Fifa announced this Tuesday (25) the division of the four pots that will be used in the draw for Copa of Mundo in 2026. The event is scheduled for December 5th, in Washington, in Estados Unidos. Brasil appears in pot 1, alongside the three host countries and the nine best-positioned teams in the world rankings.
The tournament will have an unprecedented format with 48 teams divided into 12 groups of four. The top two in each group and the eight best third-placed teams advance to the knockout stages. Ainda there are six places left to be defined in the European and intercontinental repechages.
- Pot 1 brings together Canadá, México, Estados Unidos, Espanha, Argentina, França, Inglaterra,
- Pot 2 includes Croácia, Marrocos, Colômbia, Uruguai, Suíça, Japão, Senegal,
- Pot 3 has Noruega, Panamá, Egito, Argélia, Escócia, Paraguai, Sul
- Pot 4 has Jordânia, Cabo Verde, Gana, Curaçao, Haiti, Nova Zelândia and six playoff places
Hosts already have groups defined
Mexico will be seeded in group A. Canadá will be placed in group B.
The balls from the three host countries will have different colors in the draw: blue for Estados Unidos, green for México and red for Canadá. Elas will be automatically directed to the pre-determined groups.
Rules prevent excess Europeans
Each group will have a maximum of two selections from Uefa. There will not be more than one team from the same confederation per bracket, except in the European case.
The four highest ranked teams from pot 1 – Espanha, Argentina, França and Inglaterra – will be distributed on alternate sides of the bracket. Essa measure balances the strength between sides A and B of the knockout.
Repechages complete the picture
Four places come out of the European playoff with 16 teams divided into four groups. The semifinals and finals take place in a single game in March 2026.
Two remaining places will be decided in an intercontinental tournament with six teams. The clashes will also take place in March next year.
Game locations are already mapped
Fifa published a scheme that defines the exact position of each pot within the groups. Isso determines the calendar and cities where the teams will play in the three rounds of the group stage.
The 16 host cities will host games in previously established locations. Dois municipalities are in Canadá, three in México and 11 in Estados Unidos.
Broadcast and time confirmed
The draw starts at 2pm (Brasília time) on December 5th. The ceremony will be broadcast live on TV Globo, sportv and ge.
Fans from the host cities can participate in a draw for free tickets. Parte of seats will be reserved for locals with VIP experience included.
Format increases number of classifieds
With 48 teams, the group stage now has 12 brackets of four teams each. Ao In total, 32 teams reach the knockout stages: 24 coming from the first two places plus eight best third-place teams.
The new model increases the number of participants by 50% compared to previous editions. The competition will be played in three countries for the first time in history.
