Decoding FIFA's process of dividing teams into groups for the World Cup draw

The 2026 World Cup draw is scheduled for Friday at the Kennedy Center, where the 48 participating teams will be divided into 12 groups of four. From these initial groups, 32 teams will advance to the knockout stage, which operates under a single-elimination format.

Group Structure

The tournament will feature 12 groups, labeled Group A through Group L. Heres a breakdown of how the draw will assign teams to these groups.

The Draw Process

Teams are sorted into four pots, each containing 12 teams. Every group will receive one team from each pot. The pots are organized largely by FIFA rankings:

• Pot 1: Spain (1), Argentina (2), France (3), England (4), Brazil (5), Portugal (6), Netherlands (7), Belgium (8), Germany (9), United States (14), Mexico (15), Canada (27).
• Pot 2: Croatia (10), Morocco (11), Colombia (13), Uruguay (16), Switzerland (17), Japan (18), Senegal (19), Iran (20), South Korea (22), Ecuador (23), Austria (24), Australia (26).
• Pot 3: Norway (29), Panama (30), Egypt (34), Algeria (35), Scotland (36), Paraguay (39), Tunisia (40), Ivory Coast (42), Uzbekistan (60), Qatar (51), Saudi Arabia (60), South Africa (61).
• Pot 4: Jordan (66), Cape Verde (68), Ghana (72), Curaao (82), Haiti (84), New Zealand (86), UEFA Playoff A, UEFA Playoff B, UEFA Playoff C, UEFA Playoff D, FIFA Playoff 1, FIFA Playoff 2.

The host nations the United States, Mexico, and Canada are automatically placed in Pot 1, giving them the advantage of avoiding top-ranked opponents. Mexico will join Group A, Canada Group B, and the U.S. Group D. Additionally, the four highest-ranked teams Spain, Argentina, France, and England are arranged so that they cannot meet before the semifinals if they win their respective groups.

Placeholders and Playoffs

Pot 4 contains six placeholders representing teams yet to qualify, including four European spots determined via UEFA playoffs and two global FIFA playoff spots. These playoffs involve countries such as Italy, Northern Ireland, Wales, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Ukraine, Sweden, Poland, Albania, Turkey, Romania, Slovakia, Kosovo, Denmark, North Macedonia, Czech Republic, Ireland, New Caledonia, Jamaica, Congo, Bolivia, Suriname, and Iraq.

Italy, a four-time champion, has not qualified since 2014 but could still secure a place through UEFA Playoff A, which adds uncertainty to the draw.

Draw Rules

• Each group must include at least one European team but no more than two.
• No group can feature more than one team from the same confederation outside UEFA. The confederations are AFC (Asia), CAF (Africa), CONCACAF (North and Central America and the Caribbean), CONMEBOL (South America), and OFC (Oceania).

Potential Group Scenarios

While the pots are generally ranked by FIFA standings, the random draw can create significantly varied groups. For example, a group including Argentina, Morocco, Norway, and Italy (if they qualify) could be particularly tough, whereas a group with Canada, Austria, South Africa, and New Zealand would be less formidable.

Game Schedule

The complete match schedule and venue details will be released on Saturday, although dates for the host countries games are already confirmed:

• Canada: June 12 (Toronto), June 18 (Vancouver), June 24 (Vancouver)
• Mexico: June 11 (Mexico City), June 18 (Guadalajara), June 24 (Mexico City)
• United States: June 12 (Los Angeles), June 19 (Seattle), June 25 (Los Angeles)

Author: Riley Thompson