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The 2026 FIFA World Cup is on the horizon, with groups and followers alike desirous to study of potential paths to glory. This is all the pieces it’s essential know forward of Friday’s draw for the expanded match in North America.
Particulars
When: Friday, Dec. 5Where: Kennedy Heart (Washington, D.C.)Time: 12 p.m. ET
Tips on how to watch
Canada: TSN, RDSUnited States: FOX, Telemundo
FIFA may even present reside protection on its web site.
Groups and seeding
The 48 groups concerned – solely 42 of that are at present identified, extra on that quickly – are divided into 4 pots primarily based on the newest version of the FIFA rankings. As match co-hosts, Canada, Mexico, and america are routinely positioned in Pot 1, per commonplace FIFA protocol.
Pot 1: Canada (co-host), Mexico (co-host), United States (co-host), 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, UEFA Playoff A, UEFA Playoff B, UEFA Playoff C, UEFA Playoff D, Intercontinental Playoff 1, Intercontinental Playoff 2
Friday’s draw will break up the 48 groups evenly into 12 teams.
For a full breakdown of how every workforce has certified to date, faucet right here.
Why is not all the discipline confirmed?
Six World Cup berths stay up for grabs: 4 European groups will qualify through UEFA’s playoff tournaments, and two nations will earn tickets via the intercontinental playoff paths.
FIFA will use placeholders – outlined above in Pot 4 – for these spots in the course of the draw, so the playoff groups will know their potential teams earlier than they take the sector in March 2026 to truly decide who will get these closing World Cup locations.
Each playoff winner is allotted to Pot 4 no matter FIFA rating. Which means a workforce like Italy, regardless of being No. 12 on the earth, may very well be drawn alongside one other marquee nation (or two) to kind a formidable quartet. That is assuming the Italians really qualify this time, after all.
Listed here are the playoff individuals.
UEFA Playoff A: Italy, Northern Eire, Wales, Bosnia and Herzegovina
UEFA Playoff B: Ukraine, Sweden, Poland, Albania
UEFA Playoff C: Turkey, Romania, Slovakia, Kosovo
UEFA Playoff D: Denmark, North Macedonia, Czechia, Eire
Intercontinental Playoff 1: DR Congo, Jamaica, New Caledonia
Intercontinental Playoff 2: Iraq, Bolivia, Suriname
So, how does the draw really work?
Canada, Mexico, and the U.S. have been preassigned teams as co-hosts. Mexico, participating within the match’s opening match, will probably be positioned in Group A, Canada slots into Group B, and the People are in Group D.
From there, the draw begins in earnest with the opposite groups in Pot 1 being positioned within the remaining teams from A to L. The method will then be repeated for the remaining pots in numerical order; all of Pot 2 will probably be drawn, then all of Pot 3 after which the whole lot of Pot 4 to finish proceedings.
In a brand new wrinkle for this match, FIFA is introducing a tennis-style bracket supposed to maintain the world’s 4 highest-ranked groups – Spain, Argentina, France, and England – in numerous quarters of the draw. Assuming all 4 win their respective teams, they can not meet till the semifinals.
Are there any restrictions?
As at all times, groups from the identical confederation cannot be positioned collectively in the identical group. UEFA is the lone exception to this rule. With 16 European nations within the match, it is not possible to maintain all of them aside. Each group can have not less than one European workforce however not more than two.
That very same situation applies to all of the groups concerned within the intercontinental playoffs. When these two placeholders are drawn from Pot 4, a pc will assist FIFA decide any potential matchup restrictions.
Star energy
FIFA is enlisting retired icons Tom Brady, Shaquille O’Neal, and Wayne Gretzky, together with New York Yankees famous person and reigning AL MVP Aaron Choose, to help with the draw on stage. The process will probably be led by former England worldwide Rio Ferdinand and broadcaster Samantha Johnson.
“Being a part of the ultimate draw for the FIFA World Cup is an unimaginable honor – it is the sort of international stage each athlete goals of,” Brady, co-owner of English Championship membership Birmingham Metropolis, stated in an announcement issued by FIFA. “I am excited to assist set the trail for a match that brings the world collectively like nothing else.”
Mannequin Heidi Klum will co-host the occasion together with actors Kevin Hart and Danny Ramirez. Nicole Scherzinger, Andrea Bocelli, and Robbie Williams will present leisure, with the Village Folks additionally performing “Y.M.C.A.” in the course of the festivities.
Mexico President Claudia Sheinbaum, Canada Prime Minister Mark Carney, and U.S. President Donald Trump are anticipated to attend as nicely.
World Cup schedule
The total match schedule will not be revealed on the day of the draw.
FIFA, in one other departure from commonplace World Cup protocol, stated it would use a reside broadcast Saturday at midday, 24 hours after the draw, to disclose the venues and kickoff instances for all 104 match matches.
The governing physique intends to place the video games in particular places primarily based on time zones – of which there are a number of at play throughout the host nations – to “guarantee the absolute best circumstances for all groups and spectators whereas, the place attainable, enabling followers all around the world to look at their groups play reside.”
Mexico’s iconic Estadio Azteca will stage the opening fixture of the supersized occasion on June 11, 2026.
The World Cup closing will probably be performed July 19 at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
Group stage: June 11-27
Spherical of 32: June 28-July 3
Spherical of 16: July 4-7
Quarterfinals: July 8-11
Semifinals: July 14-15
Third-place match: July 18
Remaining: July 19
A complete of 16 venues will probably be used on the biggest-ever World Cup, with 78 of the 104 video games happening within the U.S.
The rest to know?
FIFA created a brand new award, the FIFA Peace Prize, that will probably be handed out throughout Friday’s draw to “acknowledge distinctive actions for peace.” Governing physique president Gianni Infantino will personally current the award, which is broadly anticipated to be bestowed on Trump.
