With less than 200 days before the opening of the first-ever 48-team FIFA World Cup, preparations are entering a decisive phase. One of the milestone events will take place on Friday, December 5, when the final draw will reveal the full group-stage line-up for the 2026 tournament.
The event will take place at the John F Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, DC, bringing together coaches, representatives and officials from qualified teams, along with those still fighting for their place.
The final draw will decide how the 42 qualified teams, along with the two FIFA World Cup 2026 Play-Off Tournament placeholders and four European Play-Off placeholders, are arranged into 12 groups of four.
The Final Draw for the FIFA World Cup 2026 is almost here 🙌
Find out everything you need to know ahead of 5 December 👇November 25, 2025AdvertisementFIFA World Cup 2026: How The Draw Will Be Structured
The procedures governing the draw have now been confirmed, outlining how the 12 groups of four teams will be formed. Canada, Mexico, and the USA, the three host nations, will automatically join pot 1. They will be followed by the remaining nine highest-ranked sides, with team placements based on the FIFA/Coca-Cola Men's World Ranking issued on November 19.
Pot 4 will include the two FIFA World Cup 2026 Play-Off Tournament placeholders and the four European play-off placeholders.
FIFA World Cup 2026: Pot Allocations
Pot 1: Canada, Mexico, USA, Spain, Argentina, France, England, Brazil, Portugal, Netherlands, Belgium, Germany
Pot 2: Croatia, Morocco, Colombia, Uruguay, Switzerland, Japan, Senegal, Iran, Korea Republic, Ecuador, Austria, Australia
Pot 3: Norway, Panama, Egypt, Algeria, Scotland, Paraguay, Tunisia, Côte d'Ivoire, Uzbekistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, South Africa
Pot 4: Jordan, Cabo Verde, Ghana, Curaçao, Haiti, New Zealand, European Play-Off A, B, C and D, FIFA Play-Off Tournament 1 and 2
AdvertisementTeams from pot 1 will be drawn first into groups A through L, followed by pots 2, 3 and 4.
image: fifa.com
FIFA World Cup 2026: Draw Constraints And Placement Rules
The hosts will be represented with differently coloured balls. Once drawn, Mexico will enter A1, Canada will take B1, and the USA will be placed in D1, reflecting previously released scheduling.
Competitive balance is central to the draw's design. The four highest-ranked teams have specific pathway restrictions:
Spain and Argentina will be separated into opposite semi-final pathways. The same rule applies to France and England. This ensures that, if all win their groups, the two top-ranked sides cannot meet before the final.
For pots 2, 3 and 4, teams will be placed according to a predefined allocation pattern that fixes their position within each group.
A maximum of one team per confederation is allowed in each group, except for UEFA, which may place up to two teams in a group and must place at least one.
AdvertisementFor the FIFA Play-Off Tournament placeholders, the confederation rule will be applied across the three-team pathways for both play-off slots in pot 4.
image: fifa.com
FIFA World Cup 2026:Â Match Schedule To Follow On Dec. 6
While the draw will define which sides meet in the group phase, stadium assignments and kick-off times will only be confirmed the next day, on Saturday, December 6. This will outline the route teams must take to reach the final in New York, New Jersey, on July 19, 2026.
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