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4d ago

FIFA Sets 48-Team World Cup Draw in Washington as Iran Boycotts Over U.S. Visas

FIFA will publish the full match schedule in a global broadcast the next day, while the last six berths await March playoffs.

Rugby Union - 2027 Rugby World Cup Ticketing Launch - Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney, Australia - July 29, 2025 (L-R) Chris Stanley, Managing Director, Rugby World Cup Australia, Rugby Australia Chief Executive Phil Waugh, former Wallabies captain Michael Hooper, Chairman of World Rugby Brett Robinson, World Rugby Chief Executive Officer Alan Gilpin and former Australia sevens player Chloe Dalton pose with the Webb Ellis Cup at the launch of the ticketing for the 2027 Rugby World Cup REUTERS/Nick Mulvenney
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England are on an 11-game winning streak but there are 22 months until the tournament
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Overview

  • Friday’s draw starts at 12 p.m. ET at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., with coverage on FIFA.com, Fox and Telemundo, and President Donald Trump expected to feature prominently.
  • Hosts Mexico (Group A), Canada (Group B) and the United States (Group D) are in Pot 1 with nine top seeds, and the four highest-ranked teams are separated on the bracket to avoid meeting before the semifinals if they win their groups.
  • Confederation limits apply to group composition, with no more than two UEFA teams per group and all other confederations limited to one, while Pot 4 includes placeholders for four UEFA path winners and two inter-confederation playoff winners.
  • FIFA will announce venues and kickoff times for all 104 matches on Saturday, aiming to balance global time zones; the tournament opens June 11 at Mexico City’s Estadio Azteca and ends July 19 at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.
  • Iran says it will boycott the ceremony after U.S. visas were denied to members of its delegation, as 42 teams are confirmed and six places will be decided in March via four UEFA playoff paths and two inter-confederation playoffs in Mexico.