Where to watch: All you need to know about the 2026 World Cup draw | OneFootball

The 48 teams will be distributed into four different pots based on their position in the FIFA ranking. From there, 12 groups of 4 teams each will be formed.

Additionally, for the first time, a rule will be applied that prevents Spain and Argentina from facing each other before the final if they top their groups. This is because both teams occupy the first and second spots in the ranking. The same situation applies to England and France (third and fourth positions), and to the United States in two ways: they should not face Mexico or Canada until the decisive match, provided that the mentioned teams finish at the top of their groups.

The host teams will be assigned to different groups to ensure that each one plays matches in their own country during the group stage. At the same time, the highest-ranked teams will be designated as group seeds, allowing them to avoid facing each other in the first phase.

A rule returning after 32 years is that the eight best third-placed teams will qualify for the next stage, where they will face the leaders of groups E, G, I, L, and K. Meanwhile, the remaining teams will face the leaders of groups A, B, and D, in which the seeded teams have already been confirmed (Mexico, Canada, and the United States, respectively).

As usual, FIFA sets rules to prevent teams from the same confederation from facing each other in the same group, except in the case of UEFA, where up to two are allowed. With this in mind, Bolivia, being placed in Playoff 2 along with Suriname and Iraq, could not face teams from CONMEBOL, CONCACAF, or AFC. Therefore, they will necessarily play against one African and two European teams, with one of the latter coming from Pot 1.

In the case of Playoff 2, made up of Jamaica, New Caledonia, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the restrictions prevent matchups with CONCACAF, OFC, and CAF teams. Thus, if they are paired with a South American team from the first pot (Argentina or Brazil), the other two teams must come from Europe and Asia.

The event can be watched live in Argentina and Latin America on D Sports:

Channels 610 (SD) and 1610 (HD)

Additionally, it can be followed online through D GO, the streaming service offered by the network, which requires a prior subscription.

The draw can also be watched live in Argentina on Telefé:

Channel 10 on Cablevisión (Digital) and 1001 (HD)

Channel 10 on Telecentro (Digital)

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇪🇸 here.