On Dec. 5, 2025, the confirmed and prospective 48 nations competing at the 2026 FIFA World Cup will learn their fates—and we now know the pots every country will be in when the group stage draw takes place at the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C.
An unprecedented tournament is on the horizon, with FIFA’s expansionism meaning 16 more teams are competing on football’s grandest stage than ever before. In addition, the World Cup will be held in three different countries for the very first time.
The fever is already starting to kick in, and once the draw is over and done with, the opening game of the tournament next summer will come around in an instant.
But we shouldn’t merely dismiss the draw as a mere checkpoint before the 2026 World Cup’s beginning. This is an exciting event in itself, and with qualifying across the globe drawing to a close, we now know the respective pots each nation will be in.
