World Cup
2026 World
Cup Draw
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The draw for the 2026 FIFA World Cup will take place today in Washington, D.C., at midday ET.
President Donald Trump will be present at the Kennedy Center as 12 groups of four teams are formed ahead of next summer’s tournament in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico.
We will be joined throughout the day by a team of international journalists based in each of the participating nations — and you can get involved by emailing live@theathletic.com.
Haiti's only previous World Cup appearance was in 1974. It conceded 14 goals at the tournament, which is the joint-most by any team to have played at just one World Cup — along with DR Congo (then Zaire), also in 1974.
Here’s Onz Chery, Haiti correspondent for The Haitian Times, to bring us more.
Tasting any sort of success in the World Cup will mean everything for everyone on the island, and also every ‘Yu di Kòrsou’(child of Curacao) around the world.
We are great football fans and through several generations have dreamed of simply being at a World Cup. Some people have already said they are happy just seeing Curacao qualify for the World Cup. If Curacao actually managed to score a goal, to win a game… It would be incredibly special.
And if Curacao makes it into the knockout stage, there will be an even bigger celebration than the party when we qualified for the World Cup.
This national team is built on teamwork and discipline rather than on individualism. I see every player ready to sacrifice for the team. This is one thing that head coach Dick Advocaat has built the team on since he came into the job last year.
The captain Leandro Bacuna (pictured) is the heart and soul of the team. The former Aston Villa midfielder is the leader and someone who plays every time he wears the shirt, from first whistle to last. Whether he is asked to attack or defend, he is always present and he inspires the other players to follow his example.
Alongside Bacuna there is ex Manchester United youth graduate Tahith Chong, PSV Eindhoven’s Armando Obispo and fellow Europe-based players, Sontje Hansen and Juninho Bacuna, who all have important roles in this team.
Personally, I would want to avoid Argentina, France, Spain, England and Portugal.
And of course, many people on the island would love to see Curacao drawn in the same group as the Netherlands because of Curacao being part of the Dutch kingdom and with so many connections.
Being drawn with Brazil would also be a dream matchup for Curacao fans because many on the island have followed and supported that team, especially at World Cups when there has been no Curacao. Although the same can also be said for some about Argentina, Germany and France.
Portugal and Colombia would also be nice because there are plenty of islanders with Portuguese and Colombian descendents. As for my dream group, that would be Curaçao, Belgium, Australia and South Africa.
Curacao is the smallest team by both population and physical size to ever qualify for the World Cup.
Its population of around 185,000 is similar to Elk Grove — the 26th-biggest city in California. And with an area of 444km² Curacao could have fitted into the Soviet Union — the largest country to play at the World Cup — 50,455 times.
Sports journalist for Extra Curacao, Carl Ruiter, joins us now.
A successful World Cup for Ghana would be qualifying for the quarter-finals. The last two World Cups ended at the group stage.
The infighting of the 2014 World Cup saga, where players threatened to go on strike because of delayed bonuses, was dramatic enough for a Hollywood script. These issues have negatively affected squad unity and focus. Hopefully this can be sorted out before the tournament starts.
Ghana has the talent to push far and surely the expansion of the tournament will get the country a kinder draw.
The player people should look out for is Kamaldeen Sulemana (pictured). The Atalanta forward had a short stint with Southampton but he did not live up to his ability during his stay on the south coast of England, however his form has improved in Serie A.
Despite the limelight being on the more famous Premier League stars of Mohammed Kudus and Antoine Semenyo, Sulemana has the perfect opportunity to show this talent on the biggest stage.
A dream draw for Ghana would be avoiding the traditional giants.
Ghana is currently ranked 72nd by FIFA, which sounds ridiculously low to most pundits. They have not taken advantage of FIFA international friendly dates in the past, so the Black Stars are ranked far lower than they ought to be considering their ability.
A dream draw would be avoiding the usual footballing powerhouses. Despite that, Ghana is confident the team can take on anyone they face and give them a competitive game.
Ghana’s Asamoah Gyan holds the unwanted record (along with Lionel Messi) of missing the most penalties at the World Cup (excluding shootouts), with two. Gyan missed against the Czech Republic in 2006 and Uruguay in 2010. Messi failed from the spot against Iceland in 2018 and Poland in 2022.
We now welcome Nii Addy Obuama, Ghanaian football journalist and author, to our live coverage.
Cape Verde qualified for its first major football tournament, namely AFCON, in 2013, and advanced to the quarter-finals. This is a team which plays with a fearless mentality. Qualification is already a monumental moment for the country; but they would not be at the World Cup just to make up numbers.
The team is likely to take it match by match, hoping to fight their way through, and even though a group-stage exit would not be considered a complete failure, success would be the players playing to the best of their abilities and giving opposition sides tough games.
Whether they exit in the group stage or knockout stages, success will be based on how the team played and how the players represented their country.
Logan Costa of Villarreal (pictured). Born in France, he played for France at youth level before switching to play for Cape Verde in 2022. He has been pivotal for the national team since making his debut.
Costa is very composed and comfortable with the ball at his feet and possesses a very good passing range, whether line-breaking passes or long balls forward.
He also reads the game very well and only commits himself to tackling when needed.
After a breakthrough season with Toulouse in 2023, he led Cape Verde to AFCON, where he was one of the most impressive centre-backs at the tournament, earning himself a move to Villarreal in Spain.
However, he suffered an ACL injury last season and hasn’t played football since May 2025.
Despite being injured, he travelled to Cape Verde on crutches to join his teammates and witnessed them qualify for the World Cup for the first time.
He is still only 24 years old, and a great World Cup could potentially see him rise higher in his career.
Cape Verde has a huge community in the United States. The number of people of Cape Verdean descent in the USA is even higher than the population still living on the island of Cape Verde. For that reason, the ideal option would be to play most matches in the U.S.
The current population of Cape Verde originated from a mix of West African slaves and Portuguese settlers, so the people trace their bloodline to Portugal, however they were also colonised by the Portuguese, so playing Portugal at the World Cup would bring up mixed feelings.
Matches against Australia and Panama would be ideal, while avoiding Spain, Japan and Norway would boost their chances.
We start by taking a closer look at the second-smallest nation ever to reach the World Cup: Cape Verde.
The 26 individuals in Cape Verde’s most recent squad play their club football at 26 different sides in 14 different countries. The countries are: Portugal (seven players), Israel, Turkey (both three), Bulgaria, Cyprus (both two), Brazil, Finland, Hungary, Romania, Russia, Saudi Arabia, the Netherlands, United Arab Emirates and Wales (all one).
We’re delighted to now be joined by journalist Dennis Seyram to preview their chances.
This is officially the biggest World Cup in the history of the sport.
There are technically 64 teams in the draw: 42 that have already qualified, 16 competing for four additional places from Europe, and six from the other confederations battling for two spots in the intercontinental play-offs.
More matches, more teams, more players — and so much more for you to know ahead of the tournament kicking off next summer.
We are delighted to be joined by a team of experts from across the world who will help us preview the nations aiming for glory in North America.
Our experts will watch the draw with us and offer their thoughts immediately afterwards, so if you have any questions for them, make sure to let us know at live@theathletic.com!
Few things scream fun more than a discussion over what to call football when it’s in the U.S.A. — and for the record, I can confirm there is the same issue in Australia, where I live.
We must be approaching the eve of a World Cup in the United States, hey?
Fortunately, the wonderful Harry Bushnell has had a fresh look into the key dual between the terms “football” and “soccer”, and had a go at applying its relevance in 2026.
As Meg Kane, leader of Philadelphia’s World Cup host committee told him …
💬 “Tongue-in-cheek,” Kane says, “is a good way to approach this topic.”
You see. Fun indeed. This one is fresh off the press (as in, just published) so enjoy.
GO FURTHER
The World Cup is coming to North America: So in 2026, is it ‘football’ or ‘soccer’?
The draw for the 1994 World Cup, the last time the tournament was held in the U.S., took place in the Las Vegas Convention Center and included performances by Rod Stewart, Stevie Wonder and James Brown.
On Tuesday night, FIFA announced what it described as a “world-class entertainment line-up” that will be co-hosted by supermodel, producer and Emmy-winning television personality Heidi Klum, as well as comedian Kevin Hart and actor and producer Danny Ramirez.
There will also be live music performances from classical singer Andrea Bocelli, as well as a duet between British pop star (and FIFA music ambassador) Robbie Williams and American singer Nicole Scherzinger.
FIFA announced yesterday that the Village People, the pop group that sings President Donald Trump’s adopted anthem of “Y.M.C.A.,” will perform at the World Cup draw Friday.
FIFA said that when the draw has concluded, the Village People will treat the audience to an “iconic” performance of “Y.M.C.A.”
The song was often heard at Make America Great Again rallies during Trump’s re-election campaign, as well as at Mar-a-Lago fundraisers, and Trump often dances along while his supporters sing along.
FIFA’s president Gianni Infantino was present at Donald Trump’s inauguration in January as well as his pre-inauguration rally.
After Trump expressed his desire to win the Nobel Peace Prize, which went to Venezuelan democracy advocate Maria Corina Machado, FIFA has since announced it will award its own Peace Prize at the draw Friday, which is widely expected to go to the U.S. president.
Infantino previously wrote on Instagram, after the Israel-Gaza ceasefire, that Trump deserved the Nobel Peace Prize.
The Athletic has reported FIFA did not consult its own FIFA Council or the organization’s vice presidents before conceiving of or announcing the peace prize, and the council and vice presidents had no consultation on the selection criteria.
The new FIFA Peace Prize will have its first winner, awarded by FIFA president Gianni Infantino on the day of the draw.
💬 “In an increasingly unsettled and divided world, it’s fundamental to recognise the outstanding contribution of those who work hard to end conflicts and bring people together in a spirit of peace,” Infantino said in a FIFA statement, adding that the prize would “recognise the enormous efforts of those individuals who unite people, bringing hope for future generations”.
It is not yet known who the recipient will be, but as The Athletic’s Adam Crafton reported earlier this month, FIFA’s description “fits the framing of Donald Trump that he and his allies wish the world to know, as well as the ‘President of Peace’ moniker he has bestowed upon himself”.
At the time of the draw, there will still be six spaces at the World Cup yet to be determined.
During March, a further four teams will qualify from the UEFA play-off qualifiers and two from the FIFA Confederation play-off qualifiers.
Sixteen teams are in UEFA’s play-offs, with four-time winners Italy needing to overcome Northern Ireland and then Wales or Bosnia and Herzegovina to reach next year’s tournament.
Jamaica face New Caledonia in the Confederation play-off semi-finals, with the victors facing the seeded DR Congo for a place in North America. On the other side of the draw, Bolivia take on Suriname for the chance to meet Iraq in the other final.
All qualifiers will be placed into pot four, leading to some potentially tricky draws, such as four-time winners Italy, were they to progress.
There are plenty of countries in the other pots that could cause the top teams problems, such as Erling Haaland’s Norway and Mohamed Salah’s Egypt in Pot 3.
Pot 4 contains some nations which have not yet qualified — more on that in a moment.
Holders Argentina are in Pot 1, along with England and the world’s top-ranked team, Spain.
The United States, Canada and Mexico are also in the top pot on account of being tournament hosts.
That should theoretically give them weaker group stage opponents and boost their chances of reaching the knockout stage.
With the first game of the 2026 World Cup taking place at Estadio Azteca in Mexico City on June 11, Mexico have automatically been assigned to Group A.
Canada will play the second match in Toronto, so they are in Group B. The U.S., who are playing the third match in Los Angeles, will be in Group D. These are the only two games on June 12.
The highest-ranked team (Spain) and the second-highest-ranked team (Argentina), as well as the third-highest-ranked team (France) and the fourth-highest-ranked team (England), will be positioned into groups in opposite pathways. This means the two highest-ranked nations cannot meet until the final, should they win their group, but they could face the third or fourth best-ranked teams in the semi-final.
It’s the million dollar question. Are you sitting comfortably? Good. Then I’ll begin.
The participating teams have been seeded and divided into four pots based on their FIFA rankings as of November/December 2025.
The three host countries will join the highest-ranked FIFA teams in Pot 1.
Teams will be randomly drawn from each pot and assigned to one of the 12 groups. However, teams from the same confederation cannot meet — except for UEFA. There can be up to two European teams per group.
Teams who finish first and second in their groups next summer will progress to the knockout bracket.
It is worth noting that as the World Cup has expanded from 32 teams to 48, eight of the 12 best third-place teams in the groups will advance to the new round of 32. The eight teams with the highest points total will progress, with goal difference and then goals scored determining the qualifiers, should a number of teams finish on the same points total.