when does the world cup draw start

The 2026 World Cup draw starts at 12:00 p.m. ET (5:00 p.m. GMT) on Friday, 5 December 2025, at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.

Quick Scoop

• Start time:
  • 12:00 p.m. Eastern Time
  • 9:00 a.m. Pacific Time
  • 5:00 p.m. GMT
  • Late evening in much of Asia (around 10:30 p.m. IST)

• Date and venue:
  • Date: Friday, 5 December 2025
  • Location: The Kennedy Center, Washington, D.C., USA

• Broadcast vibe:
  • Framed as a full-on show-style ceremony rather than a quick pot draw, with global TV and streaming coverage and build‑up in the hour before the actual draw begins.

In other words, the World Cup really “starts” for fans the moment those balls are drawn at noon on 5 December, when every group path becomes real.

TL;DR: If you want to watch from the start, be tuned in a few minutes before 12:00 p.m. ET on 5 December 2025; that’s when the 2026 World Cup draw ceremony kicks off.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.