With less than seven months remaining until the start of the FIFA World Cup 2026, the group stage draw was carried out this Friday at the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C. The event finalized the respective rivals that the 48 qualified national teams will face in the first phase.
Unlike previous World Cups, this historic edition will be the first to feature 48 nations instead of the traditional 32. To form the groups in this new format, all qualified nations were divided into four pots based on their FIFA World Ranking classification.
The groups for the FIFA World Cup 2026 were composed of one team from each pot, while adhering to the rule that prohibits two countries from the same confederation from being part of the same group. The only exception is UEFA, as 16 nations will qualify from Europe for the 12 groups, meaning four groups are composed of two European nations.
Advertisement
Advertisement
Thanks for joining us!
The groups for the FIFA World Cup 2026 are now finalized, and you experienced the draw live through Bolavip!
Thanks for staying with us, we’ll see you next time!
The groups are finalized!
New Zealand go to group G
New Zealand will be in Belgium's group.
Ghana go to group L
Ghana will be in England's group.
Jordan go to group J
Jordan will be in Argentina's group.
Advertisement
Advertisement
Winner of intercontinental play-off 1 go to group K
The winner of the intercontinental play-off 1 will go to Portugal's group.
Winner play-off B go to group F
The winner of the play-off B will go to the Netherlands' group.
Cape Verde go to group H
Cape Verde will be in Spain's group.
Winner play-off C go to group D
The winner of play-off C will go to USA's group.
Winner Intercontinental play-off 2 go to group I
The winner of the Intercontinental play-off 2 will go to France's group.
Advertisement
Advertisement
Curacao go to group E
Curacao will be in Germany's group.
Winner play-off A go to group B
Winner play-off A will be in Canada's group.
Haiti go to group C
Haiti will be in Brazil's group.
Winner play-off D go to group A
Winner play-off D will be in Mexico's group.
The World Cup groups so far
With the teams from Pot 4 still pending, the groups are currently structured as follows:
Group A: Mexico, South Korea, South Africa
Group B: Canada, Switzerland, Qatar
Group C: Brazil, Morocco, Scotland
Group D: United States, Australia, Paraguay
Group E: Germany, Ecuador, Ivory Coast
Group F: Netherlands, Japan, Tunisia
Group G: Belgium, Iran, Egypt
Group H: Spain, Uruguay, Saudi Arabia
Group I: France, Senegal, Norway
Group J: Argentina, Austria, Algeria
Group K: Portugal, Colombia, Uzbekistan
Group L: England, Croatia, Panama
Advertisement
Advertisement
Panama go to group L
Panama will be in England's group.
Norway go to group I
Norway will be in France's group.
Uzbekistan go to group K
Uzbekitan will be in Portugal's group.
Saudi Arabia go to group H
Saudi Arabia will be in Spain's group.
Algeria go to group J
Algeria will be in Argentina's group.
Advertisement
Advertisement
Scotland go to group C
Scotland will be in Brazil's group.
Tunisia go to group F
Tunisia will be in the Netherlands' group.
Egypt go to group G
Egypt will be in Belgium's group.
Cote d'Ivoire go to group E
Cote d'Ivoire will be in Germany's group.
Qatar go to group B
Qatar will be in Canada's group.
Advertisement
Advertisement
Paraguay go to group D
Paraguay will be in USA's group.
South Africa go to group A
South Africa will be in Mexico's group and will play the inaugural match against them.
Colombia go to group K
Colombia will be in Portugal's group.
Croatia go to group L
Croatia will be in England's group.
Austria go to group J
Austria will be in Argentina's group.
Advertisement
Advertisement
Senegal go to group I
Senegal will be in France's group.
Japan go to group F
Japan will be in the Netherland's group.
Iran go to group G
Iran will be in Belgium's group.
Uruguay go to group H
Uruguay will be in Spain's group.
Ecuador go to group E
Ecuador will be in Germany's group.
Advertisement
Advertisement
Morocco go to group C
Morocco will be in Brazil's group.
Australia go to group D
Australia will be in USA's group.
Switzerland go to group B
Switzerland will be in Canada's group.
Korea Republic go to group A
Korea Republic will be in Mexico's group.
The draw has begun!
The top seeded teams know their locations:
Group C: Brazil
Group E: Germany
Group F: The Netherlands
Group G: Belgium
Group H: Spain
Group I: France
Group J: Argentina
Group K: Portugal
Group L: England
Advertisement
Advertisement
Sports legends in charge of the draw
Wayne Gretzky, Aaron Judge, Tom Brady, and Shaquille O'Neal will be in charge of drawing the countries from the pots.
The draw is coming up
Final details are being arranged for the start of the draw and the conformation of the groups.
Mexico, Canada, and the United States learn their locations
The host countries now know which groups they will occupy. Mexico will go to Group A, Canada to Group B, and the United States to Group D.
Everything is ready for the draw!
Everything is now prepared to begin drawing the balls and forming the groups for the FIFA World Cup 2026!
Lionel Scaloni introduces the World Cup trophy!
The Argentine coach was the last to win it, and he is now presenting the trophy to the public.
Advertisement
Advertisement
Infantino gives Donald Trump the FIFA Peace Prize award
The FIFA Peace Prize was announced on 5 November 2025 by FIFA as a new, annual award designed to honour individuals who have performed “exceptional and extraordinary actions for peace”, helping to unite people across the globe.
The most anticipated event by the soccer world has commenced, with FIFA President Gianni Infantino currently delivering an introduction.
The official mascots are here!
Maple, Zayu, and Clutch, the three mascots of the World Cup, are present for the pre-draw ceremony.
The draw is getting closer!
Tweet placeholder
Advertisement
Advertisement
Why are the USMNT or Canada not playing the FIFA World Cup 2026 inaugural match?
Due to the distribution of matches, with the United States hosting the majority, the three host nations agreed to give Mexico the inaugural match to balance things out. As part of the agreement, while Mexico gets the inaugural match, the United States will host the final.
When will the inaugural match be played?
The inaugural match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup will be played on Thursday, June 11th, at Estadio Azteca, where Mexico will make their debut, learning their opponent today through the draw.
How does the group stage draw work?
The 48 participating nations are divided into four pots of 12 teams each, based on their FIFA World Ranking classification. Pot 1 contains the three host nations, along with the top nine ranked teams, and the allocation continues sequentially down to the last pot, according to each nation's world ranking.
Every group will contain one team from each pot, adhering to the rule that two nations from the same confederation cannot be part of the same group. The only exception to this rule is UEFA, as 16 European nations will qualify for 12 groups, meaning four groups will ultimately include two European teams.
Start time and where to watch the group stage draw
The FIFA World Cup 2026 Draw is scheduled for 12:00 PM (ET).
Gianni Taina is a bilingual journalist, fluent in English and Spanish, with a specialization in soccer, the NBA, and tennis. He began his professional career in 2020 with Mundo Deportivo US, where he first established himself as a writer. Throughout his career, Gianni has covered major sports events such as the FIFA World Cup in Qatar, the NBA Finals, and Grand Slam tournaments like the French Open. His ability to report on real-time events and perform well under pressure has made him a valuable member of a top-tier team of journalists. In 2024, he joined Bolavip US, where he now covers a wide range of sports, including European soccer, MLS, and the NBA.
