How does the 2026 World Cup draw work? | OneFootball

It doesn't feel all that long ago that Lionel Messi was officially crowned the greatest to ever do it in Qatar, yet eyes have firmly shifted to the 2026 World Cup.

There have been tournaments to enjoy in South America, Africa and Europe to enjoy in the aftermath of Messi's crowning moment, but each event lacks the allure and grand history of the World Cup. Nothing compares.

2026 represents a watershed occasion in this illustrious tournament's history, with FIFA opting to expand the competition further by adding 16 nations. 48 teams will thus compete for global supremacy in North America.

2022 was a tournament of unfamiliarity and setting fresh precedents and 2026 is bound to offer new experiences despite the return of a June starting point. Plenty still has to happen before focus can be placed solely on North America, with UEFA's qualifiers yet to get underway.

However, you can't ever prepare too early for a World Cup. Here, 90min details everything we know so far about the draw for the 2026 tournament.

When is the 2026 World Cup draw?

The 2022 World Cup draw was completed before the play-offs / Eurasia Sport Images/GettyImages

Preparations for the 2026 World Cup are still in their infancy with UEFA yet to draw the groups for their qualification process.

As a result, it is not yet know when the draw for the 2026 World Cup will take place. For the previous tournament, the draw was held in April 2022 - over seven months before Ecuador downed hosts Qatar in the tournament opener. At the time of the draw, three spots in the finals were not yet confirmed, so the 2026 draw could take place before the qualifying campaigns of the respective FIFA member associations conclude.

UEFA's World Cup qualifying process won't be wrapped up until March 2026, for example.

The draw will likely be made before then. The 2018 World Cup draw was held at the start of December 2017 and a similar date for the upcoming tournament is expected.

Where will the 2026 World Cup draw be held?

There are no details as to where the 2026 World Cup draw will take place. FIFA have three countries to choose from, but the USA seems the most likely choice. There are, of course, an endless list of cities in the States where the draw could be held.

What teams have qualified for the 2026 World Cup?

Mauricio Pochettino will lead the USMNT into the World Cup / Jamie Squire/GettyImages

Hold your horses, we're not there yet. However, we do know that the three hosts - USA, Canada and Mexico - have automatically qualified. There are still 45 spots up for grabs.

Qualifying campaigns across the globe will start to conclude by the end of 2025, so there'll be a clearer picture of who'll be competing at the 2026 World Cup once the international breaks roll around thick and fast at the start of the 2025/26 season.

The split of the qualifiers is as follows: AFC (8), CAF (9), CONCACAF (6), CONMEBOL (6), OFC (1), UEFA (16).

An intercontinental play-off involving six non-UEFA-playing nations will decide the final two teams to qualify for the tournament.

How will the 2026 World Cup draw work?

There were initial plans for the 48 teams to be divided into 16 groups of three, but FIFA have opted to retain four-team groups for the 2026 World Cup. Mexico, Canada and USA have been designated spots in Pot 1 and will be joined by FIFA's nine highest-ranked qualifiers.

Pot 2 will be made of the next 12 highest-ranked qualifiers, Pot 3 the 12 after that, while Pot 4 will comprise the 12 lowest-ranked participants - including those that qualify via the intercontinental and UEFA play-offs.

Nations from each pot will then be consigned to one of the 12 groups until the draw is complete.