FIFA World Cup 2026 draw pots explained ahead of group draw

The 2026 FIFA World Cup draw is set for December 5th in Washington D.C. With an expanded 48 teams, the process is more complex. 

According to a report from Firstpost, the draw for the 2026 FIFA World Cup will divide 48 teams into four pots — with hosts fixed in Pot 1 — and then assign one team from each pot into 12 groups, subject to seeding and confederation constraints.

The final draw for the 2026 World Cup will take place on December 5 2025 at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. 

Under the format, the 48 qualified teams (plus placeholders for play-off winners) are organized into four seed “pots” of 12 each. Pot 1 includes the three co-hosts — United States, Canada and Mexico — plus the nine highest-ranked qualified teams, based on the November 2025 FIFA Men’s World Ranking. 

Pots 2, 3 and 4 are filled by the remaining qualified teams, ordered by ranking; teams still to qualify (via European or inter-confederation playoffs) are allocated to Pot 4. 

When the draw is conducted, one team from each pot will be placed into each of the 12 groups (Groups A through L) — ensuring each group has four teams.

The three host nations already have predetermined group positions: Mexico will occupy Group A1, Canada Group B1, and the United States Group D1.

To preserve geographical and competitive balance, teams from the same confederation will generally not be drawn into the same group — with one major exception: for the European confederation (UEFA), each group may contain one or two European teams (given the number of European-qualified teams).

Another new feature for 2026: to avoid early knockout-stage clashes between the strongest teams, the four highest-ranked non-hosts — Spain national football team, Argentina national football team, France national football team and England national football team — will be placed into separate “paths” in the knockout bracket.

This means that if all win their groups, they cannot meet each other until the semifinals (or the final, depending on bracket alignment). 

Because six qualifying spots remain undecided at draw time (from playoff rounds to be held in March 2026), the draw will include placeholders — but the final pot allocation for those teams is already set (Pot 4).

Overall, this draw structure — four pots, confederation-based restrictions, fixed host slots and knockout-path separation for top teams — aims to ensure balanced groups and minimize the chance that multiple elite teams eliminate each other early.