| FIFA World Cup 2026 Final Draw | |
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MATCH INFO |
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MATCH :
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FIFA World Cup 2026 Final Draw
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COMPETITION :
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FIFA World Cup 2026
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| DATE: |
05-12-2025
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TIME:
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10.30 PM IST
09.00 PM UAE
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STADIUM
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Kennedy Center in Washington DC
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FIFA Unveils Final Draw Procedures for the 2026 World Cup
With fewer than 200 days remaining until the historic kickoff of the first 48-team FIFA World Cup™, FIFA has officially revealed the procedures for the highly anticipated Final Draw. This key milestone on the road to the 2026 tournament will take place on Friday, 5 December, at the prestigious John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. Coaches, officials, and representatives from all qualified nations — and those still fighting for qualification — will gather to discover their group-stage opponents as the journey toward global football glory begins.
How the Draw Will Work
The draw will create 12 groups of four teams, following the tournament’s expanded format. Hosts Canada, Mexico, and the United States automatically enter Pot 1, joined by the top-ranked sides based on the FIFA/Coca-Cola Men’s World Ranking of 19 November 2025.
The remaining qualified teams are distributed across four pots of 12 nations each, while the two Play-Off Tournament winners and four European play-off placeholders will be assigned to Pot 4.
Final Draw 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, D, FIFA Play-Off Tournament 1, FIFA Play-Off Tournament 2
The draw will proceed sequentially from Pot 1 to Pot 4, filling groups A through L.
Special Rules and Constraints
Host Nation Placement
The three host countries will be placed using distinct coloured balls:
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Mexico → Group A1 (green ball)
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Canada → Group B1 (red ball)
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USA → Group D1 (blue ball)
The remaining Pot 1 teams will occupy position 1 in whichever group they are drawn.
Top Teams Split for Competitive Balance
To ensure balanced knockout pathways, FIFA has pre-assigned constraints for the four highest-ranked nations:
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Spain (1st) and Argentina (2nd) must be drawn into opposite pathways.
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France (3rd) and England (4th) must also be placed on opposite sides of the bracket.
This guarantees that, if they top their groups, the two highest-ranked teams cannot meet before the final.
Group Position Allocation
For teams drawn from Pots 2, 3, and 4, group positions (such as A2, A3, etc.) will be assigned based on a predefined allocation pattern included in the official draw procedures.
Confederation Restrictions
To maintain diversity:
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No group may contain more than one team from the same confederation, except for UEFA, which has 16 European teams.
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Each group must contain at least one but no more than two UEFA nations.
Special rules also apply to the two FIFA Play-Off Tournament placeholders, ensuring the confederation principle holds true across both play-off pathways.