World Cup Draw 2026: Complete Details of the Grand Draw in Washington D.C.

The 2026 FIFA World Cup final draw will be held on Friday, December 5, 2025, at one of the most iconic locations in the United States.

The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C., was chosen as the historic venue for this crucial moment.

This location adds to the grandeur and prestige of the event.

The event will begin at 12:00 PM ET (US Eastern Time), which corresponds to 5:00 PM GMT or 5:00 PM UK time.

For fans in India, the draw can be watched at 10:30 PM IST.

FIFA has announced a star-studded lineup of presenters, including supermodel and producer Heidi Klum, comedian and actor Kevin Hart, and actor Danny Ramirez.

US President Donald J. Trump and FIFA President Gianni Infantino will also appear at the event.

The 2026 FIFA World Cup will be the first edition to feature 48 teams, a significant increase from the 32 teams of the previous tournament.

In this new format, the 48 teams will be divided into 12 groups of four, ranging from Group A to L.

This group structure will create more matches in the early stages and each group will become a fierce battleground for tickets to the next round.

The knockout system will also be changed.

The top two teams from each group, plus the eight best third-placed teams, will advance to the round of 32.

This means a total of 32 teams will compete in the knockout phase.

The draw pots will be based on the FIFA/Coca-Cola Men's World Rankings released on November 19, 2025, with Pot 1 containing the three host nations and the nine highest-ranked teams.

The draw procedure for the 2026 World Cup has strict rules to ensure fairness and balance in the competition.

Canada, Mexico, and the United States, as host nations, are automatically placed in Pot 1 and allocated to specific positions: Mexico in A1, Canada in B1, and the United States in D1.

Furthermore, there are confederation restrictions in place in the draw.

No group may contain more than one team from the same confederation, with the exception of UEFA.

The European confederation may have up to two European teams in a group, given the large number of strong teams from that continent.

The world's top four teams—Spain, Argentina, France, and England—will be drawn into opposite groups.

This ensures they won't meet before the semi-finals, provided they win their respective groups.

To date, 42 teams have secured their spots at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, with the remaining six spots to be determined through play-off matches in March 2026.

Top teams like Canada, Mexico, the USA, Spain, Argentina, France, and England have filled Pot 1.

Meanwhile, countries like Croatia, Morocco, Japan, and South Korea are in Pot 2, ready to face the challenge.

Fans can watch the live stream on the official FIFA website (FIFA.com), the FIFA+ app, the official FIFA YouTube channel, and the FIFA World Cup social media channels.

For viewers in the United States, the draw will be broadcast on TV via FOX (English commentary) and Telemundo (Spanish commentary), as well as streaming services like Fubo and Peacock.

In the UK, the BBC will be the TV broadcaster, with streaming available on BBC iPlayer.

Meanwhile, fans in India can watch the World Cup on FIFA+ and FIFA's social media channels.

Following the draw, FIFA will release the full match schedule on Saturday, December 6, 2025.