The pots for the 2026 World Cup have been finalized, establishing the basis for the formation of 12 groups for the 48-team tournament set to begin. The draw occurs on December 5, and FIFA announced that the leading four teams in the most recent men’s rankings, if they top their respective groups, will not meet until the semifinals during the tournament from June 11 to July 19.
According to the latest rankings, Spain, Argentina, France, and England are the top four teams, indicating that defending champions Argentina with Lionel Messi and top-ranked European champions Spain with Lamine Yamal will only clash in the final on July 19, provided they excel in their groups.
FIFA stated, “To ensure competitive balance, two separate pathways to the semifinals have been established,” designed to reward teams with consistent performance that has positively influenced their world rankings.
Tournament Group Structure
Each group will include one team from each of four pots, with the first pot consisting of the three co-host nations and the nine highest-ranked teams globally.
- Pot 1: Canada, Mexico, USA, 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, Ivory Coast, Uzbekistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, South Africa.
- Pot 4: Jordan, Cape Verde, Ghana, Curaçao, Haiti, New Zealand; European Play-Offs A, B, C, D; FIFA Play-Offs 1 and 2.
A total of 42 teams have been confirmed for the 48-team tournament, with the remaining six determined through playoffs in March.
Host Nations and Matches
The three host nations—Canada, Mexico, and the USA—have already been assigned to specific groups to host their matches. The USA will play in Group D, Canada in Group A, and Mexico in Group B.
Teams from the same qualification zone cannot be drawn into the same group except for UEFA, which can allow two teams from Europe per group.
Draw Details
The draw is scheduled for December 5 at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C., at 12 p.m. ET/9 a.m. PT, and it will be broadcast live on FOX.
