World Cup 2026 Draw Set for Dec. 5 at Kennedy Center

The draw for the 2026 FIFA World Cup will be held on December 5 at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., President Donald Trump announced in the Oval Office, flanked by FIFA President Gianni Infantino. The event will determine the group assignments for a 48-team tournament cohosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico, marking a major expansion from the 32-team field used in recent editions. Trump called the occasion “the biggest, probably the biggest event in sports,” underscoring the scale of a competition that will unfold across North America next June and July.

The draw will allocate the 48 qualified nations into 12 groups of four. Before the draw, teams are placed into four pots based on the most up-to-date FIFA rankings, with Pot 1 containing the automatic hosts—now the United States, Canada and Mexico—and the next nine highest-ranked teams. Pots 2, 3 and 4 hold progressively lower-ranked teams. Each group will receive one team from each pot, ensuring a spread of strength and regional considerations. By the time the draw occurs, 42 of the 48 teams will be known; the remaining six spots will be decided by playoff matches in March 2026, held in the host nations, with...