Everything you need to know about the new format of World Cup 2026

The draw for the 2026 World Cup will take place on Friday.

there will be a tournament First to feature 48 teamsQatar will also have the first World Cup, expanded from 32, and hosted by three countries. Most of the 104 games will be staged usa (78), with Mexico And Canada Each hosting 13.

with Final qualification play-off now scheduledWe’re one step closer to discovering who we really are England, scotland And the rest will be faced in North America next year.

In the play-offs, wales The winner of the clash with Italy must beat Bosnia-Herzegovina to host northern ireland Because their target is the second consecutive World Cup. Meanwhile, the Republic of Ireland travel to the Czech Republic before a possible home clash against Denmark or North Macedonia.

The World Cup will begin on June 11, 2026, at Mexico’s historic Azteca Stadium, the scene of Brazil’s 1970 glory inspired by Argentina’s success under Pelé and Diego Maradona in 1986. It will conclude with the final on July 19 at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.

Here’s everything you need to know.

How the new World Cup format works

The top two finishers in each group will automatically qualify for the last-32 along with the eight best third-placed teams.

The ranking of the third-placed teams will be determined based on points, then goal difference, then goals scored. If two or more teams are still tied, the “team conduct score” will come into play (a yellow card is minus one point, a red card through two yellow cards is minus three points, and a straight red card is minus four points).

If there is still a tie, the team with the highest world ranking will advance.

How will the World Cup draw be?

The 48 countries will be divided into 12 groups, each consisting of four teams, one from each of the four draw pots.

Pot One will consist of three host countries – usaCanada and Mexico – plus the top nine countries fifa World rankings who have qualified for the tournament. Mexico has already been assigned to Group A, Canada to Group B and USA to Group D.

Pots two, three and four will consist of the next 12 best ranked teams so that, in theory, the groups will be balanced and the best teams will be kept apart until the knockout rounds.

Teams from the same confederation will be placed separately in the group stage, except in Europe where there are more teams (16) than groups. There will be no more than two European nations in any group.

When is the draw of World Cup 2026?

draw for world cup 2026 will occur at 5pm GMT/12am EST But Friday 5th DecemberAt the Kennedy Center in Washington DC. us President donald trump Attendance is expected.

World Cup 2026 draw pot confirmed

Now that we know the identities of 42 of the 48 teams going to the World Cup, the draw for the four pots (12 teams each) is pretty much set. As mentioned above, Pot One consists of the three hosts (Mexico, Canada and the United States, who are already assigned to Groups A, B and D, respectively), plus the next nine highest-ranked teams, with the rankings determining the other three pots.

fifa have confirmed that the remaining six qualifiers (four through the European play-offs and two through the Inter-Confederation play-offs), which will not be known before the draw is made, will be automatically placed in pot four, as in previous World Cups.

pot 1

pot 2

pot 3

pot 4

Who has qualified for the 2026 World Cup?

How are World Cup places allocated?

Each continental confederation has a fixed number of countries participating in the World Cup to decide the first 46 places. Then an inter-confederation play-off competition will decide the remaining two places.

UEFA (Europe): 16 places

CAF (Africa): 9 place

AFC (Asia): 8 places

CONMEBOL (South America): 6 place

CONCACAF (North America): 6 places (including three hosts)

OFC (Oceania): 1 place

One Inter-Confederation Play-Off Competition This will be to decide which two additional teams will qualify. Six countries will enter the play-offs: one from CAF, one from AFC, one from OFC, one from CONMEBOL and two from CONCACAF, which will compete for the last two places at the World Cup. The inter-confederation playoffs will take place in March.