England and other qualified teams are finally set to find out who they’ll be facing in the group stages of the 2026 FIFA men’s World Cup today.
It’s guaranteed to be the biggest World Cup ever, with 48 teams competing instead of the usual 32.
Here’s everything you need to know.
The draw, which determines which teams face which in the group stages, will take place on in Washington DC from 12pm local time, or 5pm UK time tonight.
US President Donald Trump will join FIFA’s Gianni Infantino at the John F Kennedy Center – a performing arts venue where Mr Trump is chairman – to decide the fixtures.
Due to the increased number of countries taking part in the tournament, the format of the group stages has changed slightly. Instead of 32 teams being divided into eight groups, this year will see 12 groups of four.
The top two teams in each group, plus the eight best third-placed teams, will advance to a round of 32.
For the draw, Spain, Argentina, France and England – the four highest ranked teams – will be placed in the same pot for the draw, and are guaranteed not to meet each other until the semi-finals.
The three host nations are also guaranteed not to meet early, having been put in Pot 1 with the top teams.
The draw seedings are as follows:
Pot 1: Spain, Argentina, France, England, Brazil, Portugal, Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, United States, Mexico, Canada.
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, European playoff winner 1, European playoff winner 2, European playoff winner 3, European playoff winner 4, Intercontinental playoff winner 1, Intercontinental playoff winner 2.
You’ll be able to watch the ceremony via FIFA’s website or YouTube channel, while the BBC and BBC iPlayer will also be showing the draw.
Sky Sports will be offering live coverage of the draw, including analysis and reaction as the groups and fixtures are revealed.
FIFA says the draw is scheduled to take about 45 minutes during a show lasting about an hour and a half.
On 6 December at 5pm UK time, FIFA will put out another broadcast in which it will reveal all match venues and kick-off times.
In November, FIFA revealed it had created a new worldwide peace prize, and that it would hand it out for the first time during the draw ceremony.
It said it would be given to “individuals who have taken exceptional and extraordinary actions for peace” – with no indication that potential recipients were limited to the world of sports.
It has prompted speculation the award will go to Donald Trump, who has long campaigned for a Nobel Peace Prize.
Mr Infantino, who has built up a strong relationship with the US president, backed him for the Nobel prize, writing on Instagram in October that Mr Trump “definitely deserves” the award for his efforts toward a peace deal in Gaza.
The award ultimately went to Venezuela’s opposition leader Maria Corina Machado.
When asked later if Mr Trump would get FIFA’s award, Mr Infantino laughed and said: “On the 5th of December, you will see.”
The tournament runs from 11 June to 19 July 2026 and will be played at 11 sites in America, three in Mexico and two in Canada.
A total of 48 countries will be involved – up from 32 in 2022 – and 104 games will be played overall – up from 64.
The host nations automatically qualify and will play all three of their group stage matches on home soil.
The final will take place at the New York New Jersey (MetLife) Stadium – home of the New York Giants and New York Jets.
All stadiums where games will be played include:
America:
• Atlanta Stadium
• Boston Stadium
• Dallas Stadium
• Houston Stadium
• Kansas City Stadium
• Los Angeles Stadium
• Miami Stadium
• New York New Jersey Stadium
• Philadelphia Stadium
• San Francisco Bay Area Stadium
• Seattle Stadium
Mexico:
• Estadio Azteca Mexico City
• Estadio Guadalajara
• Estadio Monterrey
Canada:
• Toronto Stadium
• BC Place Vancouver Stadium
Trump threatening to change host cities
Despite the stadiums already being selected, Donald Trump has threatened to remove Democrat-run city of Los Angeles from hosting, along with the Boston area.
Boston itself is not a host area, but the home of the NFL’s New England Patriots is being used by FIFA for seven matches, 30 miles away in Foxborough, Massachusetts.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
“If we think there’s going to be a sign of any trouble, I would ask Gianni [Infantino] to move that to a different city,” Mr Trump said in November, as protests against his government have taken place in both cities.
FIFA has told Sky News the US government does have the right to determine if cities are safe for the World Cup.
In a statement, FIFA said: “Safety and security are the top priorities at all FIFA events worldwide.
“Safety and security are obviously the governments’ responsibility, and they decide what is in the best interest for public safety.
“We hope every one of our 16 host cities will be ready to successfully host and fulfil all necessary requirements.”
Scott LeTellier, who was managing director of the 1994 World Cup in America, suggested the cities in question shouldn’t worry about Mr Trump’s threats, as changing the stadiums would require “some kind of national emergency that would give the government the authority to cancel an event”.
“I don’t see even a remote chance of that happening,” he said.
Out of an available 48 spots, 42 teams have already qualified.
The line-up automatically includes the three host nations, America, Mexico and Canada. While 16 of the spots are reserved for European teams – made up of the 12 UEFA qualifying group winners and the other four coming via play-offs.
Remaining qualifying spots are divided between the other confederations:
• CONMEBOL (South America) gets a minimum of six
• CONCACAF (North/Central America and Caribbean) gets a minimum of six
• AFC (Asia) gets eight
• CAF (Africa) gets nine
• OFC (Oceania) is guaranteed one spot.
For the first time since 1998, Scotland have bagged themselves a place through qualifying while Jordan, Curacao, Cape Verde and Uzbekistan will all make their World Cup debuts.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
The final slots at the tournament will be decided through play-offs.
On one side, a new inter-confederation tournament will see two teams from CONCACAF and one team each from CONMEBOL, AFC, CAF and OFC to battle it out for two spots in the World Cup.
The six teams that have qualified for these play-offs are: Bolivia, Congo DR, Iraq, Jamaica, New Caledonia and Suriname.
European, or UEFA, play-offs work slightly differently, with 16 teams battling it out for four available spaces.
This tournament is made up of the 12 runners-up from the European Qualifiers groups and the four best-ranked group winners of the 2024/25 UEFA Nations League that did not finish their group stage in first or second place.
On 20 November, a draw to determine who is set to play who in the eight semi-final matches on 26 March 2026 was made by FIFA. The winners will advance to the four final-stage matches on 31 March.
Should Wales and Northern Ireland both win their first-round games, they will then face each other, putting two home nations up against one another.
Following in the footsteps of the NFL’s Superbowl, FIFA has confirmed that a half-time show will be performed during the World Cup final on 19 July.
Despite other finals having had musical acts before, this will be the first half-time show.
Earlier this year, FIFA’s Mr Infantino said British band Coldplay is behind the decision-making on multiple artists who will perform – none have been confirmed so far.
As there are three host nations, this year’s World Cup also comes with three mascots.
Maple the moose, Zayu the jaguar and Clutch the bald eagle will represent host countries Canada, Mexico and America respectively.
Also reflecting the three co-hosts is the official World Cup match ball – Trionda – which means three waves in Spanish.
The ball features a swirled pattern incorporating red, green and blue, with each section representing a host nation.
FIFA says the cheapest tickets are from $60 (£45) in the group stage. But the most expensive tickets for the final are $6,730 (£5,094).
Initially, FIFA suggested tickets would be sold using dynamic pricing, meaning fans would pay different prices according to demand.
Variable pricing – fluctuating based on demand – had never been used at a World Cup before, raising concerns about affordability.
FIFA has now backed away from it, saying allocations would be set at a fixed price for the duration of the next ticket sales phase.
Tickets for the World Cup have been released in three phases, each with slightly different rules on who can buy the tickets and how.
Phase one was a Visa Presale Draw for people with a valid, unexpired Visa debit card, credit card, or reloadable prepaid card enabled with 3D Secure. This phase has now closed.
Phase two ran from 27 to 31 October, and saw registered individuals allocated time slots to purchase tickets from 12 November to early December.
Read more: Everything you need to know about buying tickets
The third phase, called a random selection draw, will start after the final draw determines the World Cup schedule.
It starts on 11 December, with the entry period for fans open until 13 January.
Those wanting tickets will need to have a FIFA ID in advance, which can be made via FIFA.com/tickets.
It’s from this same site that entries to the random selection draw will begin on 11 December, at 4pm UK time.
