Here’s everything you need to know about the World Cup draw ahead of the big event in Washington, D.C., on Friday and Saturday
Manager Arsene Wenger has promised that the World Cup will live up to its hype as the greatest show on earth.
Wenger, who is currently FIFA’s head of world football development, vowed that the world governing body will ensure next summer’s tournament is a great success. Former Arsenal manager Wenger spoke passionately at last summer’s Club World Cup, which served as a dry run for the main tournament in June and July next year.
FIFA has big plans for the 2026 World Cup. Wenger admitted the pitch was “not perfect”, an opinion echoed by Chelsea captain Reece James, who led his team to success in the tournament. Temperature was a major factor, with players and the players’ association insisting that games should not be played in the sweltering heat.
Mr. Wenger is the ideal person for FIFA. That’s because, as a club manager, the Frenchman has never been shy about speaking out when it comes to criticizing international football and major tournaments. Now he’s one of the key people making it work.
In all fairness to FIFA, they listened and the kick-off time has yet to be confirmed, but it’s clear that’s part of the reason this bracket has become an almost two-day event.
England and Scotland will find out their group opponents in Friday’s main draw, but teams taking part in the play-offs (including Northern Ireland and Wales) have also been asked to attend. Three Lions manager Thomas Tuchel will take part in a coaches’ workshop during a two-day meeting in Washington when he is likely to agree a 26-player squad for the 48-team tournament, which will clearly mean more games than in 2022.
Additionally, the kickoff time and venue for the tournament, which begins June 11, will be a hot topic among coaches. Tuchel has already admitted he wants the games to start later, even if it means they are played earlier than in Europe’s prime time slot.
This will not go down well with home fans and could cost pubs and clubs millions of dollars in lost revenue if games kick off well past midnight, as they do at the Club World Cup. However, Europe’s major teams are likely to have a combination of prime time and later kick-off times to ensure that everyone has their share.
The United States has “indoor stadiums” that can host games under air-conditioned roofs, and Atlanta’s stadium is a great example. Although Los Angeles and Dallas have similar stadiums and facilities, the July 19 final is scheduled to kick off at 3pm locally at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, and at 8pm in the UK.
However, the draw will go into overtime on Saturday. Each country will find out its opponents on Friday, but the full match schedule, dates and venues will only be known 24 hours later.
It is clearly to deal with a tougher challenge and TV companies will also be anxiously awaiting England’s opponents.
England could take Scotland and the pot draw order means teams in pots 2 and 3 are statistically more likely to be paired with a higher seed than in the UEFA play-off qualifiers, which could include Wales and Northern Ireland.
Norway could be a dark horse and it is interesting to note that Norway’s global superstar Erling Haaland will be representing them in Washington as his father Alfie leaves for the US on Wednesday.
The old television tradition of tossing a coin to decide who gets first pick for the England game still exists, and it will be up to the BBC and ITV to choose. There is always poker going on as to whether to choose additional group matches or wait for the knockout phase.
US President Donald Trump will also be in attendance at the draw, and judging by Chelsea’s success in winning the Club World Cup trophy, he will be keen to take center stage.
Draw details and important facts
The World Cup draw will take place from 5pm UK time. You may hear from England manager Thomas Tuchel from 7pm. US President Donald Trump will be attending the draw and is hoping to give a formal address. US stars from sports and entertainment, including Tom Brady, Shaquille O’Neal, Wayne Gretzky and Aaron Judge, will be in attendance. Former England star Rio Ferdinand will co-host with broadcaster Samantha Johnson.
how does it work
England and Scotland are among the 42 teams that have qualified. Wales and Northern Ireland are still in the play-offs. As one of the top seeds, England will not be in the same group as one of the tournament hosts (USA, Canada, Mexico) and will not be able to play the other three top seeds (France, Spain, Argentina) until the semi-finals.
The pots 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, 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, 4 European playoff teams, 2 intercontinental playoff teams.
Other business
Teams will be sorted into their respective groups, but the full schedule will not be finalized until Saturday, when FIFA hosts another glitzy event to announce stadiums, kickoff times and venues. England will therefore know who they will face after Friday’s draw.
But the FIFA World Cup wall map clearly states it. Stadium venues are assigned games, not teams. We will only know for sure where England will play after the announcement, which is expected to be made from 6pm on Saturday.
England’s dream ticket will be drawn into Group J. That means they could potentially play two games in Kansas City, which is their preferred World Cup training location.
Venues are divided into Western regions (Vancouver, Seattle, San Francisco, Los Angeles), Central regions (Guadalajara, Mexico City, Monterrey, Houston, Dallas, Kansas City), and finally Eastern regions (Atlanta, Miami, Toronto, Boston, Philadelphia, New York/New Jersey).
For the first time ever, the draw will be split like tennis seeding, with the top four remaining separated until the semi-finals (as long as they win their group stage, of course).
That means the top four seeds Spain, Argentina, France and England will meet in the semi-finals, as they did in the days of Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray.
England will have a training base in Florida, using Inter Miami’s facilities, and will play two warm-up games there, but they must submit their training options by January 10.
Tickets for the World Cup will go on sale from December 11th.
