2026 FIFA World Cup Draw results: Complete groups and key matchups

An exciting event unfolded with surprises and the presence of true soccer legends as the 2026 FIFA World Cup Final Draw concluded with the announcement of the 12 final groups. Thank you all for joining us for this event.

After deciding the order of POT 1, POT 2, and POT 3, the groups that will take center stage at the 2026 FIFA World Cup are now officially known.

• Group A: Mexico, Korea, South Africa and Winner Playoff D.
• Group B: Canada, Winner Playoff  A, Qatar and Switzerland.
• Group C: Brazil, Morocco, Haiti and Scotland.
• Group D: United States, Paraguay, Australia and Winner Playoff C.
• Group E: Germany, Curaçao, Ivory Coast and Ecuador.
• Group F: Netherlands, Japan, Winner Playoff B and Tunisia.
• Group G: Belgium, Egypt, Iran and New Zealand.
• Group H: Spain, Cape Verde, Saudi Arabia and Uruguay.
• Group I: France, Senegal,  Winner Playoff 2 and Norway.
• Group J: Argentina, Algeria, Austria and Jordan.
• Group K: Portugal, Winner Playoff 1, Uzbekistan and Colombia.
• Group L: England, Croatia, Ghana and Panama.

With Pot 1 and Pot 2 already determined, the national teams in Pot 3 have been officially assigned to their groups for the 2026 World Cup:

• South Africa join Mexico and Korea in the Group A.
• Qatar join Canada and Switzerland in the Group B.
• Paraguay join United States and Australia in the Group D.
• Ivory Coast join Germany and Ecuador in the Group E. 
• Tunisia join Netherlands and Japan in the Group F.
• Egypt join Belgium and Iran in the Group G.
• Scotland join Brazil and Morocco in the Group C.
• Saudi Arabia join Spain and Uruguay in the Group H.
• Algeria join Argentina and Austria in the Group J. 
• Uzbekistan join Portugal and Colombia in the Group K. 
• Panama join England and Croatia in the Group L. 
• Norway join France and Senegal in the Group I.

Mexico vs South Africa will be the inaugural game of the 2026 World Cup.

Following the determination of the 12 group leaders for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, the national teams in Pot 2 now know their fate:

• Korea in the Group A with Mexico 
• Switzerland join he Group B with Canada
• Morocco join the Group C with Brazil
• Australia join the Group D with United States
• Ecuador join the Group E with Germany
• Japan join the Group F with Netherlands
• Iran join the Group G with Belgium
• Uruguay join the Group H with Spain
• Senegal join the Group I with France
• Austria join the Group J with Argentina
• Colombia join the Group K with Portugal
• Croatia join the Group L with England

Once the draw commenced, the fates of the national teams in Pot 1 were determined.

• Brazil have been placed in Group C.
• Germany take the helm in Group E
• the Netherlands in Group F.
• Belgium in Group G.
• Spain in Group H.
• France in Group I.
• Argentina in Group J.
• Portugal in Group K.
• England in Group L.

Following speeches by various personalities and others, Wayne Gretzky, Aaron Judge, Shaquille O'Neal, and Tom Brady will be responsible for opening the official ballots for the 2026 FIFA World Cup Final Draw. It officially starts.

After establishing herself as a pivotal figure in the history of the US Women's National Team, Carli Lloyd attended the 2026 FIFA World Cup Final Draw. Having scored 316 goals, she has become a legendary figure in the national team. There, she confidently discussed the USMNT's aspirations to excel in the tournament, clearly expressing her perspective.

Mark Carney, Canada’s Prime Minister; Claudia Sheinbaum, President of Mexico; and Donald J. Trump, President of the United States, were selected to open the first ballot of the 2026 FIFA World Cup Final Draw. With this, the host countries—Canada, Mexico, and the United States—are designated as the leaders of Groups B, A, and D, respectively.

Following the artistic performances, FIFA President Gianni Infantino introduces the individuals selected to draw the balls for the event: Canada's Prime Minister, Mark Carney; Claudia Sheinbaum, Mexico's President; and Donald J. Trump, President of the United States. The draw officially begins!

As reigning world champions, Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni presented the trophy at the final draw ceremony. There, he took the opportunity to reminisce about that historic victory (Qatar 2022) and raise expectations for the 2026 edition.

“I remember it as an unforgettable final... despite the difficulties, our team ended up believing, and at no point did we think that match could end badly (vs France). That's what we'll try to do in the new World Cup, and not give up on anything... That's what we're going to try again,” Scaloni said.

Ahead of the 2026 World Cup, FIFA decided to introduce a new award called the Peace Prize, aiming to celebrate peace in sports. In its inaugural edition, FIFA President Gianni Infantino announced that U.S. President Donald J. Trump won the award, due to a compelling reason. 

To kick off the 2026 FIFA World Cup Final Draw, Kevin Hart and Heidi Klum opened the ceremony, giving way to artists Andrea Bocelli, Robbie Williams, and Nicole Scherzinger to open the show artistically.

Looking ahead to the 2026 World Cup, USMNT coach Mauricio Pochettino attended the final draw, where the national team will learn their group. Moreover, he shared his expectations for the highly anticipated tournament.

“This is my first time, I am so excited, looking forward to it. We are so full of adrenaline now, waiting for the draw, to know your opening. But at the same time to enjoy it, because it's a unique event. It’s not really going to change too much. Because I think it’s like we’ve prepared all the games in the past, like we’re going to prepare for Belgium and Portugal. But still I think we need to develop and evolve in the way we want to play,” Mauricio Pochettino said, via Fox Sports.

Although the 2026 World Cup Final Draw determines the tournament's final groups, four spots remain undecided, with two spots reserved for the Intercontinental playoffs. FIFA has organized the six participating national teams into two brackets based on their rankings, setting the stage for a series of exciting matches to determine their place in the tournament.

FIFA has decided to increase the number of national teams qualifying for the 2026 World Cup from 32 to 48, chasing more opportunities to qualify. However, four national teams with large populations have surprisingly been left out of this edition of the tournament.

While countries like Brazil, Italy, Germany, and Argentina have been dominant in the history of the FIFA World Cup, none rank among those with the largest populations. This fact demonstrates that a country's population size does not dictate its soccer prowess. Several countries with vast populations remain notably absent from this prestigious tournament.

The 2026 World Cup final draw will take place today, Friday, December 5, at 12:00 p.m. ET/9:00 a.m. PT.

Here you can find the various options available in the United States to watch the FIFA draw.

To consolidate competitive balance in the 2026 World Cup, FIFA organized the 48 national teams into four pots, aiming to ensure that teams from the same confederation do not face each other in the group stage, except for UEFA, which can have a maximum of two teams in the same group. With this in mind, the pots are organized as follows:

Although Italy are one of the national teams with the longest history in the World Cup, they have gone many years without shining in the famous tournament. For this reason, the four-time World Cup winner remain absent from the 2026 World Cup final draw but have a special representation.

In order to determine the final groups for the 2026 World Cup, FIFA has decided that the final draw will take place today, Friday, December 5, at the John F. Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.

Welcome to our live coverage of the 2026 World Cup Final Draw. With the addition of 48 national teams, FIFA will organize the 12 groups that will compete for the coveted trophy, seeking competitive parity by preventing teams from the same confederation from meeting and limiting each group to a maximum of two UEFA teams.