The eyes of the world were on the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. today for the 2026 FIFA World Cup draw. 

A lineup of world leaders and A-listers from sports and entertainment was on hand for the draw, which determined which teams will face off against each other in the World Cup's group stage. Only the top two finishers in each group are guaranteed to advance to the bracket portion of the tournament, known as the knockout round, which will ultimately decide the FIFA World Cup champion.

The tree host nations were pre-assigned; Team USA to Group D, Team Mexico to Group A and Team Canada to Group B.

The other 45 teams were assigned based on the draw. They were arranged from highest-ranked to lowest-ranked and split into four pots, with a representative from each pot assigned to each group. Teams filling six of the spots will be determined through a playoff process and they were placed in the lowest-ranked pot.

Joining Team USA in Group D will be Australia, Paraguay and a European playoff winner.

South Korea, South Africa and a European playoff winner will be in Group A with Mexico. Switzerland, Qatar and a European playoff winner will be in Group B with Canada.

2026 FIFA World Cup group stage matches in North Texas

The draw also determined which teams will play their group-stage matches in North Texas. When FIFA released the schedule for the World Cup earlier this year, each host city was designated matches in certain groups.

AT&T Stadium, which will be known as Dallas Stadium during the tournament, will host five group stage matches; Two for Group F, two for Group J and one for Group L. The first of the five matches in Arlington will take place on Sunday, June 14. 

FIFA will release a final match schedule for the group stage on Saturday.

The following teams could play their group stage matches in Arlington:

Group F

• The Netherlands
• Japan
• Tunisia
• FIFA playoff winner (non-European team)

Group J

• Argentina
• Austria
• Algeria
• Jordan

Group L

• England
• Croatia
• Panama
• Ghana