FIFA World Cup 2026 Draw LIVE Updates: Groups, matches & reaction

Hello everyone and welcome to Khel Now’s LIVE Coverage of the FIFA World Cup 2026 Draw. The start is just a few hours away! I’m your host, Preethi, and I’ll be keeping you company through what promises to be a fascinating evening. Please wait 30 seconds for the Live blog to load.

Tune in to the live stream of the draw right here.

Even though the FIFA World Cup 2026 is still months away, anticipation for the competition is already growing. The formal draw tonight (December 5) will be the first significant step in forming the competition, setting the foundation for rivalries, narratives, and early talking points leading up to football’s grandest event.

42 of the 48 teams that will compete in the 2026 FIFA World Cup in the United States, Mexico, and Canada have already been determined.

There are four pots of 12 national teams each. It will help to form the groups with which the competition will be contested. Only six spots are still up for grabs.

It should be noted that the FIFA Ranking, which was released at the beginning of November, has been used to arrange the teams, except the hosts, Mexico (Group A), Canada (Group B), and the United States (Group D).

Hence, the remaining nine best-ranked nations join the three North American countries in Pot 1, while the following ranked teams are in Pot 2, and the rest are in Pot 3, and the last six are in Pot 4.

Pot 4 will further see six more teams join. They will be the winners of six different playoffs. Four places will be filled by UEFA teams, while the other two will be taken by the nations playing in the intercontinental play-off.

2026 FIFA World Cup Pots

Pot 1 – 2026 FIFA World Cup

1. Mexico (Group A)
2. Canada (Group B)
3. United States (Group D)
4. Germany
5. Argentina
6. Belgium
7. Brazil
8. Spain
9. France
10. England
11. Netherlands
12. Portugal

Pot 2 – 2026 FIFA World Cup

1. Croatia
2. Morocco
3. Colombia
4. Uruguay
5. Switzerland
6. Senegal
7. Japan
8. Iran
9. South Korea
10. Ecuador
11. Austria
12. Australia

Pot 3 – 2026 FIFA World Cup

1. Norway
2. Panama
3. Egypt
4. Algeria
5. Scotland
6. Paraguay
7. Ivory Coast
8. Tunisia
9. Qatar
10. Uzbekistan
11. Saudi Arabia
12. South Africa

Pot 4 – 2026 FIFA World Cup

1. Jordan
2. Cape Verde
3. Ghana
4. Curaçao
5. New Zealand
6. Haiti
7. UEFA Playoff #1
8. UEFA Playoff #2
9. UEFA Playoff #3
10. UEFA Play-off #4
11. Intercontinental Play-off #1
12. Intercontinental Play-off #2

For more updates, follow Khel Now on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram; download the Khel Now Android App or IOS App and join our community on Telegram.