The draw ceremony for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, co-hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico, was held at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. Forty-two of the forty-eight available slots have already been confirmed, while the remaining six will be decided in March next year. Four of those places will be determined through the UEFA playoffs, and the other two will come from the intercontinental playoffs.
The opening match will take place on June 11, with Mexico facing South Africa.
As this is the first World Cup jointly hosted by three North American nations, U.S. President Donald Trump, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, and Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum all attended the ceremony. After a performance by renowned tenor Andrea Bocelli, the draw officially began. Manchester United legend Rio Ferdinand hosted the event, with Samantha Johnson as co-host. The draw guests included Tom Brady, Wayne Gretzky, Aaron Judge, and Shaquille O’Neal.
2026 World Cup Groups (USA–Canada–Mexico)
Group A: Mexico, South Africa, South Korea, UEFA Playoff Group D Winner (Denmark / North Macedonia / Czech Republic / Ireland)
Group B: Canada, UEFA Playoff Group A Winner (Italy / Northern Ireland / Wales / Bosnia & Herzegovina), Qatar, Switzerland
Group C: Brazil, Morocco, Haiti, Scotland
Group D: United States, Paraguay, Australia, UEFA Playoff Group C Winner (Türkiye / Romania / Slovakia / Kosovo)
Group E: Germany, Curaçao, Côte d’Ivoire, Ecuador
Group F: Netherlands, Japan, UEFA Playoff Group B Winner (Ukraine / Sweden / Poland / Albania), Tunisia
Group G: Belgium, Egypt, Iran, New Zealand
Group H: Spain, Cape Verde, Saudi Arabia, Uruguay
Group I: France, Senegal, Intercontinental Playoff Group 2 Winner (Bolivia / Suriname / Iraq), Norway
Group J: Argentina, Algeria, Austria, Jordan
Group K: Portugal, Intercontinental Playoff Group 1 Winner (New Caledonia / Jamaica / DR Congo), Uzbekistan, Colombia
Group L: England, Croatia, Ghana, Panama
2026 World Cup Pot Allocations
Pot 1: Canada, Mexico, United States, 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, Côte d’Ivoire, Uzbekistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, South Africa.
Pot 4: Jordan, Cape Verde, Ghana, Curaçao, Haiti, New Zealand, four UEFA playoff winners, and two intercontinental playoff winners.
2026 World Cup Draw Procedure
According to the rules, hosts USA, Canada, and Mexico are placed in Pot 1. The remaining 39 already-qualified teams are placed into four pots of 12 based on the November 2025 FIFA Rankings. All teams advancing via UEFA playoffs and intercontinental playoffs enter Pot 4 directly.
The draw begins with Pot 1 teams being assigned to Groups A to L. Then teams from Pots 2, 3, and 4 are drawn in sequence. The three hosts use special-colored balls: Mexico (green) in A1, Canada (red) in B1, and the United States (blue) in D1. The remaining nine Pot 1 teams use white balls.
To maintain competitive balance, Spain (world No.1) and Argentina (world No.2) must be drawn into opposite halves of the bracket. The same applies to France (world No.3) and England (world No.4). This prevents early meetings between the top-ranked teams.
No group may contain more than one team from the same confederation (except UEFA). With 16 European teams participating, each group must feature at least one and no more than two UEFA teams. Placeholder slots are used for undecided playoff teams.
Pot 1 teams automatically take the “1” position in each group. Teams from Pots 2–4 are placed into predetermined slots (e.g., a Pot 2 team drawn into Group A becomes A3). This system determines match schedule and travel routes—key factors in a World Cup held across three large countries.
2026 World Cup Group Stage Advancement Rules
The 48 teams are divided into 12 groups of four. The top two teams in each group plus the eight best third-placed teams advance to the Round of 32.
Group ranking tiebreakers: points, goal difference, total goals scored, fair play points (cards), drawing of lots.
The knockout stage bracket follows the predetermined path shown in the official tournament layout.
2026 World Cup Playoffs
UEFA Playoffs (4 winners qualify):
Group A: Italy vs Northern Ireland; Wales vs Bosnia (winner of this path hosts the final)
Group B: Ukraine vs Sweden (hosts final), Poland vs Albania
Group C: Türkiye vs Romania; Slovakia vs Kosovo (hosts final)
Group D: Denmark vs North Macedonia; Czech Republic vs Ireland (hosts final)
Intercontinental Playoffs (2 winners qualify):
Group 1: New Caledonia vs Jamaica (winner plays DR Congo for a World Cup spot)
Group 2: Bolivia vs Suriname (winner plays Iraq for a World Cup spot)
2026 World Cup Slot Allocation by Confederation
Europe: 16 (12 direct + 4 playoff)
Africa: 9 + 1 intercontinental playoff
South America: 6 + 1 intercontinental playoff
Asia: 8 + 1 intercontinental playoff
Concacaf: 3 hosts + 3 direct + 2 intercontinental playoff
Oceania: 1 + 1 intercontinental playoff
Intercontinental Playoffs: 2 total slots
