FIFA World Cup 2026 Draw Set for Friday at Kennedy Center

The draw for the 2026 FIFA World Cup will take place on Friday, where fans will discover the matchups for the tournament scheduled to begin in approximately six months. This event will unfold at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C., featuring the random selection of 48 qualifying teams into 12 groups, labeled A through L.

In preparation for the draw, the teams are categorized into four pots based on their world rankings as of November 19. The hosts—Canada, Mexico, and the U.S.—are automatically placed in the first pot. The remaining teams will be assigned to pots 2 through 4 based on their rankings. The six teams that qualify through playoffs will be revealed between March 23 and March 31 and will be placed in pot 4.

How the Draw Works

During the draw, teams will be randomly selected from each pot and assigned to their respective groups. The first teams drawn—Canada, Mexico, and the U.S.—are already allocated to specific groups: Mexico in Group A as team A1, Canada in Group B as team B1, and the U.S. in Group D as team D1. After the completion of pot 1, the selection will continue through pots 2 to 4.

FIFA has set specific constraints to ensure a balanced draw. Notably, the top four ranked teams will be placed in separate pathways to avoid early matchups between the highest-ranked nations. Thus, Spain and Argentina, the top two teams, will be drawn into different streams, along with France and England.

In addition, FIFA aims to restrict groupings to one team from each confederation, except for the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA), which can have a maximum of two teams in a group. This arrangement will see four groups featuring two UEFA representatives.

Playoff Teams and Ticket Information

The tournament will also see playoff competitions where 22 teams will vie for a spot in the World Cup. One playoff will include 16 European nations, while the other will feature teams from Concacaf, AFC, CAF, CONMEBOL, and OFC. High-profile teams such as Italy, Wales, and Ukraine are among those competing in the European playoffs.

The FIFA World Cup playoffs will have the four lowest-ranked countries in the FIFA/Coca-Cola World Rankings competing in semi-finals, with the two highest-ranking nations advancing directly to the finals. Countries like Congo and Iraq are already set for the finals, while teams like New Caledonia and Jamaica will compete for a playoff spot.

Fans eager to attend the matches can participate in the Random Selection Draw for tickets beginning on December 11, which will remain open until January 13. This will mark the first opportunity for supporters to secure single-match tickets after the group matchups are confirmed. FIFA has reported that nearly two million tickets have been sold in previous draws.

The tournament is set to kick off in Mexico on June 11, 2026, culminating with the final match scheduled for July 12, 2026, in East Rutherford, New Jersey.