FIFA World Cup 2026 draw: groups set in U.S.

The draw for FIFA's 2026 World Cup took place in Washington D.C. yesterday.

With the European qualification rounds stretching to March and the intercontinental playoff final also scheduled for the same month, final 48 teams for the World Cup will not be revealed until March 31, 2026.

What are groups for FIFA World Cup 2026?

• Group A: Mexico, South Korea, South Africa, plus one of Denmark, Macedonia, Czechia or Ireland
• Group B: Canada, Switzerland, Qatar, plus one of Italy, Northern Ireland, Wales or Bosnia
• Group C: Brazil, Morocco, Scotland, Haiti
• Group D: USA, Australia, Paraguay, plus one of Turkiye, Romania, Slovakia or Kosovo
• Group E: Germany, Ecuador, Ivory Coast, Curacao
• Group F: Netherlands, Japan, Tunisia, plus one of Ukraine, Sweden, Poland and Albania
• Group G: Belgium, Iran, Egypt, New Zealand
• Group H: Spain, Uruguay, Saudi Arabia, Cape Verde
• Group I: France, Senegal, Norway, plus one of Iraq, Bolivia or Suriname
• Group J: Argentina, Austria, Algeria, Jordan
• Group K: Portugal, Colombia, Uzbekistan, plus one of DRC, Jamaica or New Caledonia
• Group L:England, Croatia, Panama, Ghana

The playoffs are divided into two parts: European and intercontinental. The European leg will seal the last four UEFA spots in the World Cup, while the intercontinental playoff will see representatives of all other continental groups contest for the last two berths.

• European playoff teams: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Czechia, Denmark, Italy, Kosovo, Poland, Republic of Ireland, Slovakia, Turkiye, Ukraine, Wales, Romania, Sweden, Northern Ireland, North Macedonia;
• Intercontinental playoff teams: Bolivia, DR Congo, Iraq, Jamaica, New Caledonia and Suriname.

All four teams in each of the 12 groups will play each other once. At the end of the 68 group-stage matches, the top two teams from each of the 12 groups will qualify for the round of 32 and will be joined by the eight best third-place finishers.

The tournament begins on June 11 and ends on July 19, 2026.