Football World Cup 2026 draw under way with nostalgic nod to Italia '90
Last updated: December 5, 2025 | 21:26
Actor Kevin Hart and model Heidi Klum speak during the draw for the 2026 soccer World Cup at the Kennedy Centre in Washington on Friday. AP
Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump attend the draw for the 2026 soccer World Cup at the Kennedy Centre. AP
Soccer Football - FIFA World Cup 2026 - FIFA World Cup 2026 Draw - John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Washington, D.C., U.S. - December 5, 2025 FIFA President Gianni Infantino on stage as a screen shows Canada's Prime Minister Mark Carney, U.S. President Donald Trump and Mexico's President Claudia Sheinbaum during the FIFA World Cup 2026 draw REUTERS/Carlos Barria
FIFA President Gianni Infantino and Donald Trump arrive on the red carpet ahead of the FIFA World Cup 2026 Draw. Reuters
The 2026 World Cup draw got under way on time on Friday and though the 42 nations assured of their slot will have to wait more than an hour to discover their opponents, they will have to wait another 24 to find out where and when they will be playing.
The event at Washington's Kennedy Center got off to an inauspicious start as hundreds of journalists were left queuing in the snow for hours as security personnel with dogs conducted exhaustive searches and checks of bags and equipment.
The ceremony began at 1700GMT with a "pre-draw" show scheduled to last an hour, opened by Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli singing Nessun Dorma - the theme to the Italia '90 World Cup.
Canadian PM Mark Carney, his wife Diana Fox Carney and Donald Trump and US First Lady Melania Trump listen to speeches during the draw for the 2026 FIFA Football World Cup in Washington. AFP
FIFA chief Gianni Infantino was scheduled to present a new peace prize to President Donald Trump in the name of the sport's world governing body, while the Village People were also due to perform, with the allocation of groups for the expanded 48-team competition due to begin at around 1800GMT.
A newly introduced seeding system ensures that the current top four in the world - Spain, holders Argentina, 2022 runners-up France and England - cannot meet until the semi-final stage if they win their groups.
The 48 teams - including six still-to-be-decided playoff winners - will be divided into 12 groups of four to produce a mammoth 104-match schedule across 16 cities in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
The three host nations are all in Pot One of top seeds, along with the four above, Portugal, Brazil, the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany.
US actor Kevin Hart and FIFA President Gianni Infantino speak on stage during the draw for the 2026 FIFA Football World Cup. AFP
At the other end of the scale, Pot Four includes debutants Cape Verde, Uzbekistan, Jordan and Curacao, which, with a population of 150,000, is by far the smallest nation ever to take part in a World Cup.
Once the groups have been decided, FIFA will get to work trying to optimise venues and kickoff times relating to the various worldwide TV markets.
In many cases that will lead to afternoon kickoffs in high temperatures, with lip-service about player welfare being paramount ringing as true as it did last time the US hosted the tournament in 1994 and had the Pasadena final kicking off at noon in 38˚C temperatures.
Venues and kickoff times will be announced in another globally broadcast event on Saturday, though even that is subject to adjustment in March once the six playoff qualification spots have been filled.
