World Cup Draw is Friday. Here is how it works, where to watch, key story lines
At long last, the 2026 World Cup Draw is Friday at noon and soccer fans all over the world will have their TV sets tuned to the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., where the 42 qualified teams will find out their fate.
For fans of college basketball, think Selection Sunday on steroids.
Of the 42 qualified teams, 39 are split into four pots based on November FIFA world rankings. The three co-hosts — U.S., Canada, Mexico — automatically enter Pot 1, which are essentially the top seeds, ensuring they will not have the highest-ranked teams in their groups.
The remaining six teams in the field of 48 will be determined by playoffs at later dates and added to Pot 4.
On Friday, in a star-studded ceremony expected to be attended by President Trump, teams will be sorted into 12 groups of four, setting off heated debates about which teams got an easy draw, which got a difficult draw, and which is the dreaded Group of Death.
Among the celebrities participating are Tom Brady, Shaquille O’Neal, Kevin Hart, Wayne Gretzky, Aaron Judge and The Village People.
On Saturday at noon, the full match schedule, including the stadium assigned to each match and the kickoff times, will be announced. That is when fans start making their travel plans.
As in the past, the month-long tournament, which kicks off June 11 in Mexico City, will be played round-robin style, with the top two teams and the eight best third-place teams advancing to the knockout Round of 32.
Here is a World Cup Draw Guide to get you ready:
Which teams are in which pots?
Pot 1: Canada, Mexico, USA, Spain, Argentina, France, England, Brazil, Portugal, Netherlands, Belgium, Germany
Pot 2: Croatia, Morocco, Colombia, Uruguay, Switzerland, Japan, Senegal, IR Iran, Korea Republic, Ecuador, Austria, Australia
Pot 3: Norway, Panama, Egypt, Algeria, Scotland, Paraguay, Tunisia, Côte d’Ivoire, Uzbekistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, South Africa
Pot 4: Jordan, Cabo Verde, Ghana, Curaçao, Haiti, New Zealand, European Play-Off A, B, C and D, FIFA Play-Off Tournament 1 and 2
How does the Draw work?
For Pot 1, Canada, Mexico and the USA, as the host countries, will be identified by different colored balls and, when drawn, will be assigned to position A1 for Mexico (green ball), B1 for Canada (red ball) and D1 for the USA (blue ball).
The remaining nine top-ranked teams in Pot 1 will be identified by nine balls of the same color and placed to Position 1 of the group into which they are drawn.
To ensure competitive balance, two separate pathways to the semifinals have been established.
To have a balanced distribution of the teams, the four highest-ranked teams, when drawn, will have the following constraints: the highest-ranked team (Spain) and the second-highest-ranked team (Argentina) will be randomly drawn into opposite pathways, and the same principle will apply to the third (France) and fourth (England) highest-ranked teams. This will ensure that, should they win their groups, the two highest-ranked teams will not meet before the final.
No group will have more than one team from the same confederation drawn into it. This applies to all confederations except UEFA, which is represented by 16 teams. Each group must have at least one, but no more than two UEFA teams drawn into it.
Teams U.S. would like to avoid
Thirteenth-ranked Colombia is the scariest team in Pot 2 and has not lost to Team USA in eight straight games. Also in Pot 2 is Croatia, which advanced to the 2018 World Cup Final and 2022 semifinal, and Morocco, which reached the 2022 semifinals. Nobody wants to face Uruguay, either.
Norway, led by Manchester City’s Erling Haaland and ranked No. 29 by FIFA, is the most dangerous team in Pot 3. The Norwegians were undefeated through eight qualifying matches and beat their opponents 37-5.
Pot 4 is much more complicated because it will include six slots left open for teams that must still qualify from the European and Intercontinental Playoffs in March. Had playoff teams like Italy, Denmark and Ireland qualified directly, they would’ve been in pots 2 or 3. Instead, they would be mixed with the lowest-ranked teams.
Teams U.S. wouldn’t mind drawing
Austria (24), Australia (26), Scotland (36), Qatar (51), New Zealand (No. 86), Cape Verde (68), South Africa (No. 61), Kosovo (No. 80), Saudi Arabia (60), Qatar (51).
Five story lines to watch
Inter Miami captain and Argentine icon Lionel Messi, who will turn 39 during the World Cup, hopes to help the Albiceleste defend its World Cup title.
Forty-year-old Portuguese legend Cristiano Ronaldo will likely be playing his final World Cup. He is Portugal’s all-time leading goal scorer and has made 220 appearances for his national team.
How will Team USA do as a host nation? There is pressure on the host cities to deliver and on the team, headed by Argentine coach Mauricio Pochettino, to get past the group stage.
Haiti, No. 84 in the FIFA rankings, will surely be a fan favorite after qualifying for the first time in 52 years despite not being able to play a single qualifying match at home due to gang violence.
Another underdog to watch is Caribbean island Curacao (pop. 155,000), the smallest nation ever to qualify for a World Cup, in terms of both population and size. Curacao’s coach Dick Advocaat, 78, will become the oldest coach in World Cup history.
2026 FIFA World Cup
▪ Dates: June 11-July 19, 2026
Host Cities: Miami, Atlanta, Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, Dallas, Houston, Kansas City, as well as Canadian cities Vancouver and Toronto and Mexican cities Mexico City, Guadalajara, and Monterrey.
▪ Opening match: June 11, 2026 in Mexico City at 87,532-seat Estadio Azteca
▪ Final match: July 19 at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey
▪ Semifinals: Atlanta and Dallas.
▪ Number of countries: 48
▪ Number of matches: 104 (78 will be held in the United States)
▪ Seven games at Hard Rock Stadium: Four Group Stage matches June 15, 22, 24, 27; a Round of 32 match July 3, a Quarterfinal July 11 and the Bronze Medal Game July 18.
▪ Ticket info: Ticket sales for the 2026 World Cup are expected to begin later this year. To receive information on how to apply for tickets, register at FIFA.com
Where to watch World Cup Draw on TV
Fox will air three and a half hours of live coverage of the draw. The coverage kicks off with a live pre-show at 11:30 a.m. The draw itself will take place from noon to 2 p.m., followed by analysis, reactions, and interviews until 3 p.m.
This story was originally published December 4, 2025 at 2:52 PM with the headline "World Cup Draw is Friday. Here is how it works, where to watch, key story lines."