The 2026 World Cup will begin to take shape this Friday, December 5, when the draw that will determine the composition of the groups takes place in Washington, D.C. The event will be held at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and will serve as the kickoff for a World Cup that will set several milestones: it will be the first with 48 teams and also the first jointly organized by three countries: Canada, Mexico, and United States.
For Argentina National Team led by Lionel Scaloni, the draw comes with the certainty of being a top seed, a status that will protect it from several strong opponents in the first phase. FIFA has already clarified some key aspects: the three host nations will have fixed positions (Mexico in A1, Canada in B1, and United States in D1) and the rest of the teams from the main pot will be automatically distributed as group leaders.
One of the most notable points will be the separation of Spain and Argentina, the two highest-ranked teams. The draw balls will send them to opposite sides of the bracket, preventing a clash before the final if both win their groups. The same criterion will then be applied to France and England, third and fourth in the ranking.
The logic for pots 2, 3, and 4 will follow a predetermined order to correctly place each team within its group. The traditional limit of teams per confederation will also be maintained: there will not be two teams from the same continent in the same group, except for UEFA, which, having 16 representatives, may have up to two per group.
