With fewer than 200 days to go until the start of the first-ever 48-team FIFA World Cup™, the procedures for determining the composition of the tournament’s 12 unprecedented groups of four have been confirmed. One of the most thrilling milestones on the road to the FIFA World Cup, the Final Draw will bring together coaches and officials from all qualified teams — and those still in contention — on Friday, 5 December, at the prestigious John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington DC, where they will discover their opponents in pursuit of ultimate glory.
The Final Draw procedures stipulate that the hosts Canada, Mexico and the USA will be allocated to pot 1, and the 39 remaining qualified teams will be allocated to the four pots of 12 teams each according to the FIFA/Coca-Cola Men’s World Ranking issued on Wednesday, 19 November 2025. Lastly, the two FIFA World Cup 2026 Play-Off Tournament placeholders, as well as the four European play-off placeholders, will be allocated to pot 4.
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