World Cup 2026 Draw Revealed: Inside the Seeding System That Will Shape Group Stage Battles
The November international break has enabled additional countries to secure their spots for the 2026 FIFA World Cup as excitement builds for the expanded tournament format.
Most of the 48 nations vying for global football supremacy in North America have secured their (costly) places, with December's draw ceremony set to determine the group configurations for next summer's championship.
Nevertheless, several uncertainties persist before next month's draw ceremony, as the procedure involves some complexity.
Here's a comprehensive overview of the 2026 World Cup group stage draw process.
How Does the World Cup Group Stage Draw Work?
The World Cup draw ceremony will occur at the Kennedy Center in Washington DC on Friday, December 5 at 12 p.m. ET (9 a.m. PT, 5 p.m. GMT).
Six teams will remain undetermined during the draw, as the four UEFA playoff victors and two inter-confederation playoff winners won't be decided until March 2026.
The other 42 qualified teams, along with six temporary slots, will be sorted into four pots containing 12 teams each. Every tournament group will consist of one team from each of the four pots. Although the selection process is entirely random, teams from identical confederations cannot face each other—with the exception of UEFA, which has more representatives than available groups. A maximum of two UEFA nations may appear in any single group.
The three hosting countries have been pre-assigned to specific groups. Mexico will compete in Group A, Canada in Group B, and the United States in Group D.
World Cup Group Stage Pots: Full Breakdown
The three host countries have been automatically assigned to Pot 1 regardless of their current standing in world football. The remaining nine Pot 1 positions will go to the qualified teams with the top FIFA world rankings.
The other pots will be determined by FIFA rankings, with Pot 2 containing the next highest-ranked teams after Pot 1, and Pot 4 featuring the lowest-ranked qualifiers.
FIFA has not yet determined whether to automatically place all six playoff teams in Pot 4, or to use them as temporary placeholders in pots according to their current world rankings.
For instance, Italy, who finished second behind Norway in their qualifying group, might be automatically assigned to Pot 4 despite ranking ninth in FIFA's world standings, or they could earn a Pot 1 position based solely on their ranking.
Should playoff teams be automatically assigned to Pot 4, it could create extremely difficult groups at the World Cup. This scenario would allow top teams like Argentina, France, and England to potentially face Italy during the group phase.