Khaberni - The eyes of football fans around the world today, Friday, focus on the Kennedy Center in the American capital, Washington, to follow the proceedings of the 2026 FIFA World Cup draw.
The 2026 FIFA World Cup final matches will be hosted by three countries: the United States, Mexico, and Canada from June 11 to July 19, 2026, for the first time in the history of the tournament.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino opened the ceremony with a speech welcoming US President Donald Trump, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum, and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney.
FIFA President stated that this edition of the World Cup will be unique and exceptional, saying "The 2026 World Cup will be the largest sports event ever witnessed by humanity. We have three great countries, and 16 host cities... awaiting us for an exciting, unique, and astonishing summer."
American basketball star Shaquille O'Neal, Canadian hockey legend Wayne Gretzky, American football player Tom Brady, and New York Yankees baseball star Aaron Judge participate in the draw.
Results of the 2026 World Cup Football Draw:
Group One (A): Mexico - South Africa - South Korea - the winner of Denmark, North Macedonia, the Czech Republic, and Ireland (the European playoff).
Group Two (B): Canada - the winner of Italy, Northern Ireland, Wales and Bosnia - Qatar - Switzerland.
Group Three (C): Brazil - Morocco - Haiti - Scotland
Group Four (D): America - Paraguay - Australia - Iraq or Bolivia or Suriname (the global playoff).
Group Five (E): Germany - Curacao - Ecuador - Ivory Coast.
Group Six (F): the Netherlands - Japan - Tunisia.
Group Seven (G): Belgium - Egypt - Iran -
Group Eight (H): Spain - Cape Verde - Saudi Arabia - Uruguay.
Group Nine (I): France - Senegal - Norway
Group Ten (J): Argentina - Algeria - Austria - Jordan.
Group Eleven (K): Portugal - Colombia - Uzbekistan - the winner of Jamaica, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and New Caledonia.
Group Twelve (L): England - Croatia - Ghana - Panama.
Donald Trump Receives the FIFA "Peace" Award
US president Donald Trump received the first peace award granted by the International Football Association (FIFA) during the World Cup draw ceremony.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino said: "In an increasingly divided world, we must acknowledge those who work to unite it."
Trump received the award in recognition of his exceptional efforts for peace around the world.
The draw takes place with the presence of the heads of the three host countries of the 2026 World Cup in Washington, DC: Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum, and US President Donald Trump, along with Swiss Gianni Infantino, the head of FIFA, and a constellation of football stars, leaders of the qualified teams, and coaches.
And the 2026 World Cup will feature 48 teams for the first time in its 95-year history, comprising 104 matches, the highest number in World Cup history..
The group stage will consist of 12 groups of 4 teams each, followed by the following knockout stages: Round of 32, Round of 16, Quarterfinals, Semifinals, and Final.
The top two teams in each group automatically advance to the knockout rounds, along with the best 8 third-place teams.
Before the draw, FIFA announced the distribution of the 48 qualified teams (42 officially qualified plus 6 teams through the European and global playoffs) into four pots, with each pot containing 12 teams, as follows.
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 – 4 teams from the European playoff – 2 teams from the global playoff.
Six remaining seats will be determined in March 2026 through the European and global playoffs.
Seven Arab teams have qualified for the finals of the 2026 World Cup: Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Qatar, Egypt, Tunisia, Algeria, and Morocco, while the Iraq team will compete in the global playoff in March next year in hopes of securing an eighth Arab seat.
