World Cup 2026 Draw Announced: Key Details and Dates Revealed

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The road to the 2026 FIFA World Cup has begun, with the draw for the tournament set to take place on December 5, 2025. This event will mark a historic occasion as Mexico, the United States, and Canada jointly host the tournament for the first time.

The World Cup will kick off on June 11, 2026, featuring an unprecedented format. A total of 48 teams will compete in a new tournament structure, but not all teams will secure a direct spot. An Intercontinental Playoff will determine the final two participants for the event.

The playoff is scheduled to take place during the FIFA window in March of 2026. The tournament will consist of six teams: details reveal that the Oceania team will enter after losing their playoff to New Zealand. The African representative qualified through a dramatic penalty shootout against Nigeria.

The mini-tournament will be a knockout format. The semifinals will feature matches among Jamaica, Bolivia, Suriname, and New Caledonia. The winners will face high-ranked teams from the FIFA rankings, specifically the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Iraq, with the winners of these two matches earning a World Cup spot.

Scheduled dates for the playoff are March 26 and March 31, 2026. It is notable that the tournament comes after an extensive period of speculation leading to the allocation of teams into groups, which will be considered both competitive and thrilling.

As the hosts, Mexico will be placed in Group A, Canada in Group B, and the United States in Group D. The tournament will run with a new grouping structure, differing from prior editions. Instead of eight groups, there will be twelve groups of four teams each.

For the draw, the teams will be divided into four pots based on their FIFA rankings, with host nations placed automatically in pot one. Following the draw on December 5, the final tournament structure and schedule will be revealed.