Your country has qualified for the 2026 World Cup. You’re excited about seeing your nation play with the best of the best. But the biggest question is, how will each team know their opponents?
The biggest edition ever of the world’s marquee sporting event is next summer, running from June 11 through July 19, 2026.
Several teams have booked their spots, and plenty more will do in the coming weeks. Once the field is set, the next phase will be dividing up the 48 places into 12 groups of four. From there, it’ll be about reaching the knockout stage with an eye on the final.
So let’s answer some questions about how the draw will work.
JUMP TO: Time/Date | Seeds | Procedure | Co-Hosts | Pots | Playoffs | Schedule | Qualified Teams
When and Where is the Draw?
The draw will be held at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C., on December 5 at 12 p.m. ET/9 a.m. PT.
How Are the Teams Seeded?
The 48 participating teams (or qualifying slots) will be placed into “pots” (seeded groups) based on criteria such as FIFA rankings and confederation constraints. We will know 42 of those 48 teams by December. The other six teams will be known by March 2026.
The three host nations (Canada, Mexico, and the United States) are already placed into specific groups to ensure their matches occur in their home country.
Teams from the same qualification zone — except for the European confederation (UEFA) — cannot be drawn into the same group. So don’t expect two South American teams (CONMEBOL), for example, in the same group. However, you could see up to two UEFA teams in one.
What is the Actual Procedure?
Team names during the 2022 World Cup draw in Qatar. (Photo by Michael Regan – FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images)
Each team’s name is written on a slip of paper inside a plastic ball and put in large glass bowls (pots) numbered 1-4. A host will then draw one ball from each pot, open it up, and call out the country’s name.
A computer then allocates each team drawn at random to its appropriate group based on the geographical restrictions in place for the event.
All teams will know who their group-stage opponents are, the locations of those matches, and how they could advance to the knockout rounds.
Are the USA, Canada, and Mexico Already in Groups?
The three mascots of the co-hosts of the 2026 World Cup. (FIFA/Getty Imags)
The three co-hosts of the 2026 World Cup are already placed in respective groups, even if we still don’t know their opponents. This was done to ensure that the teams would play their group stage matches in their respective countries.
Group A: Canada, TBD, TBD, TBD
Group B: Mexico, TBD, TBD, TBD
Group D: United States, TBD, TBD, TBD
Which Teams are in Each Pot?
Pot 1
Pot 1 will include the three host nations (United States, Canada, Mexico) plus the nine highest‐ranked qualified teams based on FIFA’s rankings. As of now, those teams include some powerhouses: Spain, Argentina, France, England, Portugal, the Netherlands, Brazil, Belgium, and Italy. Of course, you have to qualify for the World Cup first.
Pots 2, 3 & 4
After Pot 1 is defined, the remaining qualified teams will be distributed in order into Pot 2, Pot 3 and Pot 4 based on their rankings. Each of these pots will also have 12 teams.
When the draw is held in December, Pot 4 will also have six placeholders for the teams that will emerge from various playoff rounds across the globe that will be played in March. Two of those spots will come via an intercontinental playoff, and four will come from a playoff round featuring just European teams.
What is the Intercontinental Playoff? What About the UEFA playoff?
Six teams will participate in a mini-tournament of their own to qualify for the big stage, with Europe (UEFA) not taking part in this event.
- 1 Africa (TBD)
- 1 Asia (Iraq or United Arab Emirates)
- 2 North and Central America/Caribbean (TBD)
- 1 Oceania (New Caledonia)
- 1 South America (Venezuela)
The two teams with the highest FIFA rankings will get byes to the two separate finals. The other four teams will face each other to reach those finalists. The two teams to emerge from this playoff round will go to the World Cup.
As for UEFA, it will have its own playoff tournament to finalize its four teams. Once the direct World Cup qualifiers are set for November, 12 teams move to a subsequent playoff round, joined by four other teams. These 16 teams will then be bracketed to clinch the remaining four World Cup spots in March 2026.
What is the Schedule for the World Cup?
| Stage | Dates |
| Group Stage | June 11–27 |
| Round of 32 | June 28–July 3 |
| Round of 16 | July 4–7 |
| Quarterfinals | July 9–11 |
| Semifinals | July 14–15 |
| Third-Place Play-Off | July 18 |
| Final | July 19 |
Which Teams Have Qualified for the World Cup?
These teams are in! Who else will join? Listed in alphabetical order:
- Algeria (5 appearances)
- Australia (7 appearances)
- Argentina (19 appearances)
- Brazil (23 appearances)
- Canada (3 appearances)
- Cape Verde (will make debut in 2026)
- Colombia (6 appearances)
- Ecuador (5 appearances)
- Egypt (4 appearances)
- England (16 appearances)
- Ghana (5 appearances)
- Iran (7 appearances)
- Ivory Coast (4 appearances)
- Japan (8 appearances)
- Jordan (will make debut in 2026)
- Mexico (18 appearances)
- Morocco (7 appearances)
- New Zealand (3 appearances)
- Paraguay (8 appearances)
- Qatar (2 appearances)
- Senegal (4 appearances)
- South Africa (4 appearances)
- South Korea (12 appearances)
- Tunisia (7 appearances)
- Uruguay (14 appearances)
- United States (12 appearances)
- Uzbekistan (will make debut in 2026)
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