World cup draw 2026 ! When & Where the Draw Happens

 

📅 When & Where the Draw Happens

• The final draw for the 2026 World Cup is scheduled for Friday, 5 December 2025. Goal+2Inside FIFA+2

• It will be held at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. Inside FIFA+2NBC New York+2

• The draw is due to begin at 12:00 noon ET (which corresponds to 5:00 pm GMT). Goal+1

• After the draw, on Saturday, 6 December 2025, the full match schedule — stadia and kickoff times for all matches — will be released by FIFA. Inside FIFA+2FIFA+2

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🏟️ Format: 48 Teams, 12 Groups — New Structure

Because the 2026 edition expands to 48 teams, the draw format is different from recent World Cups. SI+2Al Jazeera+2

• The 48 teams will be divided into 12 groups (Group A through Group L), each group containing 4 teams. SI+2beIN SPORTS+2

• Teams will be drawn from four pots (Pot 1 to Pot 4). SI+2Wikipedia+2

  Pot composition:

  • Pot 1: the three host nations (USA, Canada, Mexico) + the 9 highest-ranked qualified teams (according to FIFA World Rankings as of November 2025). Inside FIFA+2ESPN.com+2

  • Pots 2, 3, 4: the rest of the qualified teams, ordered by ranking — with Pot 2 being the strongest of them, Pot 3 the next, and Pot 4 the lowest-ranked teams (or placeholders for teams not yet qualified via playoffs). ESPN.com+3SI+3Al Jazeera+3

• At the time of the draw, 42 of the 48 teams will already be known. The remaining 6 slots (four from UEFA playoffs + two from inter-confederation playoffs) will still be undecided. Those placeholders are still allocated to Pot 4. Wikipedia+2SI+2

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🔄 Seeding, Group Composition & Confederation Rules

To keep the competition balanced and avoid early “super-clashes,” the draw follows several important rules:

• Each group will have exactly one team drawn from each pot (1–4). SI+1

• Usually, teams from the same confederation (e.g. Africa, Asia, South America) cannot be placed in the same group. FIFA+1

• Exception: For European teams (UEFA), due to their large number (16 total), each group must contain at least one — but no more than two — UEFA teams. Inside FIFA+2SI+2

• The three host nations have been pre-assigned to specific groups/positions (so they know their group and initial match slots in advance).