World Cup 2026 draw format: How the groups are determined explained step by step

T he 2026 World Cup will enter its decisive phase on Friday, December 5, when the 48 teams will know the path they must travel to reach the final on July 19 in New York-New Jersey. FIFA confirmed the full draw procedures, which will take place at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. , in the presence of coaches, officials and referees from all the qualifiers. The official schedule with stadiums and times will be published a day later, on Saturday, December 6.

FIFA defines the final draw system

FIFA confirmed that the 48 participants will be distributed into four pots of 12 teams, based on the Men's World Ranking published on November 19, 2025. Hosts Canada, Mexico and the United States will occupy Pot 1 and already have assigned positions: Mexico will be in Group A (A1), Canada in Group B (B1) and the United States in Group D (D1). The other nine teams in the first pot, headed by Spain, Argentina, France and England , will also be placed in position 1 of the group to which they are assigned.

A key innovation is the competitive distribution designed so that the top four teams do not meet before the semifinals. Spain and Argentina will be drawn in opposite paths, while France and England will follow the same principle. If they all win their groups, they could only cross paths in the final stages.

Pots and confederation restrictions

The teams were organised into pots according to their ranking , while the teams coming from the European and intercontinental play-offs will occupy Pot 4. The draw will proceed in order from Pot 1 to Pot 4, filling groups A to L.

The rules state that there can be no more than one team from the same confederation per group , with the exception of UEFA, which can have two due to its high number of representatives. All groups must have at least one European team.

For the teams still competing in the intercontinental and European playoffs , the confederation restriction will apply only to teams within their respective path.

Dates, venues and times to be determined after the draw

Once the groups are known, FIFA will publish the updated schedule with the assigned stadiums and kick-off times for each match.

The governing body explained that the subsequent scheduling prioritizes optimal conditions for the teams and seeks to make it easier for fans to follow their teams at suitable times around the world.