World Cup 2026 draw live: England, Scotland and hosts USA discover group-stage opponents and routes to final | OneFootball

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Mbappe, Haaland, Yamal – FIFA legends pick ones to watch at 2026 World Cup

The World Cup 2026 draw takes place today as one of the most extraordinary tournaments in history begins to takes shape.

This World Cup will be the first to include 48 nations, and Fifa’s newly expanded format will see each team drawn into one of 12 groups, from A to L. It will also be the first World Cup to be hosted by three countries as Mexico and Canada join forces with USA to stage the giant showpiece, taking place in 16 cities across North America from Los Angeles to New York via Mexico City and Toronto.

England are among the favourites to lift the trophy in New Jersey on 19 July, as Thomas Tuchel aims to do what Gareth Southgate couldn’t quite manage and claim glory in a major final. But there will be plenty of contenders next summer such as Spain, France, Germany, Brazil and reigning champions Argentina. Scotland, meanwhile, will be aiming to make a big impact at a first World Cup for 28 years.

The draw is taking place at the Kennedy Center in Washington DC amid much pomp and ceremony, with US President Donald Trump in attendance alongside Fifa president Gianni Infantino, a move that has attracted accusations over ‘shame’ towards the governing body. Follow the 2026 World Cup draw below.

Trump takes centre stage at World Cup

President Donald Trump will of course take centre stage at today’s World Cup draw in Washington, rolling out the welcome mat for teams and fans from around the globe at a time when his administration is expanding restrictions on travel to the United States for people from 19 countries and he has hardened his rhetoric against immigrants.

The administration is betting that its push to expedite visa processing for visitors and the excitement about the matchups for next summer's tournament — hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico — will outweigh concerns that Trump's immigration messaging undercuts the theme of global unity that the World Cup is meant to represent.

In the past week, Trump has said he wants to permanently pause immigration from poor countries and he has singled out Afghans and Somalis for particular contempt. The Republican president is also overseeing the signing a peace agreement between Rwanda and Congo on Thursday at an event with leaders from a host of foreign countries and he is expected to be honored for his peacemaking efforts by Fifa, international football’s governing body, during the World Cup draw.

Critics say the dueling messages are jarring.

"The Cup is supposed to be a moment when the world comes together, puts aside the differences to celebrate sport, and while it symbolizes the world coming together, you have a president of the United States who is trying to keep the world out, to keep people out," said Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

"Right there at the most fundamental level, you have a president who represents everything that the World Cup does not stand for," Van Hollen said.

(Reuters)

Lawrence Ostlere5 December 2025 12:08

How does the World Cup draw work?

Of course, 12 groups does not easily make for a knockout stage. So, the top two finishers in each group will qualify automatically for the last-32, along with the eight best third-placed teams.

The ranking of the third-placed teams will be determined by points, then goal difference, then goals scored. If two or more teams are still level, then “team conduct scores” will come into play (a yellow card is minus one point, a red card via two yellow cards is minus three points, and a straight red card is minus four). If still equal, the team with the highest world ranking will progress.

Lawrence Ostlere5 December 2025 10:16

How does the World Cup draw work?

Gone are the simple old days of 32 teams making eight groups of four, with the top two qualifying for the knockout rounds. Now, the 48 nations will be divided into 12 groups containing four teams each, one from each of four draw pots.

Pot one will contain the three host nations – USA, Canada and Mexico – plus the nine top countries in the Fifa world rankings who have qualified for the tournament. Already, Mexico have been assigned Group A, Canada to Group B and the USA to Group D.

Pots two, three and four will contain the next 12 best-ranked sides in order so that, theoretically, the groups will be balanced and the best teams will be kept separate until the knockout rounds.

Teams from the same confederation will be kept apart in the group stage, except for Europe where there are more teams (16) than groups. No group will have more than two European nations.