On Dec. 5, 2025, the confirmed and prospective 48 nations competing at the 2026 FIFA World Cup will learn their fates—and we now know the pots every country will be in when the group stage draw takes place at the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C.
An unprecedented tournament is on the horizon, with FIFA’s expansionism meaning 16 more teams are competing on football’s grandest stage than ever before. In addition, the World Cup will be held in three different countries for the very first time.
The fever is already starting to kick in, and once the draw is over and done with, the opening game of the tournament next summer will come around in an instant.
But we shouldn’t merely dismiss the draw as a mere checkpoint before the 2026 World Cup’s beginning. This is an exciting event in itself, and with qualifying across the globe drawing to a close, we now know the respective pots each nation will be in.
How 2026 World Cup Seeding Works
Despite the significant increase in competing teams, FIFA’s decision to retain four-team groups means nations will be divided into four pots for the group-stage draw.
The three hosts have been placed in Pot 1, and they’ve been joined by the next nine-highest ranked nations, determined by FIFA’s world rankings. Pot 2 consists of the subsequent 12 highest-ranked teams and so on. Pot 4 will include the lowest-ranked sides to qualify for the 2026 World Cup, as well as the six countries who will qualify via the UEFA and inter-continental playoffs.
That means Italy, currently ranked 12 in FIFA’s rankings, will be in Pot 4 should they make through the playoffs to qualify for their first World Cup since 2014.
Pot 1
Pot 1 is UEFA-dominated and independent of any playoff winners, with seven European nations projected to acquire premier pot status. France, England, Germany, Portugal and the Netherlands are Pot 1, confirmed. Spain and Belgium followed after securing qualification at the end of the November window.
The three hosts—Canada, Mexico and the United States—were automatically assigned to the top pot, which, in theory, boosts their respective chances of qualifying for the knockout stages, but that also means the quality of Pots 2 and 3, in particular, are slightly stronger compared to previous tournaments.
Joining UEFA’s big boys and the host nations are holders Argentina and record five-time world champions Brazil.
Pot 2
2022 semifinalists Croatia are the highest ranked team in Pot 2, while Morocco have ascended the world rankings since their historic run in Qatar. The World Cup semifinalists are the favorites to win the Africa Cup of Nations on home soil, with that tournament getting underway in mid-December.
Senegal are another nation in Pot 2, with Colombia, a struggling Uruguay and Ecuador joining them from CONMEBOL. There’s also Asian representation in the form of Japan, who were dominant throughout the AFC qualifying process, as well as South Korea and Iran.
Switzerland and Austria are two other UEFA nations in Pot 2, while Australia also squeak in courtesy of their 26th place in the world rankings.
Pot 3
Norway are the highest-ranked country in Pot 3 following a tremendous World Cup qualifying campaign inspired by the goals of Erling Haaland. Scotland are also in the mix for the first time since 1998, courtesy of their thrilling 4–2 win over Denmark on the final matchday of qualifying.
Egypt, Algeria, Tunisia and the Ivory Coast are also in Pot 3, with Panama the highest-ranked non-hosting Concacaf representative. The Central American side competed at their first World Cup in 2018.
Paraguay are the sole CONMEBOL representative in Pot 3, and they are joined by debutants Uzbekistan and 2022 hosts Qatar. Saudi Arabia and South Africa are the lowest ranking nations in Pot 3.
Pot 4
There are novices galore in Pot 4, with Jordan and Cabo Verde among the nations making their first-ever World Cup appearance in 2026. Curaçao became the smallest nation to ever qualify while Haiti are competing for the first time since 1974 after defeating Nicaragua.
Ghana and New Zealand are more established nations with poor FIFA rankings. The Black Stars failed to qualify for AFCON this year.
The big news is that all playoff winners will be shunted into pot 4—a rough deal for Italy and Denmark as they would have been put in Pot 2 had the flow of world rankings been followed. They do, of course, still have to navigate their playoff semifinal and final match before they can even think about the World Cup itself.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as 2026 World Cup Confirmed Group Stage Draw Pots.
