How Will The FIFA World Cup Draw Work? All You Need To Know About Tonight’s Event

The FIFA World Cup 2026 draw will take place tonight, December 5, at the John F. Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. This landmark moment will officially launch the biggest edition of the tournament in history.

With the competition expanding to 48 nations, the draw will assign teams into 12 groups of four, laying out the blueprint for the opening phase of the World Cup.

How The FIFA World Cup Draw Works

In keeping with FIFA tradition, the draw is organised through a four-pot system based primarily on the latest world rankings and host privileges.

The three host nations sit in Pot 1, joined by the highest-seeded sides, while Pot 2, Pot 3 and Pot 4 contain progressively lower-ranked teams, debutants and those arriving via play-offs.

Pots For The 2026 Draw

• Pot 1: Canada, Mexico, USA, Spain, Argentina, France, England, Brazil, Portugal, Netherlands, Belgium, Germany

• Pot 2: Croatia, Morocco, Colombia, Uruguay, Switzerland, Japan, Senegal, Iran, South Korea, Ecuador, Austria, Australia

• Pot 3: Norway, Panama, Egypt, Algeria, Scotland, Paraguay, Tunisia, Ivory Coast, Uzbekistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, South Africa

• Pot 4: Jordan, Cape Verde, Ghana, Curaçao, Haiti, New Zealand, plus four European play-off winners and two intercontinental play-off winners

After the pots are confirmed, officials draw teams sequentially – typically starting with Pot 1 and ending with Pot 4 – assigning each nation to the next available group from Group A through Group L.

The process is entirely random, but governed by strict guidelines. No more than two European nations may appear in the same group, and all other confederations must be represented by only one team per group.

Once the groups are locked in, the tournament begins with a full round-robin stage. The top two finishers in each group automatically progress to the next phase, together with the eight best third-placed teams – a feature unique to the expanded format and one that gives strong teams caught in tougher groups a lifeline into the knockouts.

Why Is The FIFA World Cup Draw Important

Tonight’s draw is pivotal for next year’s expanded World Cup. It shapes every team’s path, determines early match-ups, and often separates the underdogs from the heavyweights.

A friendly group can smooth the route towards the latter stages, while a collection of top sides – the “Group of Death” – can derail even the strongest of sides before the knockout rounds begin.

The FIFA World Cup 2026 draw will be live-streamed on the FIFA+ platform globally for free from 10:30 PM IST on December 5.