FIFA has unveiled the seeding pots and draw procedures for the 2026 World Cup — the first-ever 48-team version — confirming a significant structural change that can maintain the world’s prime 4 groups aside till the semi-finals. The announcement, made on Tuesday, units the stage for a historic draw scheduled for December 5 in Washington DC.Go Past The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!Below the brand new system, the 4 highest-ranked groups — Spain (No. 1), Argentina (No. 2), France (No. 3), and England (No. 4) — will likely be positioned in two totally different halves of the knockout bracket, making certain they can’t face one another earlier than the final 4 if all win their teams. The transfer goals to keep up aggressive steadiness and enhance the possibilities of heavyweight clashes deep into the match.

All 4 top-ranked groups have been positioned in Pot 1, alongside co-hosts Canada, Mexico, and the US, and different world giants together with Brazil, Portugal, Netherlands, Belgium, and Germany, who narrowly held on to a seeded spot.FIFA confirmed that the draw will begin with the 12 groups in Pot 1 earlier than continuing sequentially by Pots 2, 3, and 4. The expanded format means the match will characteristic 12 teams of 4, with the highest two from every group — plus the eight greatest third-placed groups — progressing to a brand new 32-team knockout stage.Six locations stay unfilled, with 18 groups nonetheless battling within the March play-offs. Amongst them is four-time world champion Italy, presently within the playoffs and dealing with the opportunity of touchdown in Pot 4 regardless of being ranked twelfth on this planet.The expanded draw additionally options a number of debutant nations. Uzbekistan headline Pot 3, whereas Jordan, Cape Verde, and Curaçao sit in Pot 4 together with potential playoff winners.Listed here are the confirmed pots:

With the largest World Cup in historical past simply over a 12 months away, the December 5 draw guarantees the primary actual glimpse of soccer’s new world period.