What to know ahead of FIFA World Cup 2026 draw: Time, where to watch, what to expect and team predictions

Learn more about the upcoming 2026 FIFA World Cup draw in Washington, D.C. See where to watch the event and what to expect ahead of next year's tournament.

Each nation's path to the men’s 2026 FIFA World Cup trophy will finally be known Friday.

The 48-team field, the largest in the competition’s history, will be split into 12 groups of four during a draw held in Washington, D.C., that will start with the selections of symbolic green, red and blue balls for the host countries of Mexico, Canada and the U.S.

Those three countries, and the nine other highest-ranked teams in FIFA’s rankings, will each be drawn randomly into one of the 12 groups, with a similar process playing out for lower-ranked teams that round out the field.

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The order is intended to spread out the strength across the competition. In the same way, the world’s two highest-ranked teams will be intentionally placed on opposite sides of the bracket, to ensure the early favorites don’t meet before a potential final.