2026 World Cup draw LIVE
The eyes of the football world descend on Washington, D.C. this evening as the group-stage draw for the 2026 World Cup is held. For the first time, 48 nations will be competing for the biggest prize in the sport - perhaps all sport - as an expanded tournament takes place across the United States, Canada and Mexico. The biggest show in sport has never been bigger.
Sporting heroes of American sports will be on hand to draw balls - of which there are many - from pots as 12 groups - A to L - are made up of four nations. England will head across the pond as one of the tournament favourites, and Thomas Tuchel will be in attendance today as work begins in earnest ahead of the summer. Scotland have qualified for their first World Cup since 1998.
US President Donald Trump has been invited to attend the ceremony at the Kennedy Centre, and is expected to receive the newly created ‘FIFA Peace Prize’ from governing body president Gianni Infantino. Tomorrow will see the dates, times and venues of all 104 matches be confirmed. Follow the 2026 World Cup draw live below!
World Cup draw latest news
- Start time: 5pm GMT, Washington, D.C.
- How to watch for FREE
- Who has qualified so far?
- Confirmed seed and pots
- How does the draw work?
England's dream and nightmare draws
14:35 , Alex YoungEngland qualified top of their group after winning all eight of their qualification games without conceding a single goal.
Thomas Tuchel will expect a favourable draw, given their world ranking, so we've had a look at who England may want - and who they will want to avoid.
From Pots 2 and 3, drawing Uruguay and Norway would be considered a nightmare.
Uruguay, led by Marcelo Bielsa, qualified fourth from the CONMEBOL World Cup Qualifiers and boast the likes of Federico Valverde and Darwin Nunez among their ranks.
Norway, meanwhile, have qualified for their first World Cup since 1998.
The country’s golden generation, with Manchester City striker Erling Haaland and Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard spearheading their attack, scored the most goals of any European team during qualification.
England should be confident against any of the teams in Pot 4, especially if they can’t be paired with another European nation. That said, Ghana would represent an awkward test with the likes of Mohammed Kudus leading the charge.
A group containing Austria, Uzbekistan and tournament debutants Curacao would represent a dream scenario for England.
New Caledonia, who are ranked 149th in the world, are among the other teams England would preferably like to be drawn against. Though the OFC qualifiers must beat Jamaica and then DR Congo in the inter-confederation play-offs to book a spot at next summer’s tournament. Italy would be a nightmare, should they come through the play-offs.
Dream scenario for England
England, Austria, Uzbekistan, Curacao
Nightmare scenario for England
England, Uruguay, Norway, Ghana
Who could still qualify for the World Cup?
14:24 , Alex YoungAlbania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Czech Republic, Denmark, Italy, Kosovo, Poland, Republic of Ireland, Slovakia, Turkey, Ukraine and Wales will all be in the March UEFA play-offs after finishing as group runners-up in qualifying.
They will be joined by the four best-ranked Nations League group winners that have not already qualified, who are Romania, Sweden, Northern Ireland and North Macedonia. Four finals spots will be up for grabs.
Bolivia, Iraq, Jamaica, New Caledonia, Suriname and DR Congo will all take part in the inter-confederation play-offs in Mexico in March, with two teams qualifying for the World Cup.
Plus: musical guests!
14:15 , Alex YoungOh yes, this won’t just be a matter of pulling balls from pots.
No, we will also be treated to a performance from *checks notes*... The Village People!
Donald Trump is a big fan of the five-some and will headline what FIFA are calling a “world-class entertainment line-up”.
Also performing are pop stars Robbie Williams and Nicole Scherzinger and genuine world-class talent Andrea Bocelli, the Italian tenor.
Who is conducting the draw?
14:06 , Alex YoungFormer England defender Rio Ferdinand will conduct the 2026 World Cup draw, along with broadcaster Samantha Johnson.
They will be helped by sporting greats from US sports: NFL’s Tom Brady, NBA’s Shaquille O'Neal, NHL’s Wayne Gretzky and MLB’s Aaron Judge.
Quite the line-up!
How does the draw work?
13:56 , Alex YoungThe 40 teams who have qualified for the World Cup so far have been placed in four pots of 12, based on FIFA’s latest world rankings.
One team from each pot - starting with pot 1 and ending with pot 4 - will be drawn into each group from A to L. No teams from the same pot can be in the same group.
Canada, Mexico and the USA are all in pot 1 because of their status as co-hosts. Mexico will be in Group A, with Canada in Group B and the USA in Group D.
There will be no more than two European nations in any group, and just one nation from every other confederation in a group.
And in what FIFA say is to ensure competitive balance, the world’s top two-ranked teams - Spain and Argentina - have been paired together and placed on opposite sides of the draw, tennis-style. The same is also the case for the No3 and No4-ranked teams, France and England.
If all four of those nations win their group, as expected, then England would avoid Spain and Argentina until the semi-finals should they progress, and France until the final.
Confirmed seeds and pots
13:46 , Alex YoungEngland are in pot 1 for the draw thanks to their current FIFA world ranking of fourth, and are joined by the three host nations.
Scotland, ranked at 36th, are in pot 3, which means they could be drawn with England in the group stage.
There are six slots in pot 4 reserved for the winners of the UEFA and inter-confederation play-offs in March.
Pot 1
Canada, Mexico, USA, Spain, Argentina, France, England, Brazil, Portugal, Netherlands, Belgium, Germany
Pot 2
Croatia, Morocco, Colombia, Uruguay, Switzerland, Japan, Senegal, Iran, South Korea, Ecuador, Austria, Australia
Pot 3
Norway, Panama, Egypt, Algeria, Scotland, Paraguay, Tunisia, Ivory Coast, Uzbekistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, South Africa
Pot 4
Jordan, Cape Verde, Ghana, Curacao, Haiti, New Zealand and six play-off winners.
Who has qualified so far?
13:38 , Alex YoungWe head into the draw not knowing the idenity of six of the nations set to compete next summer.
Following the conclusion of last month’s qualifiers, 42 teams have secured their spot at the 2026 World Cup. The final six will be decided in March.
The USA, Canada and Mexico all automatically qualified for the World Cup as co-hosts.
Mexico will play the opening game of the tournament at Mexico City’s Azteca Stadium on June 11, and will be placed in Group A. Their opponent will be confirmed tomorrow.
Canada then open their campaign in Toronto and will be in Group B, while the USA are in Group D.
Here is a full list of the nations to have qualified so far:
Canada, Mexico, USA, Spain, Argentina, France, England, Brazil, Portugal, Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, Croatia, Morocco, Colombia, Uruguay, Switzerland, Japan, Senegal, Iran, South Korea, Ecuador, Austria, Australia, Norway, Panama, Egypt, Algeria, Scotland, Paraguay, Tunisia, Ivory Coast, Uzbekistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Jordan, Cape Verde, Ghana, Curacao, Haiti, New Zealand
How to watch World Cup draw
13:32 , Alex YoungTV channel: BBC Two will have live free-to-air coverage of today’s draw from 5pm GMT in the UK.
Live stream: The draw will also be broadcast live and for free on FIFA’s official YouTube channel and website, plus the BBC iPlayer and BBC Sport website.
Welcome
13:30 , Alex YoungGood afternoon and welcome to the London Standard’s LIVE coverage of the 2026 World Cup draw.
The biggest spectacle in sport is even bigger, with the expanded 48-team format giving more nations than ever the chance to compete for sport’s most sought-after prize.
All eyes are on Washington, D.C., today - the Kennedy Centre in particular - with the likes of US President Donald Trump set to attend, and be awarded a newly created ‘FIFA Peace Prize’.
More on that, how the draw will work and everything else between now and showtime. Stick with us.
