The stage is almost set for the 2026 World Cup, which will begin on June 11 and conclude with the final on July 19. Here’s what the draw is all about.
When is the World Cup draw?
The draw ceremony will be held on December 5 at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC at noon ET (5 p.m. GMT).
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Who has qualified for the World Cup?
As yet, 42 48 qualifiers are known. you can check Who is involved, and who is still in the race.
Why are the identities of the six teams still unknown?
The six teams that qualify through the UEFA and interconfederation playoffs will not be known until March, when the final matches of those competitions are held.
Pot 4 will consist of placeholders for those four UEFA playoff qualifiers and two interconfederation playoff qualifiers, as has been the case in previous World Cups.
Details on playoffs Can be found below.
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How does draw seeding work?
Using the FIFA World Ranking list published on 19 November, the 48 teams or placeholders will be divided into four pots of 12 teams each. Each World Cup group will consist of one team from each pot.
host– United States of America, Canada And Mexico –As usual, will be placed in Pot 1, and have already been assigned to specific groups. The top nine countries will join the three hosts in Pot 1, the next 12 countries will join Pot 2, and so on.
Teams from the same pot cannot face each other in the group stage.
Pot assignments for the draw are given below:
How will the draw work?
The draw will start from Pot 1, although hosts United States, Mexico and Canada have already been allocated groups and know the dates and venues of their group stage matches. For example, Mexico will play its first match of the tournament on June 11 at the Estadio Azteca in Mexico City. Upon drawing, each host will be assigned their pre-established group position.
The rest of Pot 1 will be allocated to one team in each group in alphabetical order through Group L. Then the same process will be completed for pots 2, 3 and 4. Each pot will be completely seasoned before moving on to the next pot.
According to FIFA, the draw will take approximately 45 minutes with the show expected to last approximately one and a half hours.
Are there any special conditions for the draw?
Yes: For the first time in World Cup history, the four highest-seeded countries will not be able to face each other. to the semi-finalsAssuming all four win their groups. Upon the draw, Spain (No. 1 seed) and Argentina (2) will be randomly assigned to opposite sides of the semi-finals, as will France (3) and England (4). According to FIFA, this is to ensure a balanced distribution of teams.
Furthermore, two countries from the same confederation cannot be included in the same group, as has been the case. One caveat is Europe, where 16 countries will qualify, making it impossible to prevent conflict. Therefore, there will be two UEFA teams in each of the four groups. This handicap will also be applied to all three teams within each route of the interconfederation playoffs, for the two placeholders.
When will the complete schedule of the match be decided?
The updated schedule, including the location and kickoff time of each match, will be confirmed at noon ET on December 6, the day after the draw.
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How will the remaining qualifiers be determined?
The UEFA and interconfederation playoff paths were determined on 20 November when the draws were held.
For the UEFA playoffs, four routes were created. Each path consists of four teams that compete in two semi-finals, with the winners facing off in the final for a place in the World Cup.
The four pathways are listed below. The semi-finals will be played on 26 March (the teams listed first will host) and the final on 31 March.
uefa playoffs
Playoff Path A: Italy versus northern ireland, wales versus Bosnia and HerzegovinaWales-Bosnia host the winner of the final
Playoff Path B: ukraine versus sweden, poland versus albaniaUkraine-Sweden host the winner of the final
Playoff Path C: turkey versus romania, slovakia versus KosovoSlovakia-Kosovo host the winner of the final
Playoff Path D: denmark versus north macedonia, Czechia versus republic of irelandCzechia’s winners, the Republic of Ireland, hosted the final.
For the Interconfederation playoffs, two pathways were created for a total of six teams. The two teams with the highest FIFA rankings– DR Congo And Iraq – Seeded and advanced directly to the finals of each path. The remaining four teams will contest two semi-finals, with the winners facing the seeded teams. Jamaica And surinameThe two CONCACAF teams could not be brought on the same path.
The two paths are listed below. The matches will be played in March and will take place in Mexico – two matches in Guadalajara, and two in Monterrey.
Interconfederation playoff
Playoff Path A: New Caledonia vs Jamaica, winner plays DR Congo
Playoff Path B: Bolivia vs Suriname, winner plays Iraq
