After weeks of highly politicized preparations for the 2026 FIFA World Cup draw, focus quickly turned to soccer as the fates of the participating teams were revealed at an event in Washington, DC, in the presence of US President Donald Trump.
On Friday, the US capital hosted the event at the Kennedy Center, with the leaders of the three co-hosting countries, President Trump, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum all in attendance.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino awarded the new FIFA Peace Prize to the US president, who had been considered the frontrunner for the award weeks after the award was announced in November.
But of greater significance to the 42 qualifying teams, their officials and fans was the second half of the event, when 12 tournament groups of four teams each were drawn.
The first match of the World Cup dates back to 2010, with Mexico facing South Africa in Mexico City on June 11, a repeat of the opening match of the 2010 tournament. Soccer fans will be hoping that the 2026 version of the opening goal will match the screamer scored by Lawrence Tshabalala of then-host South Africa.
Mexico’s Group A, which includes South Korea and either Denmark, Macedonia, the Czech Republic or Ireland, will be one of the toughest of the 12 groups.
Team USA will line up with Australia, Paraguay and one of Turkiye, Romania, Slovakia or Kosovo.
Canada also faces the difficult task of breaking out of the group consisting of Switzerland, Qatar, Italy, Northern Ireland, Wales and Bosnia.
Which teams will participate in the 2026 FIFA World Cup?
The 42 confirmed countries are as follows:
Africa: Algeria, Cape Verde, Egypt, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Morocco, Senegal, South Africa, Tunisia
Asia: Australia, Iran, Japan, Jordan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Uzbekistan
Europe: Austria, Belgium, Croatia, England, France, Germany, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Scotland, Spain, Switzerland
Oceania: New Zealand
Americas: Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay, Uruguay, Curacao, Panama, Haiti, United States, Mexico, Canada
What are the groups for the 2026 FIFA World Cup?
Group A: Mexico, South Korea, South Africa, and one of Denmark, Macedonia, the Czech Republic, or Ireland Group B: One of Canada, Switzerland, Qatar and Italy, Northern Ireland, Wales, or Bosnia
Group C: Brazil, Morocco, Scotland, Haiti
Group D: United States, Australia, Paraguay, and one of Turkiye, Romania, Slovakia, or Kosovo
Group E: Germany, Ecuador, Ivory Coast, Curacao
Group F: Netherlands, Japan, Tunisia, and one of Ukraine, Sweden, Poland, or Albania
Group G: Belgium, Iran, Egypt, New Zealand
Group H: Spain, Uruguay, Saudi Arabia, Cape Verde
Group I: France, Senegal, Norway, and one of Iraq, Bolivia, or Suriname
Group J: Argentina, Austria, Algeria, Jordan
Group K: One of Portugal, Colombia, Uzbekistan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Jamaica, or New Caledonia
Group L: England, Croatia, Panama, Ghana
What is the format of the FIFA World Cup 2026?
The tournament will consist of one group stage round and four knockout rounds before the final.
Unlike previous editions, the knockouts will begin with the round of 32, followed by the round of 16, four quarterfinal matches, and two semifinal matches.
How will teams progress from the group stage to the Round of 32?
All four teams in each of the 12 groups will play each other once.
At the end of the 68 group stage games, the top two teams in each of the 12 groups will qualify for the Round of 32, joined by the top eight teams in the top three.
What is the “Group of Death” in the 2026 FIFA World Cup?
“Group of Death” is an informal term referring to the most competitive group in a multi-stage global sporting competition.
They are typically allocated to groups that have more top or best performing teams in one group than there are qualification slots available for the next stage.
In the 2026 edition, the toughest groups could be groups A, D, G, and L.
What are the top 10 matches to watch in the group stage of the 2026 World Cup?
Brazil vs Morocco America vs Paraguay England vs Croatia Netherlands vs Japan Iran vs Egypt Spain vs Uruguay France vs Senegal Argentina vs Austria Algeria vs Jordan Portugal vs Colombia
Why was Mr. Trump awarded the FIFA Peace Prize?
Weeks after Trump lost out on the coveted Nobel Peace Prize, Trump’s ally Infantino presented the award to the 79-year-old, making him the first recipient of FIFA’s new Peace Prize.
Infantino said Trump received the award for his “exceptional and extraordinary” actions to promote peace and unity around the world.
At the time of the award, Infantino told President Trump that the medal was “a beautiful medal for you that you can wear anywhere you go.” Trump immediately put the medal around his neck.
FIFA will announce its annual awards in November, saying they will recognize individuals who have brought “hope to future generations.”
The US president has often claimed that he deserves the Nobel Peace Prize for his role in ending eight conflicts this year, including a fragile ceasefire in Gaza.
The US leader has made the World Cup the centerpiece of his second presidential term.
What did President Trump say during the 2026 World Cup draw?
President Trump thanked his family, including his wife, first lady Melania Trump, and in a brief speech praised the cooperation with the leaders of the two other host countries as “amazing.”
“This is truly one of the great honors of my life,” Trump said, adding, “Most importantly, I want to thank you all. The world is a safer place right now.”
When will the participating teams for the 2026 FIFA World Cup be decided?
The final 48 teams to qualify for the World Cup will not be known until March 31, 2026, as European qualification continues until March and the intercontinental play-off final is also scheduled for the same month.
Which teams will participate in the 2026 World Cup playoffs?
The playoffs are divided into two parts: European and Intercontinental.
The final four spots for the UEFA World Cup will be confirmed in the European competition, while representatives from all other continental groups will compete for the final two spots in the intercontinental play-off.
European playoff teams: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Czech Republic, Denmark, Italy, Kosovo, Poland, Republic of Ireland, Slovakia, Turkiye, Ukraine, Wales, Romania, Sweden, Northern Ireland, North Macedonia
Intercontinental playoff teams: Bolivia, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Iraq, Jamaica, New Caledonia, Suriname.
When will the European and Intercontinental Playoffs for the 2026 World Cup take place?
In Europe, the 16 participating teams competing for four spots will be split into four play-off paths, with each of the four paths consisting of two single-leg semi-finals and one single-leg final.
The winners of the four finals will qualify for the last remaining UEFA spot. The semi-finals will be held on March 26th and the final on March 31st.
An intercontinental play-off will determine the final two non-European finalists.
The top two seeded teams (Iraq and the Democratic Republic of the Congo) will qualify directly for two finals, while the remaining two teams will be decided via two semi-finals between the remaining four teams.
The Intercontinental semifinals are scheduled for March 23rd and the finals are scheduled for March 31st.
Which major teams are not participating in the 2026 World Cup?
Nigeria, Chile, Cameroon, Costa Rica, Greece and Serbia are some of the big names who have withdrawn from the tournament.
Will Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi play in the 2026 FIFA World Cup?
Ronaldo admitted that the tournament will be his craze on football’s biggest stage.
The Portuguese superstar is the all-time leading scorer with 143 international goals and is also the most capped male international footballer with 226 appearances.
Despite appearing in five FIFA World Cups, Ronaldo has never lifted the trophy for his country.
Meanwhile, Messi has also expressed hopes of leading Argentina’s title defense in North America, but admitted that his age and fitness will dictate his role.
In an interview with ESPN Argentina this week, he said: “I’m going to take it one day at a time. I’m going to be honest, I’m going to be realistic and I’m going to try to feel better.”
“This year has been really good.”
The Inter Miami star admitted playing club football in the US would make it easier for him to consider joining.
“It’s special to be able to play in the World Cup and I would love to play,” the Argentina captain said in another interview in October.
“If I’m there, I want to be there, stay healthy and play an important role to help the team. Next year, when we start pre-season at Inter, I’ll evaluate it daily and see if I can really give 100%, if I can be useful, and then I’ll make a decision.”
“I’m really enthusiastic because it’s the World Cup. We won the last tournament so it’s great to be able to defend on the field again because it’s always a dream to play for the national team.”
When is the 2026 FIFA World Cup scheduled to be held?
The tournament begins on June 11th and ends on July 19th.
Who will host the 2026 FIFA World Cup Final?
The tournament will begin at Mexico City Stadium, with the United States hosting the final at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
What is the full match schedule for the 2026 World Cup?
Schedule will be confirmed on Saturday.
