FThe draw for the 2026 World Cup will take place soon, as IFA prepares a historic new 48-team tournament with Mexico, the United States and Canada starring as hosts.
The draw for the 2026 FIFA World Cup will take place on December 5th, an event that marks the beginning of the road to an unprecedented tournament. For the first time ever, the competition will feature 48 teams divided into 12 groups of four teams, a change that promises more excitement and more matches, resulting in a global reach.
Kylian Mbappe takes a circus shot next to Vincius Junior
Where will the 2026 World Cup draw be held?
The draw will be held in the United States, one of the host countries along with Mexico and Canada. According to FIFA, the November world rankings will be the basis for determining the composition of the pot. This ranking will be ‘locked’ after that month’s international friendlies and determine which teams will lead each group.
2026 World Cup Seeds
Three host countries are already in Pot 1: Mexico, the United States, and Canada. The top teams in the FIFA rankings will be added to these, and a true soccer powerhouse will be formed.
Pot 1 of the 2026 World Cup draw will look like this:
Mexico (host country) United States (host country) Canada (host country) Spain Argentina France United Kingdom Portugal Brazil Netherlands Belgium Germany
These 12 teams will be seeded and advance to Groups A through L. Mexico makes up Group A, Canada in Group B, and the United States in Group D. The rest will be allocated by lottery.
2026 World Cup Pot 2, 3, 4
The remaining teams will be distributed according to their position in the FIFA rankings. Teams such as Colombia, Uruguay and Japan are expected to be in Pot 2, while Pots 3 and 4 will include emerging teams and teams that have qualified for the playoffs.
In addition to the three hosts, the teams already confirmed include Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay, Morocco, England, Japan and Australia. The final standings will be determined by European and intercontinental play-offs, with the winners remaining on the list of 48 final participants.
New format for the 2026 World Cup
Each group will be made up of four teams, with the top two teams in each group and the top eight teams in third place advancing to the next phase. This will result in a round of 32 teams, increasing the total number of games to 104.
In addition, FIFA has stipulated that teams from the same federation cannot be drawn together in the group stage, except in Europe, where a maximum of 16 representatives will take part.
Where to watch the 2026 World Cup draw live
The event will be broadcast for free on the official platform FIFA+ and will be broadcast by TUDN, VIX and TV Azteca in Mexico, and available on Telemundo and Peacock in the United States.
