2026 World Cup Group Stage Draw: How to Watch? How Does It Work?

The 48 participating teams (or qualifying slots) will be placed into “pots” based on criteria such as FIFA rankings and confederation constraints. We will know 42 of those 48 teams ahead of the draw. The other six teams will be known by March 2026.

Each of these teams will be ranked by FIFA. Each of the four pots will have 12 teams (with placeholders for those six March teams). And each group will therefore have one team from each pot. 

The three host nations (Canada, Mexico, and the United States) are already placed into specific groups to ensure their matches occur in their home country.

Teams from the same qualification zone — except for the European confederation (UEFA) — cannot be drawn into the same group. So don’t expect two South American teams (CONMEBOL), for example, in the same group. However, you could see up to two UEFA teams in one. 

Pot 1 

Pot 1 will include the three host nations (United States, Canada, Mexico) plus the nine highest‐ranked qualified teams based on FIFA’s rankings, which were released November 19. That list includes Spain, Argentina, France, England, Brazil, Portugal, the Netherlands, the Netherlands, Belgium, and Germany. 

Pots 2, 3 & 4

With Pot 1 defined, the remaining qualified teams will be distributed in order into Pot 2, Pot 3 and Pot 4 based on their rankings. Each of these pots will also have 12 teams.

When the draw is held on December 5, there will be six placeholders for the teams that will emerge from various playoff rounds across the globe that will be played in March. Two of those spots will come via an intercontinental playoff, and four will come from a playoff round featuring just European teams. We will explain that later. 

FIFA has yet to officially announce whether those playoff teams will be placed into Pot 4 (as has been in previous World Cups) or if those playoff teams will be placed in pots based on their FIFA Rankings. For example, if Italy (ranked 12th by FIFA but not yet qualified for the World Cup) were to clinch a spot in the European playoffs, would they be put in Pot 2 or in Pot 4?

If the pots are determined by ranking and the playoff teams were to go into Pot 4, this is how it would look like: 

Team names during the 2022 World Cup draw in Qatar. (Photo by Michael Regan – FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images)

Each team’s name is written on a slip of paper inside a plastic ball and put in large glass bowls (pots) numbered 1-4. A representative (often a soccer legend or celebrity) will then draw one ball from each pot, open it up, and call out the country’s name. 

A computer then allocates each team drawn at random to its appropriate group based on the geographical restrictions in place for the event.

All teams will know who their group-stage opponents are, the schedule of those games as well as the location and stadium.

The three co-hosts of the 2026 World Cup are already placed in respective groups, even if we still don’t know their opponents. This was done to ensure that the teams would play their group stage matches in their respective countries. 

For the USA, the three group-stage games will be on June 12 (in Los Angeles), June 19 (in Seattle), and June 25 (in Los Angeles. 

For Canada, the three-group stage games will be on June 12 (in Toronto), June 18 (Vancouver), and June 24 (Vancouver). For Mexico, the three-group stage games will be on June 11 (in Mexico City), June 18 (Guadalajara), and June 24 (Mexico City). 

Group A: Canada, TBD, TBD, TBD
Group B: Mexico, TBD, TBD, TBD
Group D: United States, TBD, TBD, TBD

Group C, along with Groups E through L, have yet to be assigned. 

Six teams who didn’t directly qualify will participate in a mini-tournament of their own to reach the big stage.  This event will take place in March 2026, and will take place in the Mexican cities of Monterrey and Guadalajara. All regions will be represented at this tournament, except Europe (UEFA).

These six teams will be placed in two separate three-team brackets, with the highest ranked teams getting a bye. The two teams to emerge from these brackets will go to the World Cup. 

Semifinals — March 2026

• New Caledonia vs. Jamaica
• Bolivia vs. Suriname

Finals — March 2026

• New Caledonia/ Jamaica vs. DR Congo (winner advances to World Cup)
• Bolivia/Suriname vs. Iraq (winner advances to the World Cup)

What is the UEFA Playoff?

The UEFA Playoff, Explained:

As for Europe (UEFA), it will have its own playoff tournament to finalize the last four teams from the region who will go to the World Cup. 

Remember, 12 European teams will head directly to the World Cup, having won their respective four-team qualifying groups. The runner-ups of those 12 groups will be joined by four other lower-ranked European teams based on their Nations Leagues standings. These 16 teams will then be bracketed into a mini-tournament of their own to decide those remaining four World Cup spots. All eight semifinals will be played on March 26, 2026, and the four finals on March 31.

Path A

Semifinals – March 26, 2026

• Northern Ireland at Italy
• Bosnia and Herzegovina at Wales

Final – March 31, 2026

• Northern Ireland/Italy at Bosnia and Herzegovia/Wales (winner advances to the World Cup)

Path B

Semifinals – March 26, 2026

• Sweden at Ukraine
• Albania at Poland

Final – March 31, 2026

• Albania/Poland at Sweden/Ukraine (winner advances to the World Cup)

Path C

Semifinals – March 26, 2026

• Romania at Turkey
• Kosovo at Slovakia

Final – March 31, 2026

• Romania/Turkey at Kosovo/Slovakia (winner advances to the World Cup)

Path D

Semifinals – March 26, 2026

• North Macedonia at Denmark
• Republic of Ireland at Czechia

Final – March 31, 2026

• North Macedonia/Denmark at Ireland/Czechia (winner advances to the World Cup)

 Listed by geographical region, with their appearance total including the 2026 World Cup:

Asia (AFC; 8 teams)