The next step on the road to the 2026 FIFA World Cup runs through the Kennedy Center, along the banks of the Potomac River in Washington, D.C.
World Cup draw results 2026: Who will USMNT face, how every group breaks down
Who will the United States face in the World Cup next year?
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Mark Schofield is a former college quarterback and attorney covering the NFL and F1.
Later today FIFA will hold the draw for the 2026 World Cup, placing the 42 nations that have already qualified into their groups for next year’s tournament. Play-Off tournaments scheduled for March will determine the final six qualifying nations, but the those slots will also be placed into groups during today’s draw.
Three nations — host countries Mexico, Canada, and the United States — already know their respective groups. Under the procedures set for this World Cup draw, Mexico will be Team 1 in Group A, Canada will be Team 1 in Group B, and the United States will be Team 1 in Group D.
As for who might join the United States in Group D, that will be determined during today’s draw. As we discussed earlier in the week there is a scenario where the United States is the top-ranked nation in Group D. As of the November 19, 2025 FIFA rankings, the United States is ranked 14th in the world. The three teams that will join the United States in Group D come from Pot 2, Pot 3, and Pot 4.
Pot 1 consists of the three host nations, along with the nine highest-ranked teams in the world. Pot 2 consists of the 12 next-highest ranked teams, meaning the team slotted into Group D from Pot 2 could be ranked lower than the United States.
Pot 3 consists of the 12 next-highest ranked teams after those in Pot 2, and Pot 4 contains the next six teams, along with the six Play-Off spots.
However, there is a world where Group D ends up as the Group of Death. Consider this scenario: Morocco is the team that is drawn into Group D out of Pot 2, a nation currently ranked 11th in the world (and ahead of hte United States). Then add Norway from Pot 3 (ranked 29th and the top-ranked team in Pot 3), and from Pot 4 slot in the winner of UEFA Play-Off A.
Italy, ranked 12th in the world, is expected to win UEFA Play-Off A.
That would be the worst-case scenario for the United States today.
For a full explainer on how the draw for the 2026 World Cup works, we have you covered here.
How will it unfold? We’ll be tracking it live here today, with the draw scheduled to begin at 12:00 p.m. Eastern on FOX.
2026 World Cup draw
Here is the full draw for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which will be filled in as the teams are slotted into their respective groups. The number in parentheses is their current FIFA ranking:
Group A | Group B | Group C | Group D | Group E | Group F | Group G | Group H | Group I | Group J | Group K | Group L |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mexico (15) | Canada (27) | Brazil (5) | United States (14) | Germany (9) | Netherlands (7) | Belgium (8) | Spain (1) | France (3) | Argentina (2) | Portugal (6) | England (4) |
| South Africa (61) | UEFA Play-Off A | Morocco (11) | Paraguay (39) | Curaçao (82) | Japan (18) | Egypt (34) | Cabo Verde (68) | Senegal (19) | Algeria (35) | FIFA Play-Off 1 | Croatia (10) |
| Korea Republic (22) | Qatar (51) | Haiti (84) | Australia (26) | Côte d’Ivoire (42) | UEFA Play-Off B | IR Iran (20) | Saudi Arabia (60) | FIFA Play-Off 2 | Austria (24) | Uzbekistan (60) | Ghana (72) |
| UEFA Play-Off D | Switzerland (17) | Scotland (36) | UEFA Play-Off C | Ecuador (23) | Tunisia (40) | New Zealand (86) | Uruguay (16) | Norway (29) | Jordan (66) | Colombia (13) | Panama (30) |
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