The 2026 World Cup group-stage draw is scheduled for Friday 5 December 2025, in Washington D.C.

Key details

  • Date: Friday 5 December 2025
  • Location: John F. Kennedy Center, Washington D.C.
  • Time: Begins around 12:00 ET (17:00 GMT) according to event outlines.

What is being drawn?

  • 48 teams will be split into 12 groups of four for the 2026 tournament.
  • Teams are seeded into four pots of 12 based on FIFA rankings and host status (USA, Canada, Mexico in Pot 1).

Why it’s a big deal

  • It is the first World Cup with 48 teams, so the draw decides 12 groups instead of the traditional eight.
  • The tournament itself runs from 11 June to 19 July 2026 across the three host nations.

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