2026 FIFA World Cup draw storylines: USMNT's potential path, Lamine Yamal's first crack and more

The 2026 World Cup draw will take place on Friday at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C., at 12 p.m. ET, and there are many expectations and tons of excitement as to what will happen on the stage. With many stars and former soccer players expected to show up in the nation's capitol, all the eyes will be on the 42 teams that have already clinched their spot plus the six unknown sides. The 2026 World Cup will take place in the United States, Canada, and Mexico, kicking off on June 11, 2026, at Estadio Azteca in Mexico City, and ending on July 19 at MetLife Stadium in New York City. Let's now take a look at what we can expect and what we need to watch ahead of the draw: 

How to watch FIFA World Cup 2026 draw

Date: Friday, Dec. 5 | Time: 12 p.m. ET
Location: John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts -- Washington, D.C.
TV: Fox | Live stream: Fubo (try for free)

USMNT path to the knockout stages

We are all watching what will happen here. The United States will host their second World Cup, after the 1994 edition, but this time there are more expectations on the team and coach Mauricio Pochettino. The USMNT didn't have to qualify through the usual qualification group as they were granted a spot since they are hosting the tournament alongside Mexico and Canada. Friday's draw will tell us more about what we can expect and their chances to play at least in the round of 16. Being in Pot 1 should help them to have an easier path, but there are some big teams in the other pots as well. Pochettino's men can potentially meet teams such as Croatia, Egypt, Norway or Italy, and this is why the draw will be crucial to know what will be the expectations around Christian Pulisic and the team.  

And don't forget, this is the first World Cup to feature a round of 32 in the knockout stage. So, to match the quarterfinal run of 2002, they'd need to win two knockout stage games. 

FIFA World Cup draw scenarios for USMNT: What's the best and worst case? Can they avoid UEFA carnage?

Chuck Booth

Big stars, big games 

There is much more to know ahead of Friday and the matchups that will come from the draw. In particular, it will be interesting to know who will be the opponents of some world stars such as Lionel Messi's Argentina and Cristiano Ronaldo's Portugal as it will likely be their last World Cup as soccer players. No games should be considered as easy for the big teams involved. For instance, if we look at the last 2022 World Cup, later won by Argentina and Lionel Messi, the Albiceleste kicked off their tournament with a 2-1 defeat against Saudi Arabia while Germany were kicked out of the group stages in the last two World Cups they played in 2018 and 2022. The 2026 World Cup will also be the first one of Lamine Yamal, who will make his debut as one of the best players in the world and on Friday we will know who he will face in his first three matches of the tournament. 

FIFA World Cup Draw 2026: Live stream, what to know, pots, qualified teams, start time, TV channel

Francesco Porzio

What about the unknown six teams? 

While 42 teams have already secured their place at the tournament, six more will join them through the playoffs in March 2026. Heavyweights such as Italy, Denmark, Sweden, and Poland could reshape the look of the group stage but their fate won't be known for a few more months. What we do know is that on Friday, the qualified teams will finally discover whether there's someone in the draw they should be wary of.

The official pots are as follows:

• Pot 1: Canada, Mexico, USA, Spain, Argentina, France, England, Brazil, Portugal, Netherlands, Belgium, Germany
• Pot 2: Croatia, Morocco, Colombia, Uruguay, Switzerland, Japan, Senegal, Iran, Korea Republic, Ecuador, Austria, Australia
• Pot 3: Norway, Panama, Egypt, Algeria, Scotland, Paraguay, Tunisia, Côte d'Ivoire, Uzbekistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, South Africa
• Pot 4: Jordan, Cabo Verde, Ghana, Curaçao, Haiti, New Zealand, European Play-Off A, B, C and D, FIFA, Play-Off Tournament 1 and 2

For our preview of the UEFA playoffs, click here.

For our preview on the inter-confederation playoffs, click here.