What you need to know about the 2026 World Cup draw: date, format and pot details

F IFA is preparing a historic event with a new 48-team format, where Mexico, the United States and Canada will be the protagonists as host countries, and the draw for the 2026 World Cup is about to take place.

The 2026 FIFA World Cup draw will take place on December 5 , an event that will mark the beginning of the road to an unprecedented edition, as for the first time in history, the tournament will be played with 48 teams spread over 12 groups of four teams, a change that promises more excitement, more matches and is expected to result in a greater global reach.

Where will the 2026 World Cup draw be held?

The draw will take place in United States , one of the host countries along with Mexico and Canada . According to FIFA , the November world ranking will be the basis for defining the composition of the pots. This ranking will be "locked" after the international friendlies in that month, thus determining which teams will head each group.

The seeds for the 2026 World Cup

The three hosts are already in Pot 1 : Mexico, the United States and Canada. They will be joined by the highest-ranked teams in the FIFA rankings, forming a group of true soccer giants.

This is what Pot 1 of the 2026 World Cup draw would look like:

These 12 teams will be the seeds and will lead Groups A to L. Mexico will occupy Group A , Canada Group B and United States Group D . The rest will be assigned by draw.

World Cup 2026 pots 2, 3 and 4

The rest of the teams will be distributed according to their position in the FIFA ranking . Teams such as Colombia, Uruguay and Japan are expected to be in Pot 2 , while in pots 3 and 4 there are emerging teams and those qualified through playoffs.

Among the teams already confirmed are Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay, Morocco, England, Japan and Australia , in addition to the three hosts. The final places will be decided by European and intercontinental playoffs, whose winners will complete the final list of 48 participants.

New format for the 2026 World Cup

Each group will be made up of four teams, and the top two from each group, along with the eight best third-placed teams, will advance to the next phase. This will lead to a round of 32 teams, which will increase the total number of matches to 104.

In addition, FIFA has established that, in the group stage, teams from the same confederation may not be drawn together, with the exception of Europe, which will have up to 16 representatives.

Where to watch the 2026 World Cup draw live

The event will be broadcast free of charge through FIFA+ , its official platform, and in Mexico it will be broadcast by TUDN, VIX and TV Azteca , while in the United States it can be seen on Telemundo and Peacock.