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The 2026 World Cup in North America is a little over six months away, but excitement is already building for the biggest FIFA tournament in history.
A total of 48 teams will compete across the United States, Canada and Mexico for the right to claim the most coveted prize in soccer, which was won by Lionel Messi and Argentina four years ago
The group-stage draw will determine each nation’s route to a possible final, as it will lay out both the make-up of the opening phase of the competition and the bracket for the knockout phase. In other words, it’s about the most important thing for the teams involved until the actual tournament gets underway.
The Sporting News is following the draw live from the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., and will provide all the most important updates below.
2026 WORLD CUP HQ: Latest World Cup news | Full World Cup schedule | Buy World Cup tickets
World Cup groups 2026Group AA1: MexicoA2: _A3: _ A4: _Group BB1: CanadaB2: _B3: _B4: _Group CC1: _C2: _C3: _C4: _Group DD1: United StatesD2: _D3: _D4: _Group EE1: _E2: _E3: _E4: _Group FF1: _F2: _F3: _F4: _Group GG1: _G2: _G3: _G4: _Group HH1: _ H2: _H3: _H4: _Group II1: _I2: _I3: _I4: _Group JJ1: _J2: _J3: _J4: _Group KK1: _K2: _K3: _K4: _Group LL1: _L2: _L3: _L4: _
WORLD CUP DRAW BREAKDOWNS:
Group A | Group B | Group C | Group D | Group E | Group F
Group G | Group H | Group I | Group J | Group K | Group L
World Cup 2026 draw live updates, highlights from Washington D.C.
(All times ET)
9:21 a.m.: The past seven World Cups have taken place in a 32-team format. That meant eight groups of four and the top two from each group going through to the Round of 16. Nice and simple. For the new 48-team tournament, groups of four remain. That means the top two will still progress to account for 24 of the new Round of 32. The remaining eight spots will be taken up by the best eight third-place teams.
8:45 a.m.: Even with Lionel Messi in tow, Argentina have what feels like close to an impossible task in terms of retaining their title. Italy are the only country to have won back-to-back World Cups and accomplished this when the tournament was in its infancy back in 1934 and 1938.
8:10 a.m.: The expanded format has allowed some countries, such as Uzbekistan. Jordan and Cape Verde, to book places at their first-ever World Cups. Then there’s Curacao, the Caribbean nation that will become the smallest country in history to compete at the tournament.
MORE: Smallest countries in the World Cup: How Curacao, Cape Verde will make history in 2026
7:24 a.m.: Although 48 teams will compete at the 2026 World Cup, only 42 have rubber-stamped their place on draw day. The remaining six places will be decided next March in the UEFA and inter-confederation playoff rounds. For those six places, there are still 22 countries in the mix.
Here’s everything you need to know about the final playoff rounds for the 2026 World Cup.
6:38 a.m.: Who remembers the 2022 final? Some guy called Messi was involved…
The last #FIFAWorldCup match. Tomorrow we will learn the next one.
Visit https://t.co/zJTWWlwshQ to find out where you can watch the Draw in your territory. 📺
— FIFA World Cup (@FIFAWorldCup) December 4, 2025
5:30 a.m.: There is all manner of special guests attending today’s draw. Here’s why the likes of Shaquille O’Neal, Wayne Gretzky, Tom Brady and more are all involved.
✨ An extraordinary line-up for a historic moment!
These special guests will be conducting and assisting the Final Draw ⤵️
— FIFA World Cup (@FIFAWorldCup) December 4, 2025
4:15 a.m.: Want to know more about who’s in the draw today? Here’s an up-to-date list of all the teams to have qualified for the World Cup.
The remaining six spots will be filled by one of these playoff winners.
3 a.m: We’re still a few hours way from the show getting underway in Washington, D.C., so if you’re still confused as to how it all works, take a look at our complete guide to the draw.
2 a.m: Hello and welcome to The Sporting News’ live coverage of the group stage draw for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
How to watch the FIFA World Cup drawDate: Friday, Dec. 5 | Time: Noon ET, 9 a.m. PTTV channel: Fox (U.S.), TSN/RDS (CA), BBC (UK), SBS (AU)Live stream: Fubo (free trial)
The World Cup draw is scheduled to start at noon ET on Friday, Dec. 5 from the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. TV coverage begins at 11:30 a.m. ET on Fox (U.S.) with 3 1/2 hours of live programming.
The draw is co-hosted by comedian Kevin Hart, model Heidi Klum and actor Danny Ramirez and will also feature musical performances by Andrea Bocelli, Nicole Scherzinger and Robbie Williams. Rio Ferdinand will serve as the draw conductor.
Viewers in the United States can stream the draw live with Fubo, which offers a free trial to new subscribers.
The World Cup draw will also be televised by TSN/RDS in Canada, BBC in the United Kingdom and SBS in Australia.
FIFA will also be providing live coverage, with a live stream on the official FIFA Youtube channel.
MORE WORLD CUP NEWS:
How does the World Cup draw work?
The 42 teams already qualified for the 2026 World Cup have been split into four pots. Each pot features 12 teams and is based upon most recent FIFA World Rankings published in November.
The exception to this is Pot 1, which features the three co-hosts, along with the top nine seeded teams in the world. Pot 4 will be completed by the winners of the UEFA and intercontinental playoffs next March.
Pot 1: nine highest-ranked teams + hosts Canada, Mexico and USAPot 2: next 12 ranked teams according to FIFAPot 3: next 12 ranked teams according to FIFAPot 4: six lowest-ranked teams + six playoff winnersPot 1Pot 2Pot 3Pot 4USA (14)*Croatia (10)Norway (29)Jordan (66)Mexico (15)*Morocco (11)Panama (30)Cape Verde (68)Canada (27)*Colombia (13)Egypt (34)Ghana (72)Spain (1)Uruguay (16)Algeria (35)Curacao (82)Argentina (2)Switzerland (17)Scotland (36)Haiti (84)France (3)Japan (18)Paraguay (39)New Zealand (86)England (4)Senegal (19)Tunisia (40)Intercont’l Playoff 1Brazil (5)Iran (20)Ivory Coast (42)Intercont’l Playoff 2Portugal (6)South Korea (22)Uzbekistan (50)UEFA Playoff 1Netherlands (7)Ecuador (23)Qatar (51)UEFA Playoff 2Belgium (8)Austria (24)Saudi Arabia (60)UEFA Playoff 3Germany (9)Australia (26)South Africa (61)UEFA Playoff 4
Geographic restrictions: Teams from the same region cannot be drawn in the same group with the exception of Europe. Since there are 16 European slots in the draw and 12 groups (A-H), a maximum two European nations are permitted in a single group. If there’s a geographic clash, the team drawn is simply moved to the next group in sequence.
After a team is selected and the group is identified, the slot within that group is determined from a different pot. Teams drawn from Pot 1 into a group will automatically occupy the first slot in a group (Ex. A1, B1, C1, etc.), but the other slots will be drawn at random.
This section will be updated with a full World Cup bracket when the groups are announced.
MORE WORLD CUP NEWS:
When are final World Cup berths decided?
Six of the 48 participating nations at the World Cup will be determined three months after the draw via the UEFA and FIFA inter-confederation playoff paths.
UEFA teams that can still qualify: Slovakia, Kosovo, Denmark, Ukraine, Turkey, Republic of Ireland, Poland, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Italy, Wales, Albania, Czechia, Romania, Sweden, North Macedonia, Northern Ireland
Teams that can still qualify via intercontinental playoffs: DR Congo, Iraq, Jamaica, Bolivia, Suriname, New Caledonia.
All playoff games will be concluded between March 26 and March 31, 2026.
World Cup schedule 2026Group stage: June 11-27Round of 32: June 28-July 3Round of 16: July 4-7Quarterfinals: July 9-11Semifinals: July 14-15Final: July 19
The first match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup will be played Thursday, June 11 between Mexico and a Group A opponent in Mexico City. Group stage matches through June 27 followed by the Round of 32 (June 28-July 3) and the Round of 16 (July 4-7) played at stadiums scattered across the United States, Canada and Mexico.
World Cup quarterfinals matches will be played in four U.S. cities — Los Angeles, Kansas City, Atlanta and Boston — between July 9-11. Dallas and Atlanta will host the semifinals on July 14-15.
The World Cup will conclude July 19 with the final match from MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ.
World Cup 2026 knockout stage
Round of 32
DateMatchLocationSun, Jun. 28M1: 2nd, Group A vs. 2nd, Group BSoFi Stadium (Inglewood, CA)Mon, Jun. 29M2: 1st, Group E vs. 3rd place finisherGillette Stadium (Foxboro, MA)Mon, Jun. 29M3: 1st, Group F vs. 2nd, Group CEstadio BBVA (Guadalupe, MEX)Mon, Jun. 29M4: 1st, Group C vs. 2nd, Group FNRG Stadium (Houston, TX)Tue, Jun. 30M5: 1st, Group I vs. 3rd place finisherMetLife Stadium (East Rutherford, NJ)Tue, Jun. 30M6: 2nd, Group E vs. 2nd, Group IAT&T Stadium (Arlington, TX)Tue, Jun. 30M7: 1st, Group A vs. 3rd place finisherEstadio Azteca (Mexico City, MEX)Wed, Jul. 1M8: 1st, Group L vs. 3rd place finisherMercedes-Benz Stadium (Atlanta, GA)Wed, Jul. 1M9: 1st, Group D vs. 3rd place finisherLevi’s Stadium (Santa Clara, CA)Wed, Jul. 1M10: 1st, Group G vs. 3rd place finisherLumen Field (Seattle, WA)Thu, Jul. 2M11: 2nd, Group K vs. 2nd, Group LBMO Field (Toronto, CAN)Thu, Jul. 2M12: 1st, Group H vs. 2nd, Group JSoFi Stadium (Inglewood, CA)Thu, Jul. 2M13: 1st, Group B vs. 3rd place finisherBC Place (Vancouver, CAN)Fri, Jul. 3M14: 1st, Group J vs. 2nd, Group HHard Rock Stadium (Miami, FL)Fri, Jul. 3M15: 1st, Group K vs. 3rd place finisherArrowhead Stadium (Kansas City, MO)Fr, Jul. 3M16: 2nd, Group D vs. 2nd, Group GAT&T Stadium (Arlington, TX)
Round of 16
DateMatchLocationSat, Jul. 4M1: Winner, R32 M2 vs. Winner, R32 M5Lincoln Financial Field (Philadelphia, PA)Sat, Jul. 4M2: Winner, R32 M1 vs. Winner, R32 M3NRG Stadium (Houston, TX)Sun, Jul. 5M3: Winner, R32 M4 vs. Winner, R32 M6MetLife Stadium (East Rutherford, NJ)Sun, Jul. 5M4: Winner, R32 M7 vs. Winner, R32 M8Estadio Azteca (Mexico City, MEX)Mon, Jul. 6M5: Winner, R32 M11 vs. Winner, R32 M12AT&T Stadium (Arlington, TX)Mon, Jul. 6M6: Winner, R32 M9 vs. Winner, R32 M10Lumen Field (Seattle, WA)Tue, Jul. 7M7: Winner, R32 M14 vs. Winner, R32 M16Mercedes-Benz Stadium (Atlanta, GA)Tue, Jul. 7M8: Winner, R32 M13 vs. Winner, R32 M15BC Place (Vancouver, CAN)
Quarterfinals
DateMatchLocationThu, Jul. 9QF1: Winner, R16 M1 vs. Winner, R16 M2Gillette Stadium (Foxboro, MA)Fri, Jul. 10QF2: Winner, R16 M5 vs. Winner, R16 M6SoFi Stadium (Inglewood, CA)Sat, Jul. 11QF3: Winner, R16 M3 vs. Winner, R16 M4Hard Rock Stadium (Miami, FL)Sat, Jul. 11QF4: Winner, R16 M7 vs. Winner, R16 M8Arrowhead Stadium (Kansas City, MO)
Semifinals
DateMatchLocationTue, Jul. 14SF1: Winner, QF1 vs. Winner, QF2AT&T Stadium (Arlington, TX)Wed, Jul. 15SF2: Winner, QF3 vs. Winner, QF4Mercedes-Benz Stadium (Atlanta, GA)
Third place match
DateMatchLocationSat, Jul. 18Loser, SF1 vs. Loser, SF2Hard Rock Stadium (Miami, FL)
Final
DateMatchLocationSun, Jul. 19Winner, SF1 vs. Winner, SF2MetLife Stadium (East Rutherford, NJ)