The draw for the expanded 48-team FIFA World Cup 2026, to be held in the US, Canada, and Mexico, will take place in Washington, DC, on Friday, December 5, and will determine the 12 groups, with the four highest-ranked teams guaranteed to avoid each other until the semi-finals.
According to a report from Al Jazeera, the draw for the FIFA World Cup 2026, which will be the first tournament to feature a record 48 teams, is set to begin at the John F Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, DC, on Friday, December 5, at 12 noon (17:00 GMT).
The draw will establish 12 groups, A through L, and will begin with Pot 1, comprising the 12 seeded teams. These seeds include the three host nations—Canada, Mexico, and USA—and the nine highest-ranked teams, determined by FIFA.
The top four-ranked nations are Spain, Argentina, France and England, while the next five best-seeded are Belgium, Brazil, Germany, Netherlands and Portugal.
The three hosts have predetermined groups: Mexico in Group A, Canada in Group B, and USA in Group D.
The structure of the 2026 World Cup rewards the four highest-ranked teams, who will be placed in separate sections of a new tournament bracket.
FIFA stated that these top four nations, “if they finish top of their respective round-robin groups, will avoid each other until the semifinals.”
As such, defending champions Argentina (No 2 ranked) with Lionel Messi and top-ranked European champions Spain (No 1 ranked) with Lamine Yamal, could only meet in the final at MetLife Stadium near New York.
Forty-two of the 48 teams have qualified, with the remaining six spots to be filled via playoffs in March 2026.
However, Iran will boycott the draw after the US reportedly “denied visas to members of its delegation,” according to the state-run IRNA news agency.