The 2026 FIFA World Cup draw takes place on Friday in Washington, D.C., sorting the expanded 48-team field into groups before the tournament unfolds from June 11 to July 19 across the United States, Canada and Mexico.

Here’s a breakdown of key information as 12 groups of four teams each are determined.

When: Friday, December 5

Time: 12 pm ET/9 am PT

Watch: FOX, Telemundo, TSN, FIFA.com

How does the draw work?

Of the 42 qualified countries , 39 are split into four pots as determined by the November 2025 FIFA Men's World Rankings.

Host nations USA, Canada and Mexico enter Pot 1. Lastly, the two FIFA World Cup 2026 Play-Off Tournament placeholders, as well as the four European play-off placeholders, are allocated into Pot 4.

All the groups – A through L – can have no more than

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