The 48-team field will split into 12 groups of four for the tournament's early rounds.
Gianni Infantino says the World Cup will have “7 million people in the stadiums. We will have 2-3-4 times more, millions coming to the U.S., Canada and Mexico just to feel the vibe of the World Cup. We’ll have six billion people watching the World Cup from home, from all over the world.
“This is like 104 Super Bowls in one month.”
After FIFA president Gianni Infantino’s opening remarks, musical artists Robbie Williams and Nicole Scherzinger are scheduled to perform at 12:19 EST.
The draw’s conductor, former English player Rio Ferdinand, will be introduced on stage at 12:47 p.m, and his assistants, former sports stars Wayne Gretzky, Tom Brady, Shaquille O’Neal and Aaron Judge, will join Ferdinand around 12:53.
Then comes the moment for which we are all waiting: The beginning of the technical draw. That is scheduled to start at 12:54 p.m. EST.
Gianni Infantino, the President of FIFA, just introduced United States President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump at the Kennedy Center. He then turned to point out Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum and the Prime Minister of Canada, Mark Carney, and the first lady Diana Fox Carney.
Infantino called the World Cup “the greatest event that humanity, that mankind has ever seen and ever will see” and compared it to hosting 104 Super Bowls over the course of a month.
President Trump was asked on the red carpet before entering the Kennedy Center if he’s been told he would receive the inaugural FIFA “Peace Prize.”
“I have not been told. There’s a rumor about it,” Trump said, standing next to FIFA President Gianni Infantino. Trump later said he’d be honored to receive it.
World-renowned singer Andrea Bocelli just took the stage and sang “Nessun Dorma.” Even at 67 years old, he has an incredible voice.
Today, we will find out which teams go in which group but FIFA won’t announce the full calendar until tomorrow. They will take an extra day to evaluate logistics and time slots so that for example European teams will be scheduled in friendlier time slots for a European audience.
Right now, 42 are. The nations that are already in include big names like No. 1-ranked Spain; No. 2 Argentina, the defending champion; and No. 3 France, which lost to Argentina in the 2022 World Cup final. The field also contains a handful of surprises. Last month, Scotland secured its first appearance since 1998 with a dramatic win, and Curaçao became the smallest nation by population ever to qualify.
That leaves six open spots. They will be filled via dual playoffs that will take place in March. One playoff featuring European teams will fill four of the open spots, while a separate playoff will supply the other two.
As hosts, the U.S. men’s national team is guaranteed to avoid fellow hosts Mexico and Canada plus the next nine best-ranked automatic qualifiers via the latest FIFA rankings.
So there will be no Spain, Argentina, France, England, Brazil, Portugal, Netherlands, Belgium, and Germany on the group stage docket.
They will also not play CONCACAF teams or slots that could be CONCACAF teams. That eliminates Pot 3 team Panama, as well as Pot 4 teams Curacao and Haiti, and the inter-confederation playoff winners, because CONCACAF teams are in those groups.
So Jamaica, Suriname, Bolivia, Iraq, New Caledonia, and DR Congo are out, too.
Read the full story here.
The obvious ones are whether Lionel Messi and Argentina will win back-to-back World Cup titles as he aims to call time on his international career (surely) in the best way possible. While the other big storyline swirling is around Cristiano Ronaldo, 40, and if he can win the one trophy which has eluded him during his legendary career.
There is also plenty of interest around England, France and Spain as the European powerhouses have stacked squads and the Three Lions in particular have come so close to winning silverware but lost in the final of the last two European Championships. There are also the likes of Norway, Scotland and Austria qualifying for the first time in 28 years and all three European nations could go on a deep run if the draw is favorable.
And fairytales are alive and well at this competition as the expanded format has allowed for Uzbekistan, Jordan, Curacao and Cape Verde to qualify for their first-ever World Cup, while Haiti has qualified for just the second time.
Read the full story here.
The FIFA World Cup draw on Friday will be viewed by millions around the globe, but the high-profile event appears to be tailored to one key player: President Donald Trump.
Andrea Bocelli, one of Trump’s favorite performers, is set to perform, and the Village People will conclude the draw with Trump’s anthem, “Y.M.C.A.”
It will be held at the Kennedy Center in the nation’s capital, where FIFA President Gianni Infantino will debut the organization’s inaugural “Peace Prize.” The White House hasn’t denied reports that Trump, who hasn’t been shy about his desire for the Nobel Prize of the same name, is set to receive it.
Read the full story here.
Messi, known as the greatest player of all time, is 38 years old and in the final stages of his incredible career. The Argentinian superstar, who led the country to a World Cup title in 2022, told NBC News in October the plan is to play.
“I would like to be there, to be well and be an important part of helping my national team, if I am there. And I’m going to assess that on a day-to-day basis when I start preseason next year with Inter [Miami] and see if I can really be 100%, if I can be useful to the group, to the national team, and then make a decision.
“Obviously, I’m really eager because it’s a World Cup. We’re coming off winning the last World Cup, and being able to defend it on the field again is spectacular because it’s always a dream to play with the national team, especially in official competitions.”
Led by Lionel Messi, Argentina raised the World Cup trophy as champions in 2022, but getting back to that stage is something a reigning champion hasn’t done in six decades.
The last repeat champ was Brazil, which won in 1958 and 1962.
Making the final is no guarantee that such success can be repeated. France came close, winning the championship in 2018 before reaching the final four years later, only to lose to Argentina. Before Les Bleus made back-to-back finals, however, it hadn’t happened since Brazil won in 1994 and was the 1998 runner-up.
The betting odds for the 2026 World Cup are intriguing as we now know 42 of the 48 teams that are confirmed to qualify for the tournament.
With the group stage pairings and the route each team has to the final to be confirmed, the odds will reflect how easy, or tough, teams have it.
Read the full story here.
Forty-eight teams will play in next summer’s men’s World Cup, up from the previous 32-team format. This is also the first World Cup to be co-hosted by three countries — Mexico, Canada and the U.S.
But all 48 teams haven’t qualified. Only 42 have, with the final six to be decided in March via two different playoff systems, one that will determine four more teams from Europe and another that will determine two other countries from scattered regions.
So, who is in?
The U.S. advanced out of the group stage to the round of 16 in each of their last three World Cup appearances, in 2010, 2014 and 2022. They’re ranked 14th in the world. For context, the U.S. men have been ranked in the top 10 just once since 2006.
While the U.S. opponents won’t be known until Friday, their schedule for the group stage is already out. The U.S. will play June 12 in Los Angeles, June 19 in Seattle and June 25 back in Los Angeles.
Because of their role as hosts, which groups Mexico, Canada and the U.S. will be in has been predetermined. The question is which opponents will join them.
But, for now, Mexico is slotted to be placed into Group A, Canada in Group B and the U.S. in Group D.
Tim Ream from the United States men’s national team joins “TODAY” to talk about how it will feel to play the tournament in the United States, what to expect from the draw and more.
You thought the World Cup draw was solely about teams learning who they will play? No, the worlds of politics and entertainment will be present at the World Cup draw, too. When the draw begins at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., President Donald Trump is expected to be in attendance. The show will be co-hosted by comedian Kevin Hart, model and television personality Heidi Klum and actor Danny Ramirez.
There also will be musical performances by Andrea Bocelli, Robbie Williams and Nicole Scherzinger and the Village People, who are performing, “Y.M.C.A.”
FIFA has broken down the 48 teams into four “pots” that are effectively ordered by each nation’s world ranking.
The draw will kick off by selecting the three host nations: Mexico, Canada and the U.S.
From there, nine more teams from “Pot 1″ — the world’s nine highest-ranked teams, including No. 1 Spain and reigning champion and No. 2-ranked Argentina — will be drawn, ensuring that one team from that pot will be placed into all 12 groups. Then one team from Pot 2 is drawn into every group, and the cycle is repeated for pots 3 and 4.
Read the full article here.
Ferdinand, a former English captain, will conduct Friday’s draw with broadcaster Samantha Johnson, but FIFA has also brought in a number of stars from other sports to help draw teams.
They include Tom Brady, Wayne Gretzky, Shaquille O’Neal and Aaron Judge, the Yankees star recently named the American League’s most valuable player.
Per BetMGM, these are the betting favorites to win the 2026 World Cup.
Andrew Greif is a sports reporter for NBC News Digital.
Greg Rosenstein is the sports editor for NBC News Digital.