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World Cup draw: White House task force chief explains
The FIFA World Cup 2026 draw kicks off at noon ET on Friday. Andrew Giuliani, the executive director of the White House's FIFA World Cup task force joined LiveNOW's Josh Breslow from the Kennedy Center ahead of the draw.
The draw ceremony for the 2026 FIFA World Cup kicked off at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.
A record 48 teams will take part in the tournament field next summer.
With the tournament expanding to 48 teams, the draw separates them into 12 groups of four, with the top teams potentially avoiding each other until the semifinals.
FIFA draw begins
Big picture view:
The draw began with Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and U.S. President Donald Trump picking their teams for Groups A, B and D.
US President Donald Trump, Mexico's President Claudia Sheinbaum and Canada's Prime Minister Mark Carney pose with their cards during the draw for the 2026 FIFA Football World Cup taking place in the US, Canada and Mexico, at the Kennedy Center, in Wa …
This was ceremonial — the host teams’ placement in those groups was determined in advance.
FIFA World Cup draw: List of matchups
- Group A: Mexico, South Africa, Korea Republic, Playoff D winner
- Group B: Canada, Playoff A winner, Qatar, Switzerland
- Group C: Brazil, Morocco, Haiti, Scotland
- Group D: USA, Paraguay, Australia, Playoff C winner
- Group E: Germany, Curaçao, Côte d’Ivoire, Ecuador
- Group F: Netherlands, Japan, Playoff B winner, Tunisia
- Group G: Belgium, Egypt, Iran, New Zealand
- Group H: Spain, Cabo Verde, Saudi Arabia, Uruguay
- Group I: France, Senegal, Playoff 2 winner, Norway
- Group J: Argentina, Algeria, Austria, Jordan
- Group K: Portugal, Playoff 1 winner, Uzbekistan, Colombia
- Group L: England, Croatia, Ghana, Panama
How the draw worked
Dig deeper:
Balls corresponding with the competing countries were separated into four pots of 12, and each group included one team drawn from each pot.
The pots were as follows, with each team’s current FIFA ranking in parentheses.
Pot 1 — Spain (1), Argentina (2), France (3), England (4), Brazil (5), Portugal (6), Netherlands (7), Belgium (8), Germany (9), United States (14), Mexico (15), Canada (27).
Pot 2 — Croatia (10), Morocco (11), Colombia (13), Uruguay (16), Switzerland (17), Japan (18), Senegal (19), Iran (20), South Korea (22), Ecuador (23), Austria (24), Australia (26).
Pot 3 — Norway (29), Panama (30), Egypt (34), Algeria (35), Scotland (36), Paraguay (39), Tunisia (40), Ivory Coast (42), Uzbekistan (60), Qatar (51), Saudi Arabia (60), South Africa (61).
Pot 4 — Jordan (66), Cape Verde (68), Ghana (72), Curaçao (82), Haiti (84), New Zealand (86), UEFA Playoff A, UEFA Playoff B, UEFA Playoff C, UEFA Playoff D, FIFA Playoff 1, FIFA Playoff 2.
Six of the balls in pot 4 did not correspond with any specific country. That’s because six spots at the World Cup won’t be determined until March. Four European teams will qualify via the UEFA playoffs, and the additional two FIFA playoffs will include teams from all over the world.
The host countries — the U.S., Mexico and Canada — were allowed into pot 1. That’s a significant perk because it means they avoid being in a group with several of the tournament’s top teams.
You can watch all the FIFA World Cup action on FOX.
The Source: This story was reported from Los Angeles. The Associated Press contributed.