The stage is set for the FIFA World Cup draw, which will take place on December 5 at the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C. as FIFA has released the final pots for the 48 teams taking part in the World Cup. These pots are based on the FIFA men’s world rankings, with the three host countries, the United States, Canada, and Mexico, being joined in pot one by the nine next highest ranked teams in those rankings. They’re then followed by the next 12 highest-ranked teams making up pot two, pot three, and so on, until pot four includes the playoff winners from both the UEFA playoff path and the inter-confederation playoffs. Following the draw, the match calendar and stadiums for the World Cup will be released on Saturday, December 6.
To balance the draw, the top four teams in the FIFA ranking will be drawn with constraints to keep them separate until the semifinals. Spain, Argentina, France, and England are the teams occupying those slots, and it will see Spain and Argentina drawn into separate pathways so they cannot meet before the final, with the same principle then being applied to France and England.
FIFA World Cup pots
The official pots are as follows:
- Pot 1: Canada, Mexico, USA, Spain, Argentina, France, England, Brazil, Portugal, Netherlands, Belgium,
- Germany
- Pot 2: Croatia, Morocco, Colombia, Uruguay, Switzerland, Japan, Senegal, IR Iran, Korea Republic,
- Ecuador, Austria, Australia
- Pot 3: Norway, Panama, Egypt, Algeria, Scotland, Paraguay, Tunisia, Côte d’Ivoire, Uzbekistan, Qatar,
- Saudi Arabia, South Africa
- Pot 4: Jordan, Cabo Verde, Ghana, Curaçao, Haiti, New Zealand, European Play-Off A, B, C and D, FIFA, Play-Off Tournament 1 and 2
Looking at the pots, there is the potential for some loaded groups, such as the United States getting Morocco, Norway, and Ghana in the same group or Brazil, Japan, Egypt, and Italy (if they make it out of the European playoff) making up a group. Despite the expansion to 48 teams for the 2026 World Cup, there will be some balanced and difficult groups.
Draw restrictions
No group will have more than one team from the same federation in it, except UEFA, which is required to have two groups of two UEFA teams in it due to the fact that 16 teams will be participating in the tournament. For the playoff tournament teams, the confederation restrictions will be applied to all teams involved in the playoff, which would keep the host nations from drawing a team involved in the FIFA playoff tournament due to Jamaica and Suriname being involved as Concacaf teams.
When are the playoffs?
All playoffs will take place during the March international break in 2026. The UEFA playoffs are scheduled from Thursday, March 26, with the finals on March 31. The inter-confederation playoffs will take place in Mexico, being split between the Estadio Akron in Guadalajara and the Estadio BBVA in Monterrey, taking place between March 23-31. By the end of March, all 48 teams will be determined and placed in groups.
PATH 1
Semifinal: New Caledonia vs. Jamaica
Final: Congo DR vs. New Caledonia/Jamaica
PATH 2
Semifinal: Bolivia vs. Suriname
Final: Iraq vs. Bolivia/Suriname
PATH A
Semifinal: Italy vs. Northern Ireland
Semifinal: Wales vs. Bosnia and Herzegovina
Final: Wales/Bosnia vs. Italy/Northern Ireland
PATH B
Semifinal: Ukraine vs. Sweden
Semifinal: Poland vs. Albania
Final: Ukraine/Sweden vs. Poland/Albania
PATH C
Semifinal: Turkiye vs. Romania
Semifinal: Slovakia vs. Kosovo
Final: Slovakia/Kosovo vs. Turkiye/Romania
PATH D
Semifinal: Denmark vs. North Macedonia
Semifinal: Czechia vs. Republic of Ireland
Final: Czechia/Republic of Ireland vs. Denmark/North Macedonia
How the World Cup works
In 2023, it was announced that the 2026 World Cup would be expanded to 48 teams from the previous 32. Divided into 12 groups of four teams each, the expansion will also create a new knockout round that will take place after the group stage, which is now a round of 32 teams. TO make up that 32, the top two teams from each group and the eight best third-placed teams will all advance with a chance at making the round of 16.
From there, things will proceed as normal with the quarterfinals, semifinals, and the final as Argentina will look to defend their World Cup title from the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
How World Cup slots are decided
The European confederation (UEFA) is guaranteed 16 slots of the 48 teams, while the African confederation (CAF) has nine, and the Asian confederation (AFC) has eight. There will also be a minimum of six each from South America (CONMEBOL) and the Confederation of North, Central America, and Caribbean Association Football (Concacaf). On top of this, for the first time in history, the Oceania Football Confederation (OFC) has one guaranteed slot, while the remaining two spots will be decided through intercontinental playoffs.
