The 2026 World Cup pots have been finalized, meaning that the procedure for making the 12 groups for the 48-team tournament is set.
The draw will be held on Dec. 5. FIFA said Tuesday the top four teams in the latest men’s rankings will, if they finish top of their respective round-robin groups, avoid each other until the semifinals of the June 11-July 19 tournament being co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico.
The latest rankings put Spain, Argentina, France and England as the top four teams. That means that defending champion Argentina with Lionel Messi and top-ranked European champion Spain with Lamine Yamal won’t meet until the July 19 final at MetLife Stadium near New York – as long as they win their respective groups.
“To ensure competitive balance, two separate pathways to the semifinals have been established,” FIFA said in a statement, aiming to reward teams whose consistent good results have raised their world ranking.
For next summer’s tournament, each group will consist of one team from the following four pots, with Pot 1 including the three co-hosts and the nine highest ranked teams in the world.
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-Off A, B, C and D; FIFA Play-Off Tournament 1 and 2
In all, 42 teams in the 48-team tournament are set. The other six entries will be decided in March when European and global playoff brackets are scheduled, and those teams will all come out of the draw pot of lowest-ranked teams.
The three host nations (Canada, Mexico, and the United States) are already placed into specific groups to ensure their matches occur in their home country. The USA will be in Group D, Canada will be in Group A, and Mexico will be in Group B.
Teams from the same qualification zone — except for the European confederation (UEFA) — cannot be drawn into the same group. So don’t expect two South American teams (CONMEBOL), for example, in the same group. However, there could be up to two UEFA teams in one.
When and Where is the Draw?
The draw will be held at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C., on Dec. 5 at 12 p.m. ET/9 a.m. PT and will air live on FOX. The draw will be streamed on FOX One, FOXSports.com and the FOX Sports App.
Are the USA, Canada, and Mexico Already in Groups?
The three co-hosts of the 2026 World Cup are already placed in respective groups, even if they still don’t know their opponents. This was done to ensure that the teams would play their group stage matches in their respective countries.
For the USA, the three group-stage games will be on June 12 (in Los Angeles), June 19 (in Seattle), and June 25 (in Los Angeles).
For Canada, the three-group stage games will be on June 12 (in Toronto), June 18 (Vancouver), and June 24 (Vancouver). For Mexico, the three-group stage games will be on June 11 (in Mexico City), June 18 (Guadalajara), and June 24 (Mexico City).
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