When is the World Cup draw?
The draw for the 2026 World Cup will take place in Washington at 5pm UK and Ireland time on Friday 5 December.
Names will start coming out of the hat just before 6 p.m.
Will England and Scotland be able to decide who to play?
There are some clues. The new seeding system means that England (4th seed) will not be able to face European champions Spain (1st place) or world champions Argentina (2nd place) until the semi-finals. And they will not be able to play against France (3rd place) until the final.
Meanwhile, Scotland are one of 11 teams likely to feature in the opening game against Mexico.
England are in pot 1. Scotland is in pot 3. That means they could be drawn together in the group stage, like they were at Euro 2020.
A maximum of two European teams can be in one group. No group can gain more than one side from another single coalition.
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Sky Sports chief correspondent Kabe Solhekol has explained how a new ‘tennis seeding’ style draw could be introduced for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, potentially allowing England to avoid playing top-seeded teams until the final stages.
What will happen to the deals with play-off candidates Northern Ireland, Republic of Ireland and Wales?
42 countries will take part in the draw, with the remaining six spots also allocated to the play-off winners.
Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland and Wales have play-off games in March and still have work to do to qualify. But they will find out who their potential opponents are. They go into pot 4.
Who is doing the lottery?
US President Donald Trump and FIFA Director General Gianni Infantino hold the World Cup trophy in the Oval Office of the White House.
US President Donald Trump is scheduled to visit Washington with FIFA President Gianni Infantino, and the World Cup draw has attracted celebrities including Rio Ferdinand, Tom Brady, Wayne Gretzky, Aaron Judge and Shaquille O’Neal.
Performances will also include Andrea Bocelli, Robbie Williams, Nicole Scherzinger and Village People.
When and where will the match be held?
Tournaments will be held across Canada, Mexico, and the United States.
Mexico City will host the opening game of the tournament, which will feature Mexico.
The final game will be held at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.
We’ll find out who plays who on Friday. But we won’t know where those games will be played or their kickoff times until Saturday.
Will the match be played at midnight?
Kickoff time has not been determined. At last summer’s Club World Cup in the United States, kick-off times were largely favorable to European spectators, with the final taking place at 8 p.m.
However, FIFA is considering changing some kick-off times after extreme heat affected some Club World Cup matches.
We’ll have a clearer picture once the full schedule is finalized on Saturday, but that’s subject to change.
Who will be in the playoffs?
UEFA
Playoff Pass A:
Semi-final: Italy vs Northern Ireland
Semi-final: Wales vs Bosnia and Herzegovina
Final: Wales/Bosnia and Herzegovina vs Italy/Northern Ireland
Playoff Pass B:
Semi-finals: Ukraine vs Sweden
Semi-finals: Poland vs Albania
Final: Ukraine/Sweden vs Poland/Albania
Playoff Pass C:
Semi-finals: Türkiye vs Romania
Semi-finals: Slovakia vs Kosovo
Final: Slovakia/Kosovo vs Türkiye/Romania
Playoff Pass D:
Semi-finals: Denmark vs North Macedonia
Semi-final: Czech Republic vs Republic of Ireland
Final: Czech Republic/Republic of Ireland vs Denmark/North Macedonia
Between federations
Playoff Pass A:
Semi-final: New Caledonia vs Jamaica
Final: New Caledonia/Jamaica vs Congo
Playoff Pass B:
Semi-finals: Bolivia vs. Suriname
Final: Bolivia/Suriname vs Iraq
