FIFA World Cup 2026: 48-team draw set for Washington, DC in December
admin_news
The 48-team draw for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, hosted by the U.S., Canada and Mexico, will take place in Washington D.C. on Dec. 5, as announced by U.S. President Donald Trump and FIFA president Gianni Infantino on Aug. 22 at the White House.
The draw, which will place the 48 teams in 12 groups, will be held at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.
Fans from each of the 16 host cities (two in Canada, three in Mexico and 11 in the U.S) will be able to participate in a special lottery for the chance to win complimentary admission to the once-in-a-lifetime event, including a VIP experience.
U.S. President Donald Trump announced Friday that the 2026 World Cup draw will take place Dec. 5 at the Kennedy Center, a performing arts venue in Washington, D.C.
Trump made the announcement flanked by FIFA president Gianni Infantino and U.S. Vice President JD Vance in the Oval… pic.twitter.com/4ZZnvSwutp— The Athletic | Football (@TheAthleticFC) August 22, 2025
"The draw is a major tournament milestone and one that will continue the remarkable build-up to the biggest sporting event ever," Infantino said in the announcement, "as we get set for many landmark FIFA events across North America throughout 2026. We look forward to welcoming the team delegations, our partners, global media, and, uniquely, fans representing each of the 16 wonderful host cities, to the capital of the United States for this significant occasion.”
The draw will begin at 10 a.m. MST and will be shown by the three host countries and around the globe by FIFA’s media partners. Broadcast details will be announced at a later date.
The teams representing the host countries will be assigned to group positions A1 (Mexico), B1 (Canada) and D1 (USA), as per the already released match schedule.
Also, the FIFA play-off tournament, a new event that will see six nations from five of the six soccer confederations (with UEFA to hold a separate play-off competition for the final four European spots) compete for two places at the World Cup, will be hosted in North America in March 2026. The first World Cup group match will be played on June 11 in Mexico City.
In addition to the three host countries, 10 nations have already qualified for next year’s FIFA World Cup: Argentina (2022 champion), Australia, Brazil, Ecuador, Iran, Japan, Jordan, Korea Republic, New Zealand and Uzbekistan. In total, 42 of the 48 teams that will compete in Canada, Mexico and the U.S. will be known by the time the draw is made, with the final six berths to be determined via playoff matches in March of next year.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: 2026 FIFA World Cup: Details on draw for participating teams
