Final Draw for the 2026 FIFA World Cup: Complete Guide Ahead of a Historic Tournament

Less than 200 days remain before the kickoff of the first-ever 48-team FIFA World Cup in 2026, and preparations for the largest football event of the modern era are entering their decisive stage. Ahead of the draw, which will take place on December 5 at the Kennedy Center in Washington, FIFA has released the final pot allocations and key procedural details.

When and where the draw will take place

Date: December 5, 2025
Time: 12:00 ET (18:00 CET / 17:00 GMT, 20:00 Moscow, 21:00 Yerevan)
Venue: The Kennedy Center, Washington, USA

The draw will be broadcast on FIFA’s website, on FIFA World Cup social media channels, and by official media partners.

New format: 12 groups instead of 8

For the first time in World Cup history, the tournament will feature 12 groups of four teams. This format makes the draw especially significant, as it affects the knockout path, the level of competition in each group, and the likelihood of “groups of death.”

Coaches, captains, and representatives of all qualified teams—as well as teams still competing in playoffs—will attend the ceremony.

Participating teams: full list of World Cup 2026

At this stage, 42 of the 48 teams have been confirmed.

Host nations

Canada, Mexico, United States

AFC (Asia)

Australia, Iran, Japan, Jordan, Republic of Korea, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Uzbekistan

CAF (Africa)

Algeria, Cape Verde, Côte d’Ivoire, Egypt, Ghana, Morocco, Senegal, South Africa, Tunisia

Concacaf (North America)

Curaçao, Haiti, Panama

CONMEBOL (South America)

Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay, Uruguay

OFC (Oceania)

New Zealand

UEFA (Europe)

Austria, Belgium, Croatia, England, France, Germany, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Scotland, Spain, Switzerland

Who still needs to qualify

The remaining 6 spots will be decided in March 2026.

4 spots — via UEFA playoffs

Participants:
Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Czechia, Denmark, Italy, Kosovo, Northern Ireland, North Macedonia, Poland, Ireland, Romania, Slovakia, Sweden, Turkey, Ukraine, Wales

2 spots — via intercontinental playoffs

Mini-tournament participants:
Bolivia, DR Congo, Iraq, Jamaica, New Caledonia, Suriname

Official 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, Republic of Korea, Ecuador, Austria, Australia

Pot 3

Norway, Panama, Egypt, Algeria, Scotland, Paraguay, Tunisia, Côte d’Ivoire, Uzbekistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, South Africa

Pot 4

Jordan, Cape Verde, Ghana, Curaçao, Haiti, New Zealand, UEFA Play-Off winners (A–D), two winners of the FIFA intercontinental playoffs

How the draw will work: detailed rules

1. Start — assignment of Pot 1 teams

Teams will take positions A1 to L1.

Special colored balls for hosts:

• Mexico — A1 (green ball)

• Canada — B1 (red ball)

• USA — D1 (blue ball)

2. Sequence of allocation

Order of pots:

1. Pot 1

2. Pot 2

3. Pot 3

4. Pot 4

Teams will be placed into groups according to restrictions.

3. Confederation restrictions

No group may contain two teams from the same confederation, except UEFA.
UEFA may have 1 or 2 teams in a group.

4. Special rules for playoff teams

Teams from the intercontinental playoffs cannot be drawn into a group that already contains a team from their confederation.

5. Separation of top-ranked teams

The top four teams in the FIFA rankings — Spain, Argentina, France, and England — will be placed on separate knockout paths so they cannot meet before the final, assuming they win their groups.

What happens after the draw

On December 6, FIFA will publish the updated match schedule. Each match will receive:

• a specific stadium,
• an exact kickoff time,
• the confirmed travel route for the teams.

Organizers note that the schedule will be optimized for climate conditions, team logistics, and the comfort of global TV audiences.