Each nation's path to the men’s 2026 FIFA World Cup trophy will finally be known Friday.
The 48-team field, the largest in the competition’s history, will be split into 12 groups of four during a draw held in Washington, D.C., that will start with the selections of symbolic green, red and blue balls for the host countries of Mexico, Canada and the U.S.
Those three countries, and the nine other highest-ranked teams in FIFA’s rankings, will each be drawn randomly into one of the 12 groups, with a similar process playing out for lower-ranked teams that round out the field.
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The order is intended to spread out the strength across the competition. In the same way, the world’s two highest-ranked teams will be intentionally placed on opposite sides of the bracket, to ensure the early favorites don’t meet before a potential final.
What goes into the draw? We’re glad you asked.
When is the draw?
The event runs from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m. ET Friday. Fans can watch the draw in Spanish on Telemundo, the Telemundo app and streaming on Peacock. Fox will carry the English-language broadcast. In addition, a stream of the draw will be available on FIFA.com.
It will all take place live from the Kennedy Center in Washington.
Where do these teams come from?
Soccer’s global governing body, FIFA, is divided into six regional confederations that cover Africa, Asia, Europe, Oceania, South America, and North and Central America and the Caribbean. From 1998 until 2022, those confederations supplied 32 teams for the men's World Cup; in the expanded field, those confederations’ allocated slots have grown.
UEFA, which covers Europe, will get the most, with 16. The other confederations with the largest representation are Africa, which has already qualified nine, the Asian confederation with eight, and six apiece for South America and the confederation covering North and Central America and the Caribbean.
It sets the stage for the largest, and most complex, tournament in its history. This is also the first World Cup to be hosted by three countries.
Are all 48 teams decided yet?
No, but 42 are. The nations that are already in include big names like No. 1-ranked Spain; No. 2 Argentina, the defending champion; and No. 3 France, which lost to Argentina in the 2022 World Cup final. The field also contains a handful of surprises. Last month, Scotland secured its first appearance since 1998 with a dramatic win, and Curaçao became the smallest nation by population ever to qualify.
That leaves six open spots. They will be filled via dual playoffs that will take place in March. One playoff featuring European teams will fill four of the open spots, while a separate playoff will supply the other two.
How does the draw work?
FIFA has broken down the 48 teams into four "pots" that are effectively ordered by each nation's world ranking.
The draw will kick off by selecting the three host nations. Mexico is already slotted to be placed into Group A, Canada in Group B, and the U.S. in Group D.
From there, nine more teams from "Pot 1," will be drawn, so that one team from that pot will be placed into all 12 groups. Then one team from Pot 2 is drawn into every group, and the cycle is repeated for pots 3 and 4.
Pot 1 teams include:
- Canada
- Mexico
- U.S.
- Spain
- Argentina
- France
- England
- Brazil
- Portugal
- Netherlands
- Belgium
- Germany
Pot 2 includes:
- Croatia
- Morocco
- Colombia
- Uruguay
- Switzerland
- Japan
- Senegal
- Iran
- South Korea
- Ecuador
- Austria
- Australia
In Pot 3 are:
- Norway
- Panama
- Egypt
- Algeria
- Scotland
- Paraguay
- Tunisia
- Côte d’Ivoire
- Uzbekistan
- Qatar
- Saudia Arabia
- South Africa
Finally, Pot 4:
- Jordan
- Cape Verde
- Ghana
- Curaçao
- Haiti
- New Zealand
Which group will be the ‘Group of Death’?
FIFA builds its groups within certain constraints, such as ensuring that no group has more than one team from each confederation. The exception is UEFA, given the 16-team size of the European confederation.
Yet there is always at least one group that seems particularly concentrated with championship contenders. We’ll have to wait until Friday to learn whether the field’s expansion has diluted the group stage and created clearer paths for higher-ranked teams to advance to the knockout round.
What about the U.S. national team’s chances?
The U.S. advanced out of the group stage to the round of 16 in each of their last three World Cup appearances, in 2010, 2014 and 2022. They're ranked 14th in the world. For context, the U.S. men have been ranked in the top 10 just once since 2006.
While the U.S. opponents won’t be known until Friday, their schedule for the group stage is already out. The U.S. will play June 12 in Los Angeles, June 19 in Seattle and June 25 back in Los Angeles.
