The 2026 FIFA World Cup is set to be the biggest World Cup ever held. For the first time in the history of the World Cup, 48 teams will be participating, divided into 12 groups. The fate of this huge tournament is set to be decided in just a few days!
A grand, historic final draw will be held at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, DC, on Friday, December 5, 2025.In this draw event, each team will be able to find out their group opponents.And you can get an idea of what the j
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The 2026 FIFA World Cup will be held for the first time with 48 teams, divided into 12 groups. And this path is the basis for selection – according to the FIFA Coca-Cola Men’s World Rankings published on 19 November 2025.
2026 FIFA World Cup Qualification Pots
1. Pot 1
This pot always contains the best teams in the tournament. The three host countries of the 2026 FiFA World Cup—Canada, Mexico and the United States—will automatically be placed in Pot 1 along with the other nine highest-ranked teams. They will be known as the tournament’s seeded teams.
2. Pot 2 and Pot 3
The remaining 39 qualified teams will be divided into Pot 2 (the next 12 teams) and Pot 3 (the next 12 teams) according to their rankings. These pots contain the key ingredients for creating the ‘Group of Death’.
3. Pot 4
This pot will house the teams at the bottom of the rankings and those places whose winners have not yet been finally determined. These ‘placeholders’ include:
- Two places from the FIFA World Cup 2026 play-off tournament.
- Four places from the European play-offs.
Special rules for the draw
FIFA has set some strict rules to maintain the balance and fair conduct of the tournament:
1. Hosts’ specific locations
The balls of the three host nations will be marked with different colors and will be placed in specific locations in specific groups after the draw:
- Mexico: Group A1
- Canada: Group B1
- United States (USA): Group D1
2. Protection of the top 4 teams (Tennis-style Seeding)
The most important rule of the tournament is that the top four teams in the world rankings (currently Spain, Argehttps://youtu.be/V4GcGz8_AeE?si=4P_n1McwGhJGmzV6ntina, France and England) will not face each other before the final. They will be placed on opposite pathways to the semi-finals, much like the top seeds in a tennis Grand Slam.
- The teams ranked 1st and 2nd (Spain and Argentina) will be on opposite sides of the semi-finals.
- Similarly, the teams ranked 3rd and 4th (France and England) will be on opposite sides of the semi-finals.
As a result, if they all win their groups, there will be no competition between them before the final.
3. Continental restrictions
To maintain a balanced competition in the groups, more than one team from the same continent cannot be placed in a group.
The exception is Europe (UEFA): Since a total of 16 teams from Europe are participating, a maximum of two teams can be in a group for European teams. However, there must be at least one European team in each group.
Awaiting the final announcement
When the 12 groups are finalized with the draw on December 5, football fans around the world will be watching for the announcement the following day. Because the day after the draw, on Saturday, December 6, the fully updated schedule, including stadiums and kick-off times for each match, will be released.
This is the most important step before the curtain rises on the biggest World Cup in history.