Where the USMNT stand as World Cup inches closer
Pro Soccer Wire’s Seth Vertelney breaks down the current state of the USMNT after a solid finish to an up and down 2025.
Sports Pulse
The 2026 World Cup draw is set for Friday, Dec. 5 in Washington, D.C. determining the groups and matchups for next summer’s tournament in North America.
This edition of the World Cup has expanded to 48 teams from 32, meaning there will be 12 groups of four with 32 teams advancing to the knockout stage. The top two teams in each group – and the eight best third-place finishers – move on to the Round of 32.
Co-hosts Canada (Group A), Mexico (Group B) and the United States (Group D) already know their schedules, with Mexico playing in the tournament opener at the Estadio Azteca on June 11. The USMNT’s first game is set for June 12 at SoFi Stadium in California.
All the venues and kickoff times for the group stage will be announced on Saturday, Dec. 6, a day after the draw.
When is the World Cup draw?
- Date: Friday, Dec. 5
- Time: Noon ET
- Location: Kennedy Center, Washington, D.C.
Teams that have qualified for the World Cup
The 2026 World Cup will feature 48 countries, with 42 already clinched. The final six places will be decided during playoff tournaments in March.
Here’s who is officially qualified entering the draw:
- Co-hosts: Canada, Mexico, USA
- AFC: Australia, Iran, Japan, Jordan, Korea Republic, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Uzbekistan
- CAF: Algeria, Cabo Verde, Côte d’Ivoire, Egypt, Ghana, Morocco, Senegal, South Africa, Tunisia
- Concacaf: Curaçao, Haiti, Panama
- CONMEBOL: Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay, Uruguay
- OFC: New Zealand
- UEFA: Austria, Belgium, Croatia, England, France, Germany, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Scotland, Spain, Switzerland
World Cup draw pots 2026
The draw for the 2026 World Cup includes 12 teams in each group sorted by FIFA ranking, with hosts Canada, Mexico and USA being placed in Pot 1.
Pot 1
- Canada
- Mexico
- United States
- Spain
- Argentina
- France
- England
- Brazil
- Portugal
- Netherlands
- Belgium
- Germany
Pot 2
- Croatia
- Morocco
- Colombia
- Uruguay
- Switzerland
- Japan
- Senegal
- Iran
- South Korea
- Ecuador
- Austria
- Australia
Pot 3
- Norway
- Panama
- Egypt
- Algeria
- Scotland
- Paraguay
- Tunisia
- Ivory Coast
- Uzbekistan
- Qatar
- Saudi Arabia
- South Africa
Pot 4
- Jordan
- Cape Verde
- Ghana
- Curacao
- Haiti
- New Zealand
- UEFA playoff winner A
- UEFA playoff winner B
- UEFA playoff winner C
- UEFA playoff winner D
- FIFA playoff tournament team 1
- FIFA playoff tournament team 2
