The FIFA World Cup draw ceremony begins at Noon ET on Friday, Dec. 5 in Washington, D.C. The 2026 World Cup draw is being held at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington. The USA TODAY app gets you to the heart of the news — fast. Download for award-winning coverage, crosswords, audio storytelling, the eNewspaper and more.

Next summer's event will be the first ever 48-team World Cup, with those nations being broken up into 12 groups of four. From there, 104 matches will be played at 16 venues across the U.S., Canada and Mexico to determine a World Cup champion.

The semi-finals for both the UEFA and FIFA confederation playoffs take place on Tuesday, March 26, while the finals will be played the following week on Tuesday, March 31. Once those fixtures are concluded, all qualified teams for the 2026 World Cup will be confirmed.

Follow the World Cup draw with live updates and find out who the USMNT and soccer's best will be facing during the 2026 tournament. The expanded 2026 World Cup will be the biggest in history featuring 48 countries – up from 32 – battling for soccer's ultimate prize in North America.

It's early, 188 days early, before the 23rd edition of the FIFA World Cup kicks off at Mexico City Stadium (Estadio Azteca) on June 11, 2026. However, the tournament picture is now much clearer after Friday's draw designated those who have qualified -- and several others who still need to officially earn their spot -- into the group stage.

Two of the greatest goal-scorers of their generation were drawn together in Group I for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Members of the 2026 FIFA Toronto Street Squad greet patrons watching the World Cup Draw at Cafe Diplomatico. Canada is not exactly a well-known global football hub, with most sports here often eclipsed by the nation’s deep love and loyalty to ice hockey.