2026 World Cup, heavy for the Blues!

The official draw

Group A

• Mexico
• South Africa
• South Korea
• Denmark, North Macedonia, Czech Republic or Ireland

Group B

• Canada
• Italy, Northern Ireland, Wales or Bosnia-Herzegovina
• Qatar
• Swiss

Group C

• Brazil
• Morocco
• Haiti
• Scotland

Group D

• UNITED STATES
• Paraguay
• Australia
• Türkiye, Romania, Slovakia or Kosovo

Group E

• Germany
• Curacao
• Ivory Coast
• Ecuador

Group F

• The Netherlands
• Japan
• Ukraine, Sweden, Poland or Albania
• Tunisia

Group G

• Belgium
• Egypt
• Iran
• New Zealand

Group H

• Spain
• Cape Verde
• Saudi Arabia
• Uruguay

Group I

• France
• Senegal
• Iraq, Bolivia or Suriname
• Norway

Group J

• Argentina
• Algeria
• Austria
• Jordan

Group K

• Portugal
• DR Congo, New Caledonia or Jamaica
• Uzbekistan
• Colombia

Group L

• England
• Croatia
• Ghana
• Panama

The draw will begin in a few moments!

United States President Donald Trump, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum and Prime Minister Mark Carney took the stage. In front of them, the trophy, as well as the 42 balls housing the names of the nations qualified for this 2026 World Cup. The tension rises…

Donald Trump receives the… Peace Prize

The President of the United States of America is the winner of the first FIFA Peace Prize, for his “extraordinary actions” with the aim of promoting peace in the world, says Gianni Infantino. A trophy, as well as a medal, were presented to him by the president of the governing body.

Gianni Infantino puts on a show

The FIFA President first made a speech to the approximately 2,000 people present, affirming that this 2026 World Cup will be “the greatest competition that humanity has ever known”, before turning into a room attendant in front of the approximately 2,000 people present.

Robbie Williams and Nicole Scherzinger then performed the official FIFA anthem, “Desire”.

Start of the ceremony

It is 6 p.m., so the ceremony has officially started at the John F. Kennedy Center in Washington DC. Italian singer Andrea Bocelli performs the famous “Nessun Dorma” accompanied by a string orchestra. Thrills are in order in the room.

See you at 6 p.m. for the draw…

Six months before the 2026 World Cup organized in the United States, Canada and Mexico, it is time for the draw for the group stage. Who will be France’s adversaries? Will the Blues be part of the group of death? Or will Didier Deschamps’ eternal luck triumph?

Live response on French Football Weekly this Friday, December 5 from 6 p.m. (French time), during a ceremony organized at the John F. Kennedy Center in Washington DC

All the information regarding the draw for the 2026 World Cup

Which nations qualify and how are they distributed?

For the moment, 42 nations are already qualified. Sixteen of them come from the Europe zone, nine from the Africa zone, eight from the Asia zone, six from the South America and Central/North America zones, and finally one from the Oceania zone.

In total, 48 teams will participate in the 2026 World Cup, compared to 32 previously. A first in the history of the competition. The latter are divided into four hats of twelve teams, according to their FIFA ranking. Except for the three co-hosts, integrated into pot 1 with the other nine seeds, as well as for the play-offs.

In fact, six places are still vacant, for sixteen selections. To obtain the last tickets, you will have to qualify during the intercontinental play-offs. The FIFA ranking of each of them will therefore not be taken into account, since they will be directly integrated into hat 4.

Here is the distribution of all the hats, as well as that of the roadblockers by zone.

Hats for the draw

• Hat 1: Canada, Mexico, United States, Spain, Argentina, France, England, Brazil, Portugal, Netherlands, Belgium, Germany.
• Hat 2: Croatia, Morocco, Colombia, Uruguay, Switzerland, Japan, Senegal, Iran, South Korea, Ecuador, Austria, Australia.
• Hat 3: Norway, Panama, Egypt, Algeria, Scotland, Paraguay, Tunisia, Ivory Coast, Uzbekistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, South Africa.
• Hat 4: Jordan, Cape Verde, Ghana, Curaçao, Haiti, New Zealand, UEFA play-off players A, B, C and D, FIFA play-off players 1 and 2.

And the roadblockers

• UEFA: Italy, Northern Ireland, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Wales, Ukraine, Sweden, Poland, Albania, Turkey, Romania, Slovakia, Kosovo, Denmark, North Macedonia, Czech Republic, Ireland.
• FIFA: New Caledonia, Jamaica, Democratic Republic of Congo, Bolivia, Suriname, Iraq.

When will the 2026 World Cup start?

The World Cup will begin on June 11, 2026 precisely, with Mexico’s first match, at the Mexico City stadium. The group stage of the competition will then continue until Saturday June 27, before giving way to the round of 16 on Sunday June 28.

This will be followed by the round of 16 from July 4 to 7, the quarters from July 9 to 11, the semi-finals on July 14 and 15, the final for third place on Saturday July 18 then the grand final on Sunday July 19.

Which cities will host the 2026 World Cup matches?

As for the cities, they are spread across the three host countries.

UNITED STATES:

• East: New York, Miami, Boston, Philadelphia, Atlanta, Kansas City
• West: Los Angeles, Dallas, Seattle, San Francisco, Houston

Mexico:

• Mexico City, Monterrey, Guadalajara

Canada:

• Vancouver, Toronto

What are the rules to follow during the draw, as well as during the competition?

First, only one team from each confederation can be present in each group. Except for UEFA (two maximum), given the significant number of European qualifiers (16).

Then, the first four nations in the FIFA rankings will not be able to compete before the semi-finals if they finish at the top of their respective groups.

Twelve groups of four teams will then be formed. The two best teams in each group as well as the eight best third-placed teams will qualify directly for the round of 16.

How to follow the ceremony?

In France, M6 will be the main broadcaster of the ceremony since the channel holds the rights. French Football Weekly will also keep you informed in real time in the live commentary commented above, just like the L’Équipe channel.