The 2026 FIFA World Cup draw takes place tonight at the John F. Kennedy Center, setting the stage for one of football’s most anticipated moments: discovering which teams will face each other in the group stage. Fans and pundits alike are particularly keen to see which groups might emerge as the dreaded “group of death,” where several top-ranked sides could risk early elimination.
FIFA’s decision to place play-off winners in pot four has added an extra layer of intrigue. Teams such as Italy (12th in the rankings), Denmark (21st), or Turkey (25th) could find themselves drawn into highly competitive groups, potentially creating difficult paths for some of the tournament favourites. The draw is designed to ensure each group contains a mixture of strong and weaker sides, maintaining balance while also allowing for high-stakes clashes early on.
The seeding of teams into pots is as follows:
| Pot | Notable Teams | Others |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Spain, Argentina, England, France | Brazil, Belgium, United States, Canada, Mexico |
| 2 | Croatia, Uruguay | Austria, Iran, Senegal |
| 3 | Norway, Egypt, Algeria | Qatar, Paraguay, Uzbekistan |
| 4 | UEFA qualifiers: Italy, Denmark, Turkey, Poland, Ghana | Curaçao, Jordan, Haiti, intercontinental play-off winners |
Several potential “groups of death” have already been identified by analysts:
Group A: Spain, Colombia, Egypt, Italy
Group B: England, Uruguay, Ivory Coast, UEFA qualifier
Group C: Argentina, Croatia, Norway, Ivory Coast
Group D: France, Uruguay, Algeria, Saudi Arabia
FIFA regulations stipulate that teams from the same confederation, except UEFA, cannot be drawn into the same group. The draw proceeds sequentially, starting with pot one and moving through pots two, three, and four. This systematic process ensures both fairness and excitement, while also providing football fans with plenty of talking points as the tournament approaches.
With the tournament set to be jointly hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico, tonight’s draw will offer the first glimpse of potential blockbuster matches, early upsets, and high-stakes encounters. For players, coaches, and supporters alike, the draw marks the start of three years of planning, anticipation, and strategy ahead of football’s most prestigious event.