It’s finally here. The 2026 FIFA World Cup Draw takes place today in a glitzy and glamorous event at the Kennedy Center, and the world will learn who will play whom in the group stage when the World Cup begins in June.
The United States Men’s National Team will be positioned in Pot 1 as a co-host and will be predrawn into Group D, where they will play a team from Pot 3 in their World Cup opener on June 12th at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood. They will then play a Pot 2 team at Lumen Field in Seattle on June 19th
before closing out a group against a Pot 4 team back at SoFi Stadium on June 25th.
The list of teams in each pot for the World Cup Draw (FIFA rankings in parentheses):
Pot 1 – United States (14), Mexico (15), Canada (27), Spain (1), Argentina (2), France (3), England (4), Brazil (5), Portugal (6), Netherlands (7), Belgium (8), Germany (9)
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 (50), 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 winner*, UEFA Playoff B winner**, UEFA Playoff C winner***, UEFA Playoff D winner****, Inter-confederation Playoff Path 1 winner^, Inter-confederation Playoff Path 2 winner^^
*UEFA Playoff A – Italy (12), Wales (32), Northern Ireland, Bosnia & Herzegovina (71)
**UEFA Playoff B – Ukraine (28), Poland (31), Sweden (43), Albania (63)
***UEFA Playoff C – Türkiye (25), Slovakia (45), Romania (47), Kosovo (80)
****UEFA Playoff D – Denmark (21), Czechia (44), Ireland (59). North Macedonia (65)
^Inter-confederation Playoff Path 1 – DR Congo (56), Jamaica (70), New Caledonia (149)
^^Inter-confederation Playoff Path 2 – Iraq (58, Bolivia (76), Suriname (123)
The United States will not have to wait long to hear its name called, as the three co-hosts – Mexico, Canada, and the USA – will be drawn first and placed into their pre-determined groups (Mexico will be in Group A and Canada in Group B). Then, the rest of Pot 1 will be drawn and so on. Each group will have at least one team from UEFA, with four groups containing 2 European teams. They are the only confederation that may have more than one team in a group.
The USMNT is hoping for a favorable group where they can be set up as the favorites to win and advance on home soil. Of course, the World Cup Draw doesn’t always set up that way, and no matter who they get in Group D, it will be three challenges that the team will prepare to handle.
The World Cup Draw is upon us. Let the sorting begin!
How to Watch
2026 FIFA World Cup Draw
Advertised Kick-off Time: 12:00pm Eastern, 9:00am Pacific
Venue: John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Washington, DC
Available TV: Fox (English), Telemundo (Spanish), Universo (Spanish)
Available streaming: Fox Sports (English), Peacock (Spanish), FuboTV (Free Trial)
This thread will be your draw thread. We don’t have many rules here. We just ask that you don’t insult each other personally and treat each other with respect. Debates can get heated and that’s fine, but name-calling and petty insults will get you banned. If you see a comment that you feel is out of line, please report it and it will be dealt with.
