Overview
- FIFA completed the draw at Washington’s Kennedy Center, assigning 48 teams to 12 groups of four for the first expanded World Cup format.
- The top two in each group plus the eight best third-placed teams will reach a 32-team knockout stage, with Spain, Argentina, France and England kept on separate paths until the semifinals if they top their groups.
- The tournament spans 104 matches across 16 cities in the United States, Mexico and Canada, with the final at MetLife Stadium on July 19.
- Host nations learned their opponents: Mexico drew South Korea, South Africa and UEFA Playoff D in Group A; the United States drew Paraguay, Australia and UEFA Playoff C in Group D; Canada drew Switzerland, Qatar and UEFA Playoff A in Group B.
- Six spots remain as placeholders after the draw and will be decided in March through four UEFA playoff paths and two interconfederation playoffs, at a ceremony where President Donald Trump received FIFA’s inaugural Peace Prize and Iran ultimately sent a delegation.