What is the 'draw' for the 2026 FIFA World Cup?

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PHOTO: @FIFAWorldCup

WASHINGTON, D.C. - With the announcement of the 2026 FIFA World Cup draw taking place at the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C., many have begun to ask the question — "What is a World Cup draw?"

What is a World Cup draw?

What we know:

Simply put, the World Cup draw is a process that determines which qualified teams will play against each other in the group stage of the tournament. The group stage is the opening rounds of the tournament, and it is not single-elimination.

For the 2026 World Cup, there will be 48 teams, a significant increase from the 32 teams that have competed in past tournaments. These teams will be divided into 12 groups of four, with the top two teams from each group, along with the eight best third-place teams, advancing to a new round of 32. The teams earn points based off of results. A winning team gets 3 points, a draw is 1 point and a loss is 0 points. The teams with the top two highest points at the end of the group stage advance.

But wait – did he just say "draw" again? 

Yes, but in this instance "draw" means "tie." A tie only happens in the group stage if both teams fail to win the game in the regulation 90 minutes time. 

The host nations, Canada, Mexico, and the United States, automatically qualify for the tournament and have already been pre-assigned to their respective groups. This ensures they play all of their games in their home country. The draw itself is conducted by randomly selecting teams from different "pots," or categories, and placing them into groups.

How does seeding work?

To ensure a competitive balance and geographical diversity, the teams are seeded and placed into different pots. The seeding is based primarily on the FIFA Men's World Ranking. Argentina, the current holders of the World Cup title after beating France in 2022, are currently the highest-ranked nation entering the tournament. As of Aug. 22, 2025, the USA men's national team is ranked 15th. 

Pot 1 typically contains the host nations and the highest-ranked qualified teams.

Pots 2, 3, and 4 contain the remaining teams, ranked from highest to lowest, who have qualified for the tournament. 

A key rule during the draw is that teams from the same confederation (i.e. CONMEBOL, AFC, Concacaf) cannot be placed into the same group, with the exception of Europe. Because Europe qualifies 16 teams, each group can have up to two European teams. This process is designed to create a fair and competitive group stage before the knockout rounds begin.

President Donald Trump announced that the 2026 FIFA World Cup draw will take place at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., on December 5. The announcement was made in the Oval Office, with FIFA President Gianni Infantino present. Trump, who is leading a task force to coordinate the federal government's security and planning for the tournament, said the event will give the World Cup a "phenomenal kickoff".

The World Cup will be played at 16 stadiums in the U.S., Mexico, and Canada from June 11 to July 19 of next year. The final match will be held at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.