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FIFA Confirms 2026 World Cup Draw Pots and New Seeding, Sets Livestream

FIFA says the tweaks aim to streamline the draw for a fairer spread of group matches.

Overview

  • FIFA published the full Pot 1–4 lists, with hosts United States, Mexico and Canada among the top seeds and six playoff winners occupying placeholders in Pot 4.
  • The draw will place group heads in position 1 before filling groups from Pots 2, 3 and 4, and for the first time a team’s group position will be fixed by its pot.
  • A new seeding list will separate the top four ranked nations into different halves, keeping Spain and Argentina apart, and France and England apart, until late rounds.
  • If those teams win their groups, the earliest possible meeting is the semifinals, with Spain and Argentina able to face each other only in the final.
  • Confederation limits will prevent most same-confederation groupings, with an exception allowing two UEFA teams in four of the twelve groups, and the draw will be shown via livestream.