The 2026 World Cup draw is here, with the big event set for Friday at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.

The first 48-team World Cup is set to take place between June 11 and July 19 in the United States, Canada and Mexico next summer.

The draw is a major step on the road to the tournament, as the 48 teams will be drawn into 12 groups of four nations each.

So far, 42 teams have qualified for the World Cup, with the final six spots to be determined through playoffs in March. Four teams will qualify through UEFA playoffs while two teams will come from inter-confederation playoffs.

Which teams have qualified?

  • Africa (CAF): Algeria, Cape Verde, Egypt, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Morocco, Senegal, South Africa, Tunisia
  • Asia (AFC): Australia, Iran, Japan, Jordan, South Korea, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Uzbekistan
  • Europe (UEFA): Austria, Belgium, Croatia, England, France, Germany, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Scotland, Spain, Switzerland
  • North America, Central America & Caribbean (Concacaf): Canada (co-host), Curaçao, Haiti, Mexico (co-host), Panama, United States (co-host)
  • Oceania (OFC): New Zealand
  • South America (CONMEBOL): Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay, Uruguay

Watch the 2026 World Cup draw on Peacock

Which teams are in the playoffs?

UEFA playoffs

PATH A

  • Italy vs. Northern Ireland
  • Wales vs. Bosnia and Herzegovina
  • Final: Winner semifinal 1 vs. Winner semifinal 2

PATH B

  • Ukraine vs. Sweden
  • 4. Poland vs. Albania
  • Final: Winner semifinal 3 vs. Winner semifinal 4

PATH C

  • Turkey vs. Romania
  • Slovakia vs. Kosovo
  • Final: Winner semifinal 5 vs. Winner semifinal 6

PATH D

  • Denmark vs. North Macedonia
  • Czechia vs. Republic of Ireland
  • Final: Winner semifinal 7 vs. Winner semifinal 8

Inter-confederation playoffs

  • Semifinal: New Caledonia vs. Jamaica
  • Final: Winner vs. DR Congo
  • Semifinal: Bolivia vs. Suriname
  • Final: Winner vs. Iraq

How does the World Cup draw work?

All 48 teams are divided into four pots of 12 based on their FIFA world ranking. The exception is that the three host countries are automatically in Pot 1 along with the rest of the world's top nine teams.

Teams from each pot are drawn into groups until there are 12 groups of four teams each. The groups will mostly consist of one team from each of the four pots.

The three host countries have already been assigned to groups, with Mexico in Group A, Canada in Group B and the United States in Group D.

No teams from the same confederation can be drawn into the same group with the exception of UEFA, which will have 16 total teams. Every group will have at least one UEFA team and no more than two.

FIFA has introduced a new constraint for 2026 that will prevent the top four teams (Spain, Argentina, France, England) from meeting until at least the semifinal if they win their respective groups.

The four pots are as follows:

  • Pot 1: Canada, Mexico, United States, 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, European Play-Off A, B, C and D, FIFA Play-Off Tournament 1 and 2

How to watch 2026 World Cup draw

  • When: Friday, December 5
  • Where: Kennedy Center (Washington, DC)
  • Time: 12 p.m. ET
  • Channel/streaming: Fox, Telemundo, Peacock (Watch HERE), FIFA.com

This article originally appeared on Pro Soccer Wire: 2026 FIFA World Cup draw: How to watch, TV channel, live stream

Reporting by Pro Soccer Wire / Pro Soccer Wire

USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect