The date of the Final Draw for World Cup 2026 is getting closer: on December 5, 2025, we will know the composition of the 12 groups of the competition, the largest World Cup in history with 48 teams instead of the usual 32.
Not all teams have qualified (four European countries and two more from the other continents will qualify in March, following the play-offs), but the four pots have been made, with the three host countries at the top of Pot 1 (Canada, Mexico, USA) and the rest, ranked according to their FIFA ranking: Spain, Argentina, France, England, Brazil...
FIFA has released today a document detailing the draw procedure, with some constraints established to ensure competitive balance that affect the four highest ranked nations: Spain, Argentina, France, and England.
In sort, Spain and Argentina will always be placed in opposing sides of the table, meaning they would only meet in a potential final. Same thing with France and England: they would only meet each other in a final, and they would only meet Spain or Argentina in the semi-final.
Some other constraints have been placed so that the draw, while random, still has some order, using a quite complex mix of pots and colours which will ensure that no group will have more than one team from the same confederation drawn into it, except for UEFA (which has 16 teams in the competition), but still cannot have more than two UEFA teams in the group.
FIFA also confirmed that the full schedule of matches will announced the following day, on December 6. Are you excited to know about the rivals of your country in World Cup next summer?
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