Unlike previous editions, FIFA has made a significant change for the 2026 FIFA World Cup by increasing the number of national teams from 32 to 48. Consequently, the tournament will now feature 12 groups instead of the 8 groups seen in recent editions. With only a few months remaining before the tournament kicks off, the 2026 FIFA World Cup Final Draw will occur today, establishing the final groups under this new format.
To ensure balanced competition in the groups for the 2026 World Cup, FIFA decided to organize the final draw by dividing national teams into four pots, ranging from the most competitive to the less competitive. Pot 1 includes the three hosts—United States, Mexico, and Canada—along with the nine highest-ranked teams: Spain, Argentina, France, England, Brazil, Portugal, Netherlands, Belgium, and Germany.
Pot 2 includes: Croatia, Morocco, Colombia, Uruguay, Switzerland, Japan, Senegal, Iran, South Korea, Ecuador, Austria, and Australia. Then, joining Pot 3 are Norway, Panama, Egypt, Algeria, Scotland, Paraguay, Tunisia, Côte d’Ivoire, Uzbekistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and South Africa. Finally, Pot 4 is completed by Jordan, Cape Verde, Ghana, Curaçao, Haiti, New Zealand, the four UEFA playoff winners, and the two inter-confederation playoff winners.
Ahead of the 2026 World Cup, FIFA is seeking to ensure that no teams from the same confederation are placed in the same group, with the exception of UEFA, which may have up to two teams in the same group due to having 16 national teams. With this in mind, we will be following live coverage of the final draw, which will determine the final groups of the anticipated tournament.
USMNT coach Mauricio Pochettino opens up on the 2026 FIFA World Cup Final Draw
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.
Intercontinental playoff: Two national teams are set to define their 2026 World Cup spot
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.
Which four national teams with large populations have been left out of the 2026 World Cup?
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.
The largest countries that have never qualified for the FIFA World Cup
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.
2026 World Cup final draw: Start time and how to watch in USA
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.
How the FIFA pots are set for the 2026 World Cup final 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:
Italy remain the biggest absence from the 2026 World Cup final draw
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.
2026 FIFA World Cup Final Draw takes place at Washington D.C.
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.
FIFA unveils final 2026 World Cup groups today
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.
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