Overview
- The draw begins at 12:00 in Washington to place 48 teams into 12 groups, with six remaining berths to be decided in March playoffs.
- President Donald Trump is attending and, according to multiple reports, is expected to receive FIFA’s inaugural Peace Prize during the ceremony.
- Iran reversed an announced boycott and will be represented by coach Amir Ghalenoei after U.S. visa refusals prevented several federation officials from traveling.
- The administration has tightened visa issuance for nationals from multiple countries and touted a “FIFA pass” to speed appointments, but officials caution a match ticket is not a visa.
- FIFA will release match venues and kickoff times on Saturday, with new seeding ensuring the top four ranked teams avoid each other until late stages if they top their groups, as threats to shift matches keep host-city logistics uncertain.