Introduction to the 2026 World Cup Draw
The world is a few months away from the start of the highly anticipated 2026 World Cup, but first, we need to find out who is playing who, otherwise known as the World Cup Draw.
FILE – A general view of the FIFA World Cup trophy on display prior to the FIFA World Cup 2026 Play-Off Tournament and European Play-Off Draw at Home of FIFA on Nov. 20, 2025 in Zurich, Switzerland. (Photo by Marcio Machado – FIFA/FIFA via Getty Imag
Calling all World Cup fans!
The world is a few months away from the start of the highly anticipated 2026 World Cup, but first, we need to find out who is playing who, otherwise known as the World Cup Draw.
Here’s a guide to which teams will be playing against one another and where you can watch the draw.
Qualifiers are still taking place
FILE – World Cup 2026 rankings. (FOX Sports)
We know that 42 of the 48 teams are in.
Six more teams will qualify in March 2026.
The next phase will be dividing up all 48 spots into 12 groups of four.
When is the World Cup Draw?
The draw will be broadcast on Dec. 5 at 12 p.m. ET/9 a.m. PT and it will be held at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C.
How to watch the World Cup Draw
What you can do:
The World Cup Draw will air live on FOX. It will also be streamed on FOX One, FOXSports.com, the FOX Sports App and LiveNOW from FOX.
What Are Pots?
Dig deeper:
The 48 participating teams (or qualifying slots) will be placed into “pots” based on criteria such as FIFA rankings and confederation constraints.
We already know 42 of those 48 teams ahead of the draw. The other six teams will be known by March 2026.
Each of the four pots will have 12 teams (with placeholders for those six March teams). And each group will therefore have one team from each pot.
Pots 1-4
FILE – FIFA World Cup 2026 country pots. (FOX Sports)
Each team’s name is written on a slip of paper inside a plastic ball and put in large glass bowls (pots) numbered 1 through 4. A representative will then draw one ball from each pot, open it up, and call out the country’s name.
For pot 1, Canada, Mexico and the USA, as the host countries, will be identified by different colored balls and, when drawn, will be assigned to position A1 for Mexico (green ball), B1 for Canada (red ball) and D1 for the USA (blue ball), as already established per the match schedule released.
The remaining nine top-ranked teams in pot 1 will be identified by nine balls of the same color and automatically allocated to the top position of the group into which they are drawn.
FIFA announced that the highest-ranked team (Spain) and the second highest-ranked team (Argentina) will be randomly drawn into opposite sides of the bracket, as well as the third (France) and fourth (England) highest-ranked teams. This will ensure that, should those four teams win their groups, they won’t meet until the semifinals.
No group will have more than one team from the same confederation drawn into it, and no group can have more than two European (UEFA) teams drawn into it. All teams will also know who their group-stage opponents are, the schedule of those games as well as the location and stadium.
When is the World Cup?
Big picture view:
The 2026 World Cup is next summer, running from June 11 through July 19, 2026.
The Source: Information for this article was taken from FOX Sports and The Associated Press. This story was reported from San Jose.
Conclusion
The 2026 World Cup Draw is an exciting event that will determine the groups for the upcoming tournament. With the draw taking place on December 5, fans can tune in to FOX or stream it on various platforms to catch the action live. The tournament itself will take place from June 11 to July 19, 2026, and will feature 48 teams competing for the coveted title.
FAQs
Q: When is the 2026 World Cup Draw?
A: The 2026 World Cup Draw will take place on December 5.
Q: How can I watch the 2026 World Cup Draw?
A: The draw will air live on FOX and can be streamed on FOX One, FOXSports.com, the FOX Sports App, and LiveNOW from FOX.
Q: How many teams will participate in the 2026 World Cup?
A: 48 teams will participate in the 2026 World Cup.
Q: When will the 2026 World Cup take place?
A: The 2026 World Cup will take place from June 11 to July 19, 2026.
