2026 World Cup draw: How to watch, teams and how it works

Former Brazilian footballer Cafu participates in the draw for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

(Hussein Sayed / Associated Press)

The draw is the procedure used to divide nations qualified for the World Cup into 12 groups of four teams each. This will determine who, when and where each country plays in the first round of the tournament.

To begin the draw, teams are divided into four pots of 12 teams based on the FIFA World Rankings published on November 19. The team will be chosen at random – or drawn – from each pot and assigned to one of the World Cup groups, numbered A to L in alphabetical order. Teams from the same pot cannot be assigned to the same group, nor can teams from the same FIFA confederation.

The only exception is teams from UEFA, the major confederation that oversees European football. It will send 16 teams to the World Cup, meaning two UEFA teams will be split into four different groups.