2026 FIFA Men's World Cup groups are set. See the USA matchups and possible "Group of Death."

The record 48 participating teams that will take part in this summer's tournament have been separated into 12 groups of four.

Group A: Mexico, South Africa, Korea Republic, UEFA Playoff D Winner

Group B: Canada, UEFA Playoff A Winner, Qatar, Switzerland

Group C: Brazil, Morocco, Haiti, Scotland

Group D: USA, Paraguay, Australia, UEFA Playoff C Winner

Group E: Germany, Curaçao, Côte D'Ivoire, Ecuador

Group F: Netherlands, Japan,  UEFA Playoff B Winner, Tunisia

Group G: Belgium, Egypt, Iran, New Zealand

Group H: Spain, Cabo Verde, Saudi Arabia, Uruguay

Group I: France, Senegal, FIFA 2 Winner, Norway

Group J: Argentina, Algeria, Austria, Jordan

Group K: Portugal, FIFA 1 Winner, Uzbekistan, Colombia

Group L: England, Croatia, Ghana, Panama

The playoff games will be decided in March 2026.

The rest of the world calls it "football." Americans may call it "soccer."

On Friday, President Trump weighed in on the ongoing debate about the sport's name, saying it should be named "football."

"We seem to never call it that because we have a little bit of a conflict with another thing that's called football," Mr. Trump said, drawing applause from the crowd.

"When you think about it, shouldn't it really be called — I mean, this is football, there's no question," he said of soccer. "But we have to come up with another name (for the NFL)."

"It doesn't make sense when you think about it," he went on.

Residents in the Haitian capital of Port-au-Prince praised the sense of pride their team has given them by qualifying for this summer's World Cup. Haiti, which has long been plagued by gang wars, homelessness and hunger, last qualified for the tournament in 1974.

Jocenlin Henry, 33, said many people thought it would be impossible for Haiti to qualify for the World Cup – equating the achievement to the independence revolution that made Haiti the first free Black republic in Latin America.

"The guys have proven they can succeed, and we will fight to win the title," Henry said Friday. "It's an incredible milestone."

Jean Wisner is a player with Port-au-Prince's Don Bosco FC.

"It will be a good time for us to raise the country's flag high, despite everything happening in the country," Wisner said. "I think it would be even more proud for us to join the United States in winning this competition, to show Donald Trump, the president of the United States, that violence isn't the only thing in our country; we have football and a lot of talent."

Defending FIFA Men's World Cup champions Argentina and Lionel Messi will begin their tournament campaign against Algeria next summer.

The three-time champions will also play Austria and Jordan in Group J.

With the groups set, the matchup dates and locations are being calculated and will be released around 12 p.m. EST on Saturday, Dec. 6.

"The match allocation process that follows the draw aims to ensure the best possible conditions for all teams while, where possible, enabling fans all over the world to watch their teams play live across different time zones," FIFA said in a statement.

The complete fixture list with all kick-off times and venues will cover matches at all 16 host cities in North America and span four time zones. Cities in the U.S. include Atlanta, Boston, Dallas, Houston, Kansas City, Los Angeles, Miami, New York/New Jersey, Philadelphia, San Francisco Bay Area and Seattle.

The opening match will be at the Estadio Azteca in Mexico City, Mexico on June 11 between Mexico and South Africa.

All games from the quarterfinals on will be in the U.S., culminating in the July 19 final at East Rutherford, New Jersey.

Balanced competition and big matchups happening later in the tournament were the goals of the new grouping rules of this year's FIFA World Cup draw, but did it still produce a Group of Death?

Groups I and L are getting lots of attention for major matchups between France-Senegal and England-Croatia at the tops of those groups, but some potential upsets as well.

Ghana, Panama and Norway are talented teams with respectable world rankings that could give their groups nightmares and push a hopeful side out of the knockout stages.

Group I: France, Senegal, Norway, Playoff 2 winner (Bolivia/Suriname/Iraq)

Group L: England, Croatia, Panama, Ghana

The Village People closed out the FIFA Men's World Cup draw ceremony with a lively rendition of its mega-hit "Y.M.C.A."

The song has long been a favorite of President Trump, who was spotted dancing during the performance.

Four-time World Cup champions Italy have missed out on the last two tournaments and must get through the playoffs in March to make it to the 2026 edition.

If it does, it will likely fancy its chances to advance to the knockout stage after being drawn in a group with Canada, Qatar and Switzerland.

Italy faces Northern Ireland in a play-off semi-final match on March 26, 2026. If they win, the Azzuri will play either Wales or Bosnia and Herzegovina in a final played on March 31, 2026.

The groups are set for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, and there are multiple playoffs yet to be finalized to determine the last slots for the group stage.

European Playoff C includes Turkey, Romania, Slovakia, and Kosovo. The winner of matchups between those four teams in March 2026 will produce the final team in Group D that the USA will face in the big competition.

The U.S. hasn't played more than two matchups against any of the teams in the European playoff, so the American team will have little familiarity with whichever team fills out the group.

Team USA has a relatively favorable road to the knockout stages, with no major European or Latin powerhouse teams in their group.

Group D, which has already had selections of the U.S. and Australia, now has a third, this time from Latin America.

Paraguay from Pot 3 is selected for group stage matches for their 10th-ever World Cup competition.

Against the Albirroja of Paraguay, America has a record of 5-2-2 in nine matchups, but recent matchups have been much closer, with a 0-1 loss to Paraguay in the 2016 Copa America still a sour note.

The 2026 FIFA World Cup will begin on June 11 at the Estadio Azteca in Mexico City, Mexico, with a matchup between host nation Mexico and Group A challenger South Africa.

In 2010, South Africa became the first African nation to host a World Cup.

Estadio Azteca is currently undergoing renovations ahead of the major competition to expand capacity to over 90,000 seats.

On stage, NBA legend Shaquille O'Neal pulled the nations from Pot 2 that are matched up in each group, and Australia has been pulled for Group D.

With the USA also being in Group D, the Aussies and the Americans will face off for a spot in the knockout round of 32.

The match will be the first in an international competition between the two teams. The U.S. is 2-1-1 all-time in four international friendlies with Australia.

After soliciting advice in a pre-produced segment from World Cup ambassadors and actors Matthew McConaughey and Selma Hayek, England legend Rio Ferdinand takes the stage alongside hosts Klum and Hart.

Another video, this one an explainer of this year's rules changes, is also showing schoolchildren "teaching" Ferdinand about how the draw will work.

Ferdinand is one of England's most decorated defenders of all time, playing for three World Cup teams and sporting the Three Lions 81 times for the England national team between 1997 and 2011.

Robbie Williams and Nicole Scherzinger delivered a rousing performance of FIFA's official hymn, "Desire," earning them a standing ovation.

Williams, a FIFA music ambassador, rose to fame with the pop group Take That before launching a blockbuster solo career marked by numerous multi-platinum albums.

Scherzinger, a singer, actress and television personality, is best known as the lead vocalist of the Pussycat Dolls and a judge on "The Masked Singer."

The leaders of the three host countries have drawn their names from a "selection" on stage in which was more ceremonial than a random drawing.

Prime Minister Mark Carney picked Canada from Pot 1 to head Group B. Mexico's President Claudia Sheinbaum picked Mexico to head Group A, and President Trump picked the USA to head Group D.

The selections ended with a group selfie with Infantino.

Reigning World Cup champion Argentina's head coach, Lionel Scaloni, brought out the famed winner's trophy to the stage. But there's another trophy catching Futbol fans' eyes.

The LEGO Group and FIFA have collaborated ahead of the World Cup to create a LEGO version of the trophy.

Launching in March 2026, this first-ever, official 1:1 detailed replica of the world football's ultimate prize allows fans to bring home a golden piece of the tournament's magic and display their passion for football.

The buildable trophy is made of 2,842 LEGO pieces and includes a hidden scene which can be opened via a pullable slip in the upper globe section.

Speaking briefly, Mr. Trump said it was a "tremendous honor" to accept the FIFA Peace Prize and to appear with Infantino. He also thanked his wife, the first lady, for her support. 

"The world is a safer place now," he said, insisting the U.S. is the "hottest country anywhere in the world." 

Earlier in the day, the president insisted he didn't know if he would receive the prize. 

A voice of god announcement proclaimed Mr. Trump the recipient of the "Inaugural 2025 FIFA Peace Prize."

The announcement said football "stands for peace," and for Mr. Trump's actions taken to help end conflicts around the globe. 

Infantino then welcomed Mr. Trump onto the stage. 

"Mr. President, this is your prize, this is your peace prize that is also a beautiful medal for you that you can wear everywhere you want to go," Infantino said. 

Mr. Trump put the medal on immediately, and Infantino read the certificate to the U.S. president. 

"Like everyone here in the room we see images of war all over the world. And like everyone, we suffer for every child that dies. We cry with every mother that loses someone she loves. And we want to see hope. We want to see unity. We want to see the future," Infantino said.

Infantino said he was "lucky" to witness some of the peace agreements Mr. Trump has helped broker. 

"This is what we want from a leader, a leader that cares about people," Infantino said. 

In his opening remarks to the Kennedy Center audience, FIFA President Gianni Infantino thanked the leaders of the three host countries – President Trump, Mexico's President Claudia Sheinbaum, and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney – for their country's hospitality as the continent gets ready to host 7 million attendees to these matches.

More than 6 billion people are expected to have access to watch the matches, or as Infantino put it for Americans, "104 Super Bowls at once."

He ended his opening remarks with audience members from each of the three hosts chanting their countries' names like they are already in the stands rooting on their teams.

"Something that the Kennedy Center has likely never had before," says Infantino, which could apply to most of the day's events.

Singer Andrea Bocelli began the ceremony on Friday by belting out a rendition of "Nessun Dorma" from the opera Turandot. The song has a connection to the World Cup because of its use as theme music by the BBC for the 1990 tournament in Italy.

Other musical performances expected from Robbie Williams, Nicole Scherzinger and the Village People.

Four countries are set to make their World Cup debuts this summer. Cape Verde, Curaçao, Jordan and Uzbekistan booked their tickets to the largest soccer tournament.

The Caribbean island of Curaçao, an autonomous territory within the Netherlands kingdom, is the smallest nation by population to ever qualify for the World Cup. Cape Verde, the island nation off the coast of West Africa, is the third smallest.

The number of debutants could rise after the playoffs in March. New Caledonia, Suriname, Kosovo and Albania are all in the mix.

Unlike other sports drafts and lotteries (excluding the NFL), the FIFA World Cup Draw is its own spectacle that gets fans to gather at local watering holes to watch and cheer on the expected matchups.

In the Washington, D.C. region, European-style pubs opened their doors early and invited fans to drink and watch the draw.

In the nation's capital, Elephant & Castle Pub on Penn Ave and The Queen Vic Pub on H Street are both holding watch parties for World Cup viewers. Meanwhile, Ireland's Four Courts in Arlington, Virginia, is expecting spectators as well.

Watch parties at pubs, breweries, and places of imbibing across North America will be tuned in for the draw.

Standing alongside FIFA President Gianni Infantino, President Trump said it's an "honor" to have the FIFA Men's World Cup draw at the Kennedy Center, and for the U.S. to host the games. 

Mr. Trump said Infantino has "done an incredible job," and there are "record ticket sales." 

"We're honored to have it here, and it's been very special," he said.

The president also claimed he isn't sure he's getting a FIFA Peace Prize today. 

"I don't need the prizes," he said. 

The highest-ranked team that hasn't already qualified for this World Cup is four-time champion Italy, ranked No. 12 by FIFA.

The Italians still have a chance to qualify via UEFA Playoff A, so teams will likely be hoping to avoid being in the same group with that pot 4 placeholder.

In the past, World Cups have included a so-called "Group of Death" — a group that seems unusually difficult following the luck of the draw. With more teams spread out across more groups — and with the pots largely organized in descending order of FIFA rankings — there might not be an obvious Group of Death this time around.

But there is still substantial variance in the quality of teams that could come out of pot 4, which includes the four European playoff winners (which could include Italy and No. 21 Denmark) as well as No. 86 New Zealand and tiny World Cup newcomers Curacao and Cape Verde.

President Trump is expected to receive the inaugural FIFA Peace Prize during the festivities on Friday.

FIFA President Gianni Infantino, who has a close relationship with Mr. Trump, established the peace prize after traveling to several events with the U.S. president.

The award will "recognize exceptional actions for peace," soccer's governing body said in November.

Infantino has remained tight-lipped about whether Mr. Trump will be the first recipient of the award. Mr. Trump has campaigned in the past for a Nobel Peace Prize.

"I'm really lucky. I have a great relationship with President Trump, who I consider really a close friend," Infantino said last month. "Of course, he's been very, very helpful in everything we do for the World Cup. ... He has such an incredible energy and this is something that I really admire. He does things. He does what he says. He says what he thinks. He says, actually, what many people think as well, but maybe don't dare to say. And that's why he's so successful."

By: CBS/AP

FIFA has enlisted the help of some of the biggest names in Hollywood, sports and music to take part in Friday's hotly anticipated World Cup draw. 

Comedian Kevin Hart, actor Danny Ramirez and "Project Runway" judge Heidi Klum will serve as the hosts of the draw, FIFA said.

The event will feature musical performances from Andrea Bocelli, Robbie Williams, Nicole Scherzinger and the Village People, whose song "Y.M.C.A." has long been a favorite of President Trump on the campaign trail. The White House confirmed late Thursday that Mr. Trump will be attending the draw.

Bocelli is also scheduled to hold a concert at the White House on Friday night, the White House said.

England soccer legend Rio Ferdinand will conduct the draw itself, FIFA said. He will be assisted by NFL great Tom Brady, NHL icon Wayne Gretzky, New York Yankees star Aaron Judge and retired NBA Hall of Famer Shaquille O'Neal. Former New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning will also serve as a red carpet host. 

"Being part of the Final Draw for the FIFA World Cup is an incredible honor — it's the kind of global stage every athlete dreams of," Brady said in a statement. "I'm excited to help set the path for a tournament that brings the world together like nothing else."  

To avoid top-ranked teams playing each other early in the knockout stage, FIFA altered the format for the 2026 tournament to make it less likely that the top four seeds will play each other before the Semifinals.

In prior tournaments, seeding for the knockout stage was determined only by which group a team happened to come out of. This meant it was possible for high-seeded favorites to face off in earlier rounds of the knockout stage.

This year, FIFA has made it so that the top four seeds will be placed in specific groups to ensure that, as long as they win their group, they will be placed on opposite ends of the bracket during the knockout stage. This guarantees that if the top two seeds, Spain and Argentina, win their groups, they would not play each other before the Final.

The draw will divide the 48 teams into 12 groups of four. The teams will be pulled from four separate pots, which are determined by the teams' rankings.

Pot 1 includes the three host countries — the U.S., Canada and Mexico — along with Spain, Argentina, France, England, Brazil, Portugal, the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany.

Pot 2 is Croatia, Morocco, Colombia, Uruguay, Switzerland, Japan, Senegal, Iran, the Korea Republic, Ecuador, Austria and Australia.

Pot 3 is Norway, Panama, Egypt, Algeria, Scotland, Paraguay, Tunisia, Côte d'Ivoire, Uzbekistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and South Africa.

Pot 4 is Jordan, Cabo Verde, Ghana, Curaçao, Haiti, New Zealand and the six remaining playoff teams that will be determined in March.

Teams in Pot 1 will be placed in the top position of the group they are drawn into. Two teams in the same confederation — the regional groups FIFA splits international teams into — cannot be placed into the same group, except for the European confederation UEFA, which has more teams than there are groups.

During the group stage, the teams in a given group play each other in a round-robin format. At the end of the group stage, the top two teams from each group and the top eight third-place teams across all groups advance to the knockout stage.

The knockout stage is a single-elimination format, in which teams face off in a bracket format and must win in order to advance to the next round, with five total rounds: the Round of 32, the Round of 16, Quarterfinals, Semifinals and the Final.

There is also a third-place match played between the losers of the Semifinals.

The 2026 World Cup has three host countries: the U.S., Canada and Mexico. 

The matches begin June 11 and will be played in 16 venues across the three countries, with the Final being held at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, just a few miles from New York City. 

FIFA has strict rules concerning stadium sponsorships, and as a result, the stadiums with corporate names will be referred to by alternate names throughout the tournament. 

Here are the venues set to host 2026 World Cup matches:

U.S.

• MetLife Stadium (New York New Jersey Stadium) — East Rutherford, New Jersey
• AT&T Stadium (Dallas Stadium) — Arlington, Texas
• Mercedes-Benz Stadium (Atlanta Stadium) — Atlanta, Georgia
• GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium (Kansas City Stadium) — Kansas City, Missouri
• NRG Stadium (Houston Stadium) — Houston, Texas
• Levi's Stadium (San Francisco Bay Area Stadium) — Santa Clara, California
• SoFi Stadium (Los Angeles Stadium) — Los Angeles, California
• Lincoln Financial Field (Philadelphia Stadium) — Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
• Lumen Field (Seattle Stadium) — Seattle, Washington
• Gillette Stadium (Boston Stadium) — Foxborough, Massachusetts
• Hard Rock Stadium (Miami Stadium) — Miami Gardens, Florida

Mexico

• Estadio Banorte (Mexico City Stadium) — Mexico City
• Estadio BBVA (Estadio Monterrey) — Guadalupe
• Estadio Akron (Estadio Guadalajara) — Zapopan

Canada

• BC Place (BC Place Vancouver) — Vancouver
• BMO Field (Toronto Stadium) — Toronto  
  

The 2026 FIFA World Cup will run from June 11 through July 19, 2026, with a total of 104 matches planned in the tournament.

The group stage begins on June 11, with the final match of that round scheduled for June 27.

In the knockout stage, the Round of 32, will run from June 28 to July 3. The Round of 16 starts on July 4 and runs through July 7. 

The Quarterfinals will be held from July 9 through July 11, the Semis will be played on July 14 and 15, and the third-place match is set for July 18. 

The Final will be held on July 19.

Prior to the draw, 42 of the 48 slots for the 2026 FIFA World Cup were set. It is the largest field in the history of the international soccer tournament, increasing from the 32 slots that had been in place for the prior seven World Cup tournaments. 

Spain is the top-ranked team in the tournament, with Argentina, France and England rounding out the top four. 

The six remaining spots will be determined by two separate playoffs held in March in Mexico. Four of the spots will go to European teams competing in one of the playoffs. The other two spots will come from the other playoff featuring teams from outside of Europe.

Here are the 42 countries that have secured a spot:

• United States (Host)
• Mexico (Host)
• Canada (Host)
• England
• France
• Croatia
• Portugal
• Norway
• Germany
• Netherlands
• Switzerland
• Scotland
• Spain
• Austria
• Belgium
• Morocco
• Egypt
• Tunisia
• Ghana
• Cabo Verde
• Algeria
• South Africa
• Senegal
• Ivory Coast
• Argentina
• Brazil
• Ecuador
• Colombia
• Paraguay
• Uruguay
• New Zealand
• Haiti
• Curacao
• Panama
• Iran
• Uzbekistan
• South Korea
• Jordan
• Australia
• Japan
  
• Qatar
• Saudi Arabia

The 2026 FIFA World Cup draw will air live in English on Fox television stations and in Spanish on Telemundo. It can also be streamed at FIFA.com. 

The draw will be broadcast live from the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in D.C. and is set to begin at 12 p.m. ET and run until 2 p.m.