Get your wallcharts ready: England and Scotland are on the brink of watch the FIFA World Cup 2026 draw as fans and players look forward to next summer’s tournament.
Managers Thomas Tuchel and Steve Clarke will probably be watching in anticipation as they appear forward to what will probably be the largest tournament in history, with a record 48 teams participating across 16 stadiums in three countries.
While aspects like soaring summer temperatures and long distances to travel will probably be of concern, this week all eyes will probably be on Washington DC as delegates from football federations converge to seek out out their fate.
Next yr’s tournament features more games than ever, a brand recent format and a tennis-style seeding system that may benefit England as they progress through the tournament.
A complete of 108 games will happen to eventually crown the subsequent World Cup champions within the MetLife Stadium in Recent Jersey next summer – that is how the draw will work, including where to observe it and the all-important pots and seeds.
Your ultimate guide to the football season
Metro’s football newsletter: In The Mixer. Exclusive evaluation, FPL suggestions and transfer talk sent straight to your inbox every Friday – enroll, it’s an open goal.
When is the draw? Date and UK start time
The draw for the 2026 World Cup takes place on Friday December 5, 2025. The draw will begin at 12pm local time – 5pm within the UK.
How will the draw work? Pots and seedings
Friday’s draw will confirm the groups and fixtures for all 48 teams set to compete on the tournament. 42 of the spots on the World Cup have been crammed with UEFA and inter-confederation playoffs going down in March to make your mind up the six remaining spots.
There are 12 groups of 4 on the World Cup, with each group consisting of 1 team from each of the 4 seeded pots.
England are included in Pot 1, together with reigning champions Argentina and hosts Canada, Mexico and USA. Scotland have been allocated a spot in Pot 3 after confirming their qualification in dramatic style last month.
A brand new, tennis-style seeding system has been introduced this yr meaning the highest two teams in the present FIFA rankings – Spain and Argentina – will probably be on opposite sides of the draw, in addition to the third and fourth-ranked sides in France and England.
If each of those 4 countries tops their respective group, they will probably be placed in separate parts of the 32-team knockout phase. It means England would avoid Spain or Argentina until a possible semi-final, while they might not face France unless each side reach the ultimate.
Confirmed World Cup draw teams and pots
Pot 1: Canada, Mexico, USA, 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, Cote d’Ivoire, Uzbekistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, South Africa.
Pot 4: Jordan, Cabo Verde, Ghana, Curacao, Haiti, Recent Zealand, European play-off winners from path A, B, C, D, and FIFA inter-confederation play-off winners 1 and a couple of.
European play-off teams and fixtures:
Path A: Winner of Wales/Bosnia & Herzegovina vs winner of Italy/Northern Ireland.
Path B: Winner of Ukraine/Sweden vs winner of Poland/Albania.
Path C: Winner of Slovakia/Kosovo vs winner of Turkiye/Romania.
Path D: Winner of Czechia/Republic of Ireland vs winner of Denmark/North Macedonia.
Each semi-final takes place on March 26, 2026, with the play-off finals scheduled for March 31, 2026.
FIFA inter-confederation play-off teams and fixtures:
Path 1: Winner of Recent Caledonia/Jamaica vs DR Congo.
Path 2: Winner of Bolivia/Suriname vs Iraq.
Games will happen in a one-off playoff tournament in Mexico on March 26 and March 31, 2026.
Can England and the opposite home nations be drawn together?
England’s position in Pot 1 and Scotland’s in Pot 3 means they could possibly be drawn in the identical group on Friday.
Nevertheless, on account of the rule meaning only two teams from the identical confederation will be in the identical group, if England were to be drawn against one other European team from Pot 2, then Scotland can’t be put into the identical group.
In the event that they aren’t drawn together, England and Scotland could face one in all Northern Ireland, Wales or the Republic of Ireland in the event that they make it through the playoff round.
All three countries can be put into Pot 4 in the event that they qualify and can know ahead of time who their potential World Cup opponents will probably be.
As Northern Ireland and Wales are each competing in the identical side of the play-off draw, only one in all them will have the option to qualify for the World Cup.
Where is the draw being held and who will probably be attending?
The World Cup draw is being held within the Kennedy Center in Washington DC, which traditionally hosts several types of performance art, from theatre and jazz to opera and orchestral music.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino will probably be joined by USA President Donald Trump on the draw, who’s widely expected to be the recipient of FIFA’s brand recent award: ‘FIFA Peace Prize – Unite the World.’
Delegates from the English and Scottish FAs will attend, together with those of all of the countries set to compete, with one major omission.
Iran are set to boycott the World Cup draw after learning that their federation’s President, Mehdi Taj didn’t receive a visa to permit him to enter the USA.
‘We’re evaluating our options, which is able to rely on timing and circumstances,’ Taj told Iranian television last week. ‘The present position of the Iran Football Federation executive committee is that nobody will attend the event unless all visas are issued.’
Tips on how to watch on a TV channel and live stream
The draw will probably be broadcast on BBC Two and BBC iPlayer within the UK, and will probably be available to livestream directly on FIFA.com and FIFA’s YouTube channel globally.
When does the World Cup start?
The opening game of the 2026 World Cup will happen between hosts Mexico and one other of their group stage opponents on the Mexico City Stadium on June 11, 2026 – it would be the third time the enduring stadium has hosted the primary game of a World Cup, the primary to accomplish that.
Hosts Mexico, Canada and the USA will all play their three group-stage games on home soil – Canada’s first game takes place on Friday, June 12 in Toronto, while USA will begin their World Cup journey on the identical day in Los Angeles.
While it stays to be seen when and where exactly England will kick off their tournament, each of the 16 stadiums on the World Cup have been allocated into one in all three ‘regions’: Western, Central and Eastern, with teams to play all their group stage games in the identical region to minimise travel for players and fans.
Where are the World Cup stadiums?
Western region: Vancouver, Seattle, San Fransico, Los Angeles.
Central region: Guadalajara, Mexico City, Monterrey, Houston, Dallas, Kansas City.
Eastern region: Atalanta, Miami, Toronto, Boston, Philadelphia, Recent York.
So while we are going to discover England’s exact fixtures, and potential path to the ultimate on Friday, for now we all know their games will happen in one in all those three regions.
For more stories like this, check our sport page.
Follow Metro Sport for the newest news on
Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
MORE: Manchester United ‘confident’ of signing £70m England star – on one condition
MORE: David Moyes sends message to Thomas Tuchel over former Man Utd star who cost just £9million
MORE: One-cap England player could switch allegiance to Scotland for World Cup