FIFA has introduced a new knockout-stage system for the 2026 World Cup that ensures the top four seeded teams avoid each other until at least the semi-finals of the expanded 48-team tournament.
In a tennis-style approach, similar to the system used at last summer’s Club World Cup, the top two teams in the current FIFA rankings — Spain (1) and Argentina (2) — will be placed on opposite draw pathways. The third- and fourth-ranked teams, France and England, will also be on separate pathways. That means the four nations will occupy different quadrants of the knockout bracket and be separated into pots, ensuring England will not meet Spain or Argentina until a potential semi-final, while France cannot meet England until the final.
How the pots work
– Among the top seeds, England is in Pot 1 while Scotland is in Pot 3, meaning they could be drawn together at group stage. However, because a maximum of two European teams can be in each group, if England draws a European opponent from Pot 2, Scotland could not also be drawn into that same group.
– Play-off hopefuls Northern Ireland, Republic of Ireland and Wales are listed as European Play-Off placeholders in Pot 4, with Northern Ireland and Wales competing for one spot in Play-Off Path A.
Pots (as published)
– Pot 1: Canada, Mexico, USA, Spain, Argentina, France, England, Brazil, Portugal, Netherlands, Belgium, Germany
– Pot 2: Croatia, Morocco, Colombia, Uruguay, Switzerland, Japan, Senegal, Iran, Korea Republic, Ecuador, Austria, Australia
– Pot 3: Norway, Panama, Egypt, Algeria, Scotland, Paraguay, Tunisia, Côte d’Ivoire, Uzbekistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, South Africa
– Pot 4: Jordan, Cabo Verde, Ghana, Curaçao, Haiti, New Zealand, European Play-Off A, B, C and D, FIFA Play-Off Tournament 1 and 2
What this means for the draw
– The finals draw will take place in Washington, DC, on December 5, starting at 5pm UK time. US President Donald Trump will join FIFA President Gianni Infantino at the John F. Kennedy Center for the draw. The draw sequence begins with Pot 1 teams being drawn into Groups A to L, followed by Pots 2, 3 and 4. The draw process for Pots 2–4 uses a predefined allocation pattern to determine each team’s group position.
– Confederation constraints: no group will have more than one team from the same confederation, except UEFA, which has 16 teams and may have one or two teams per group. For the two FIFA Play-Off Tournament placeholders, the confederation constraint is applied to all three teams within each play-off pathway to avoid drawing them into groups with teams from the same confederation.
– Specific play-off pathway constraints: Pathway 1 of the inter-confederation play-off (e.g., New Caledonia, Jamaica, DR Congo) cannot be drawn into a group containing Concacaf or African teams. Pathway 2 (e.g., Bolivia, Suriname, Iraq) must avoid South America, Concacaf and Asia.
Context and logistics
– Announcing the draw venue at the White House, Trump described the World Cup as “the biggest event in sports,” while Infantino called the 104 matches “like 104 Super Bowls.”
– Forty-two teams have qualified for the 2026 World Cup so far. The final draw will complete the list of group stage participants.
Match schedule and key dates
FIFA has already published the tournament window and confirmed the opening match will be held in Mexico City. The updated match schedule, including stadium assignments and kick-off times, will be confirmed on December 6, after the Final Draw. The final will be at MetLife Stadium (New York-New Jersey).
– Group stage: June 11–27
– Round of 32: June 28–July 3
– Round of 16: July 4–7
– Quarter-finals: July 9–11
– Semi-finals: July 14–15
– Third-place play-off: July 18
– Final: July 19