2026 World Cup: the four pots for the draw
FIFA has revealed the composition of the four pots for the 2026 World Cup draw. The host countries and the top nations in the FIFA rankings appear among the seeded teams, while the play-off teams will be placed in Pot 4. A strategic allocation ahead of the draw on December 5.
SUMMARY
FIFA unveiled the composition of the four pots that will be used for the 2026 World Cup draw, scheduled for December 5 in Washington, DC. The three host countries (United States, Canada, Mexico) are in Pot 1, alongside the main seeded teams such as France, Argentina, Spain and Brazil.
Teams were distributed according to the FIFA rankings, while the six teams that qualify via the play-offs next March will automatically go into Pot 4, which also includes Ghana, Cape Verde and Jordan. Morocco is placed in Pot 2, while Algeria and Egypt are in Pot 3.
FIFA also specified that the four highest-ranked nations will be distributed in a way that avoids an early showdown, so that the top two teams in the FIFA ranking can only meet in the final. The 2026 World Cup will be the first to be contested by 48 teams, with 42 nations already qualified and 6 still to qualify via the play-offs. The tournament will take place from June 11 to July 19, 2026.
The pots for the 2026 World Cup draw :
Pot 1 : Canada, Mexico, United States, Spain, Argentina, France, England, Brazil, Portugal, Netherlands, Belgium, Germany
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, South Africa
Pot 4 : Jordan, Cape Verde, Ghana, Curaçao, Haiti, New Zealand, winners of European play-offs A, B, C and D, winners of FIFA play-off Tournament 1 and 2
Comments