All eyes turn to Washington, D.C. on Friday, where the 2026 World Cup draw will finally sort the chaos into something resembling order. In a ceremony that will blend theater with tension, the tournament’s full group stage will be revealed, setting the early shape of a 48-team competition spread across the United States, Mexico and Canada.
For the U.S., the draw will determine the USMNT’s opening route — its group, its first opponents and the initial barriers between Mauricio Pochettino’s squad and the knockout rounds. For every team, the outcomes Friday will influence preparation, expectations and the first outlines of the tournament’s narratives.
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We’ll be following the draw as it happens, providing live updates, confirmed results, full groups and the essential context as each pot is emptied. Follow along below as the 2026 World Cup field takes its final form.
Live18 updatesFri, December 5, 2025 at 9:58 AM PST
Yahoo Sports Staff
Fri, December 5, 2025 at 9:55 AM PST
Yahoo Sports Staff
Trump, Sheinbaum and Carney “drew” USA, Mexico and Canada, respectively. into the groups they were already predetermined to be in. Shocker.
Fri, December 5, 2025 at 9:50 AM PST
Yahoo Sports Staff
Infantino has called up U.S. President Donald Trump, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum and Canada Prime Minister Mark Carney to the stage as his “draw assistant.”
Fri, December 5, 2025 at 9:43 AM PST
Yahoo Sports Staff
Fri, December 5, 2025 at 9:41 AM PST
Yahoo Sports Staff
Sean Leahy
Henry won the World Cup in 1998 with France. He has belief in Mauricio Pochettino’s squad.
Fri, December 5, 2025 at 9:25 AM PST
Yahoo Sports Staff
Fri, December 5, 2025 at 9:21 AM PST
Yahoo Sports Staff
Fri, December 5, 2025 at 9:05 AM PST
Fri, December 5, 2025 at 9:01 AM PST
Yahoo Sports Staff
The lights are coming up and the hosts are getting into place. We’re just about ready to see the full 2026 World Cup groups take shape. Stick with us right here on Yahoo Sports as we’ll have every pick, reaction and matchup as it happens, live.
Fri, December 5, 2025 at 8:58 AM PST
Steven Goff
WASHINGTON — The World Cup draw Friday at the Kennedy Center will bring together coaches and officials from qualified teams, diplomats and politicians, celebrity guests, former soccer stars and current and former non-soccer athletes.
It will rekindle the bromance between the bosses of soccer and the host country, with FIFA president Gianni Infantino expected to award U.S. President Donald Trump with a peace prize that, until last month, did not exist.
It will throw a bone to a nation’s capital, which, in a World Cup rarity, was passed over as a match venue because of an inadequate stadium.
And if that’s not enough, if a global TV audience demands even more from the drawn-out festivities beyond Kevin Hart, Robbie Williams, Tom Brady, Shaquille O’Neal, Wayne Gretzky and Aaron Judge, there is …
The Village People. (But will they improvise “Y-M-C-A” into “F-I-F-A?”)
Oh yes, there is the soccer aspect, too. [Read More]
Fri, December 5, 2025 at 8:55 AM PST
Yahoo Sports Staff
Fri, December 5, 2025 at 8:37 AM PST
Alexis Guerreros, Christian Polanco
Sean Leahy
A number of celebrities will be in attendance for the draw, including legendary referee Pierluigi Collina.
Tom Brady, Wayne Gretzky, Aaron Judge, and Shaquille O’Neal will be assisting Rio Ferdinand and broadcaster Samantha Johnson in the draw proceedings.
Sean Leahy
Pots 1-4 are set, and the distribution shapes nearly every storyline today. Pot 1 houses the heavyweights and co-hosts. Pot 2 is stacked with dangerous second-tier nations. Pot 3 has volatility (team’s that can ruin someone’s day). And Pot 4 is a wild-card mix .
Fri, December 5, 2025 at 8:20 AM PST
Yahoo Sports Staff
Before the show begins a quick refresher: teams are placed into four pots based on FIFA rankings. Once the draw commences, teams will be placed into one of 12, four-team groups. Each group can include only one nation per region outside of Europe. With 48 teams (six of which still must qualify during March’s playoffs) and 12 groups, the mechanics matter — especially for the USMNT, which can draw only one South American team and can’t share a group with another CONCACAF nation.
We’ll walk you though it all as groups fill up live.
Fri, December 5, 2025 at 8:13 AM PST
Steven Goff
WASHINGTON — Because heads of state, including President Trump, are attending Friday’s World Cup draw, media members and invited guests were subjected to Secret Service screening a block from the Kennedy Center.
Washington’s first snow of the season added a pretty backdrop and helped calm nerves for the shivering hundreds who waited up to two hours to pass through security.
In one screening line, everything momentarily came to a halt as an officer pulled aside an individual passing through the metal detector. It was not an emergency, however; rather, the officer wanted to pose for a photo with former U.S. national team striker Charlie Davies.
“He scored at Azteca!” the officer remarked to those waiting their turn.
Fri, December 5, 2025 at 8:00 AM PST
Yahoo Sports Staff
We’ll be here all day with updates, context and instant analysis as the 48-team tournament’s full set of groups is revealed. The ceremony begins in one hour, but we’ll spend the lead=up breaking down the draw pots, the rules the teams to watch and what the USMNT’s possible paths look like. The real action begins soon!
How to watch the FIFA World Cup draw
When: Friday, Dec. 5, 12 p.m. ET
Where: John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Washington, D.C.
TV: Fox
Streaming: Fox One, DirecTV
Full 2026 World Cup drawGROUP AGROUP BGROUP CGROUP DGROUP EGROUP FGROUP GGROUP HGROUP IGROUP JGROUP KGROUP L