December 3 – The world’s football federations are gathering in Washington DC for the 2026 World Cup finals group draw this Friday at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.
They have been joined by the World Cup Trophy which has arrived in Washington DC, and been on its own tour of some of the US capital’s most iconic sites.
The hardcore football part of the event, the 48-team draw itself, will be conducted by former England captain Rio Ferdinand alongside former England international and award-winning broadcaster Samantha Johnson.
In what is a remarkable crossover with US sporting greats, they will be joined by NFL legends Tom Brady and Eli Manning (who will be the event’s red carpet host), NHL great Wayne Gretzky, NBA star Shaquille O’Neal and MLB talent Aaron Judge.
The entertainment side of the proceedings will be hosted by comedian Kevin Hart, supermodel Heidi Klum and actor Danny Ramirez, There will be live performances by Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli, Tony-winning multihyphenate Nicole Scherzinger, Robbie Williams and the Village People.
This will be a World Cup draw like no other and crossing sports and entertainment boundaries in a way that has never been done before.
All bar six nations have booked their places in the draw and have been seeded into the pots below to be drawn into 12 groups. The teams and groups will be matched to the host cities and match dates to be released on Saturday.
Draw pots:
- Pot 1: Canada, Mexico, USA, Spain, Argentina, France, England, Brazil, Portugal, Netherlands, Belgium, Germany
- Pot 2: Croatia, Morocco, Colombia, Uruguay, Switzerland, Japan, Senegal, IR Iran, Korea Republic, Ecuador, Austria, Australia
- Pot 3: Norway, Panama, Egypt, Algeria, Scotland, Paraguay, Tunisia, Côte d’Ivoire, Uzbekistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, South Africa
- Pot 4: Jordan, Cabo Verde, Ghana, Curaçao, Haiti, New Zealand, European Play-Off A, B, C and D, FIFA, Play-Off Tournament 1 and 2
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