Argentina in Pot 1 along with Brazil, France, England – Firstpost

FIFA World Cup 2026 Draw LIVE Updates: The draw for the FIFA World Cup 2026 is set to take place at the Kennedy Centre in Washington D.C. on Friday, December 5. Fans around the world are eagerly waiting to find out which teams will face each other in the group stage of the biggest football tournament.

This will be the first World Cup to feature 48 teams, up from the usual 32, meaning the group stage will be larger and more exciting than ever. The draw will place the teams into 12 groups of four, setting up the fixtures for the opening phase of the tournament.

How does the draw work?

The draw follows FIFA’s traditional four-pot system. Teams are divided into four pots based on their world rankings and host privileges. Pot 1 contains the three host nations – Canada, Mexico, and the USA – along with the highest-ranked teams. Pots 2, 3, and 4 include lower-ranked sides, debutants, and teams that qualify through play-offs.

When the draw starts, one team from each pot will be placed into each group. This ensures a balance of strong and weaker teams across all groups.

Pots for the 2026 World Cup Draw

• Pot 1: Canada, Mexico, USA, 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, plus four European play-off winners and two intercontinental play-off winners