The draw for the expanded 48-team FIFA World Cup will take place on Friday, setting the stage for the tournament to be held across the United States, Canada and Mexico from June 11 to July 19 next year.
For the first time, teams are divided into four pots of 12 based on the latest FIFA rankings, with each of the 12 groups comprising one team from each pot. FIFA has also introduced a new rule ensuring the four highest-ranked nations — Spain, Argentina, France and England — cannot face each other before the semi-finals, provided they all top their groups.
Confederation limits remain in place, meaning no group can feature more than one team from the same region, except in the case of UEFA. With 16 European teams competing, four groups will include two UEFA sides.
The three host nations have already been allocated their groups. The United States will take its place in Group D, playing twice in Los Angeles and once in Seattle. Mexico will lead Group A, hosting two matches at the Azteca Stadium, including the opener on June 11, with another game in Guadalajara. Canada will be in Group B with fixtures in Toronto and Vancouver.
With more teams participating than ever before, the tournament will also feature an additional knockout round. The top two teams from each group, along with the eight best third-placed sides, will move into a round of 32. While the group stage will include 72 matches, only 16 of the 48 teams will be eliminated at that stage.
The seeding distribution includes:
Pot 1 with giants such as Brazil, Portugal and Germany;
Pot 2 featuring sides like Croatia, Japan and Iran;
Pot 3 containing Egypt, Algeria, Scotland and others;
Pot 4 made up of teams including Ghana, Haiti, New Zealand, as well as UEFA and intercontinental playoff winners.
Playoff paths will determine the remaining qualifiers in March, with UEFA’s one-off semifinals and finals taking place on March 26 and March 31. Intercontinental playoffs, held in Mexico, will follow the same format.
The draw will officially map out the road each team must take in what will be the largest World Cup ever staged.
