The governing body of world football has already confirmed the day on which the groups for the upcoming World Cup and its format will be determined
After the June FIFA match window, the 2026 World Cup already has 13 confirmed participants, including its three hosts (USA, Canada, and Mexico). Below is a brief overview of the qualified teams and how many spots remain to be decided by region.
CONMEBOL (South America)
CONCACAF (North America and Caribbean)
UEFA (Europe)
AFC (Asia)
CAF (Africa)
OFC (Oceania)
The 2026 World Cup, which will be held in the United States, Mexico, and Canada, will begin to take shape on December 5, the date chosen by FIFA to hold the Group Stage Draw. On that day, a large part of the tournament's roadmap will be revealed, with the opening match scheduled for June 11 at Estadio Azteca.
The draw's venue caused surprise, since Las Vegas, Nevada, was the selected city, despite not being one of the 16 official World Cup host cities. The event will take place at the Sphere Arena, a futuristic structure with a capacity for 17,600 spectators, famous for its immersive exterior LED screen.
This will be a historic draw, since the 2026 edition will be the first World Cup with 48 national teams, so 12 groups of 4 teams each will be formed, instead of the traditional 8. The teams will be distributed into 4 pots of 12, according to the FIFA Ranking published before December 5.
In this context, Argentina National Team will be one of the seeded teams, regardless of its exact ranking position at the time of the draw. It will share Pot 1 with the hosts (Mexico, United States, and Canada), as well as powerhouses such as Brazil, France, England, Spain, Portugal, Germany, Belgium, and the Netherlands.
Additionally, since the draw will take place before the Qualifiers are finished, there will be six empty slots: four from Europe and two from the Intercontinental play-off, which will be decided in March 2026.
