Doha: The final draw pots for the FIFA World Cup 2026 have been established, setting the stage for the highly anticipated group stage draw. Pot 1 includes the host nations—Canada, Mexico, and the United States—as well as the nine highest-ranked qualified teams. The remaining 39 qualified teams are distributed across Pots 2, 3, and 4 based on the FIFA/Coca-Cola Men's World Ranking of 19 November 2025. The slots for the two global play-off winners and the four European play-off winners are allocated to Pot 4.

A major milestone in the final preparations for the first 48-team FIFA World Cup™, the draw ceremony is set for Friday, December 5, at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. The event will be attended by coaches of the qualified teams and federation officials. On this occasion, the participating nations will learn their group-stage opponents on the path to the World Cup final, scheduled for Sunday, July 19, 2026, in New York/New Jersey. The specific match venues and kick-off times will be announced on Saturday, December 6.

Draw Procedures

The draw process will begin by placing teams from Pot 1 into positions at the head of Groups 1 through 12. This will be followed by the sequential drawing of teams from Pots 2, 3, and 4. Special procedures are in place for the host nations. Canada, Mexico, and the United States will be represented by differently colored balls. Upon being drawn, Mexico will be assigned to the top of Group 1 (green ball), Canada to Group 2 (red ball), and the United States to Group 4 (blue ball), as per the tournament schedule released on 4 February 2024. The other nine teams in Pot 1 will be drawn and placed at the head of their respective groups.

Final Draw Pots for the FIFA World Cup 2026

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

· Pot 2: Croatia, Morocco, Colombia, Uruguay, Switzerland, Japan, Senegal, Iran, South Korea, Ecuador, Austria, Australia

· Pot 3: Norway, Panama, Egypt, Algeria, Scotland, Paraguay, Tunisia, Côte d'Ivoire, Uzbekistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, South Africa

· Pot 4: Jordan, Cape Verde, Ghana, Curaçao, Haiti, New Zealand, the four (A, B, C, D) European play-off qualifiers, the two (A, B) global play-off qualifiers