World Cup 2026 draw: Teams, pots, UK time, how it works and who England and Scotland could face as Donald Trump attends star-studded ceremony
World Cup draw on Friday December 5 will reveal fixtures for summer's North America showpiece; England and Scotland in the hat with Northern Ireland, Republic of Ireland and Wales hoping to qualify through play-offs; US President Donald Trump and FIFA chief Gianni Infantino in attendance
Friday 5 December 2025 17:49, UK
When is the World Cup draw?
The draw for the 2026 World Cup will take place in Washington on Friday December 5 at 5pm UK and Ireland time.
The names will start coming out of the hat just before 6pm.
Can England and Scotland work out who they will face?
There are some clues. A new seeding system means that England (seeded fourth) cannot meet European champions Spain (1) or world champions Argentina (2) until the semi-finals. And they can't face France (3) until the final.
Scotland, meanwhile, are one of 11 sides who could feature in the curtain-raiser against Mexico.
England are in Pot 1. Scotland are in Pot 3. That means they could be drawn together in the group stage - as they were at Euro 2020.
A maximum of two European teams can be in one group. No group can have more than one side from another single confederation.
What's the deal for play-off hopefuls Northern Ireland, Republic of Ireland and Wales?
There will be 42 countries in the draw - with the remaining six places for play-off winners also allocated.
Northern Ireland, Republic of Ireland and Wales still have work to do to qualify, with their play-off games in March. But they will find out who their potential opponents will be. They will be in Pot 4.
Who is doing the draw?
US President Donald Trump will be with FIFA boss Gianni Infantino in Washington and there have been some famous faces brought in to help with the World Cup draw, including Rio Ferdinand, Tom Brady, Wayne Gretzky, Aaron Judge and Shaquille O'Neal.
There will also be performances from Andrea Bocelli, Robbie Williams, Nicole Scherzinger and...Village People.
When and where will the games be?
The tournament is stretched across Canada, Mexico and USA.
Mexico City will host the opening game of the tournament and that match will feature Mexico.
The final will be at the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.
On Friday, we'll find out who is playing who. But we won't know where those games will take place - or kick-off times - until Saturday.
Will games be on in the middle of the night?
Kick-off times are still TBC. At last summer's Club World Cup in the USA, kick-off times were largely favourable to a European audience, with the final taking place at 8pm.
However, FIFA has been considering moving some kick-off times, after extreme heat affected some Club World Cup games.
We'll get a clearer picture once the full schedule is mapped out on Saturday - but that could be subject to change.
Who has already qualified for the World Cup?
Who is in the play-offs?
UEFA
Play-off Path A:
Semi-final: Italy vs Northern Ireland
Semi-final: Wales vs Bosnia and Herzegovina
Final: Wales/Bosnia and Herzegovina vs Italy/Northern Ireland
Play-off Path B:
Semi-final: Ukraine vs Sweden
Semi-final: Poland vs Albania
Final: Ukraine/Sweden vs Poland/Albania
Play-off Path C:
Semi-final: Turkey vs Romania
Semi-final: Slovakia vs Kosovo
Final: Slovakia/Kosovo vs Turkey/Romania
Play-off Path D:
Semi-final: Denmark vs North Macedonia
Semi-final: Czech Republic vs Republic of Ireland
Final: Czech Republic/Republic of Ireland vs Denmark/North Macedonia
Inter-confederation
Play-off Path A:
Semi-final: New Caledonia vs Jamaica
Final: New Caledonia/Jamaica vs Congo
Play-off Path B:
Semi-final: Bolivia vs Suriname
Final: Bolivia/Suriname vs Iraq
