Gianni Infantino and U.S. President Donald Trump arrive on the red carpet ahead of the FIFA World Cup 2026

Pots for the FIFA World Cup 2026 Draw

Pot 1: Canada, Mexico, United States, Spain, Argentina, France, England, Brazil, Portugal, Netherlands, Belgium, and Germany.

Pot 2: Croatia, Morocco, Colombia, Uruguay, Switzerland, Japan, Senegal, Iran, Korea Republic, Ecuador, Austria, and Australia.

Pot 3: Norway, Panama, Egypt, Algeria, Scotland, Paraguay, Tunisia, Ivory Coast, Uzbekistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and South Africa.

Pot 4: Jordan, Cape Verde, Ghana, Curaçao, Haiti, New Zealand, the European playoff winners A, B, C, and D, and the teams finishing 1st and 2nd in the FIFA Playoff Tournament.

Draw Procedure

The draw will begin with the teams in Pot 1, which will be placed into Groups A through L. Afterwards, Pots 2, 3, and 4 will be drawn in that order.

Host Nations

Canada, Mexico, and the United States will have balls of different colors:

• Mexico: Position A1 (green ball)
• Canada: Position B1 (red ball)
• United States: Position D1 (blue ball)

The remaining nine teams in Pot 1 will be identified with balls of the same color and will automatically be assigned to position 1 in the group they are drawn into.

Competitive Balance

To prevent top teams from meeting too early, the match schedule has been divided into two separate brackets up to the semifinals.

The following restrictions apply:

- Spain (No. 1 in the rankings) and Argentina (No. 2) will be placed in opposite brackets by random draw.

- The same rule applies to France (No. 3) and England (No. 4).

This ensures that if the highest-ranked teams win their groups, they could only meet in the final.

Assignment of Group Positions

For teams in Pots 2, 3, and 4, each will receive a specific position within the group based on a predefined pattern outlined in the official draw document. Their placement will depend on both the pot they come from and the group to which they are assigned.

Confederation Restrictions

- No group may contain two teams from the same confederation, except for UEFA, which has 16 teams.

- Each group must include at least one and at most two European teams.

- The same rule applies to the FIFA Playoff Tournament teams.

Stadium and Match Schedule Assignment

While the draw will determine the matchups for the group stage, the updated schedule — including stadiums and kickoff times — will be released on Saturday, December 6.

The goal is to ensure optimal conditions for all teams and to allow fans worldwide to watch their national teams at convenient times across different time zones.