Overview
- FIFA will conduct the group-stage draw on 5 December 2025 at the John F. Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., starting at 12:00 local time (18:00 CET).
- Forty-two of 48 finalists are already qualified, with six remaining berths to be decided in March 2026 through UEFA mini-tournaments (four places) and intercontinental play-offs (two places).
- The draw uses four pots of 12 teams each; Pot 4 will include six placeholder balls because the last qualifiers will not be known until March.
- Germany secured Pot 1 after a 6:0 win over Slovakia, Austria reached its first World Cup since 1998 with a 1:1 against Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Curaçao earned a first-ever berth with a 0:0 versus Jamaica.
- ZDF plans free-to-air coverage from 17:55 CET with streaming in the ZDF-Mediathek, and FIFA is expected to provide its own livestream.