sections, or quadrants, of a new tennis-style seeded tournament bracket.
FIFA said the top four countries, if they finish top of their respective round-robin groups, would play each other through to the semi-finals.
Therefore, defending champions Argentina (No. 2 ranked) with Lionel Messi and top-ranked European champions Spain (No. 1 ranked) with Lamine Yamal can ensure that they do not meet until the final at the MetLife Stadium near New York.
Who are the other teams in the pots?
Forty-two of the 48 teams have now qualified for the World Cup, with the remaining six teams to be selected in March 2026.
Teams will be drawn randomly from each of the four pots and assigned to one of 12 groups in Friday’s draw:
Pot 1: Canada, Mexico, USA, Spain, Argentina, France, England, Brazil, Portugal, Netherlands, Belgium, Germany (three host nations and nine top seeds)
Pot 2: Croatia, Morocco, Colombia, Uruguay, Switzerland, Japan, Senegal, Iran, South Korea, Ecuador, Austria, Australia
Pot 3: Norway, Panama, Egypt, Algeria, Scotland, Paraguay, Tunisia, Ivory Coast, Uzbekistan, Qatar, South Africa
Pot 4: Jordan, Cape Verde, Ghana, Curaçao, Haiti, New Zealand, European playoff winners A, B, C and D, Intercontinental playoff winners 1 and 2
Why is Iran boycotting the World Cup draw?
Iran has decided to boycott the World Cup draw because the US has refused to grant visas to members of its delegation, the state-run IRNA news agency reported on Friday.
The agency quoted Iranian Football Federation spokesman Amir-Mahdi Alavi as saying that officials faced visa barriers that go beyond sporting considerations.
There was no immediate comment from the White House.
Allawi said the federation has contacted FIFA and hopes it can help resolve the issue.
President Donald Trump’s administration in June announced a travel ban on citizens of 12 countries, including Iran, although an exemption was promised for “any athlete or athletic team member, including coaches, individuals performing essential support roles, and immediate relatives, who are traveling to the World Cup, the Olympics, or other major sporting event as determined by the Secretary of State.”
It is unclear whether the exemption also applies to the World Cup draw.
how to see
Live coverage of the 2026 World Cup draw will be provided on FIFA.com and FIFA World Cup social media channels. The draw will also be broadcast by FIFA’s media partners.
Al Jazeera Sport will provide live text commentary of the draw.
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