The upcoming World Cup promises to be bigger than ever before, with more teams, more host countries and more matches, and on Friday, soccer fans will get their first taste of what it will take for their nation to bring home glory in the globe’s most popular tournament.
The 2026 World Cup draw kicks off at 9 a.m. at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., where President Donald Trump and a host of high-profile guests and performers will be on hand as the 42 teams that have already qualified learn their group-stage assignments. The remaining six spots of the expanded 48-team field will be determined through separate tournaments in March before the 23rd World Cup officially begins in June.
What we won’t learn: Which teams and what matches will be coming to Levi’s Stadium. The home of the 49ers in Santa Clara will host five group-stage matches and one knockout-round bout, but the schedule and sites of the games won’t be part of the event Friday; FIFA will make a separate announcement on Saturday.
Confused yet? We’re here to help.
What is the World Cup draw, and what should we expect Friday?
The World Cup begins June 11 and runs through July 19, with matches taking place at 16 sites across the U.S., Mexico and Canada. It starts in the group stage, with the 48 teams divided into 12 groups of four, where they play round-robin style to determine who advances to the Round of 32.
In other words, the groups’ pairings set the stage for the entire tournament. That is the big unveiling of Friday’s draw.
FIFA president Gianni Infantino and other soccer celebrities will draw small, colored balls representing each country that have been divided into four pots. One team from each pot will comprise each of the 12 individual, four-team groups. The first pot consists of the three hosts countries and the top nine other teams in the global rankings, with the next 12 ranked teams in the second pot and so on. The fourth pot includes the final six undetermined spots — four from Europe — which can lead to a so-called “Group of Death.”
- Pot 1: Canada, Mexico, USA, Spain, Argentina, France, England, Brazil, Portugal, Netherlands, Belgium, Germany
- Pot 2: Croatia, Morocco, Colombia, Uruguay, Switzerland, Japan, Senegal, IR 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
According to FIFA, the draw will take up about half of the 90 minutes allotted for the program, which will be co-hosted by supermodel Heidi Klum, comedian Kevin Hart and actor/producer Danny Ramirez and includes performances from Andrea Bocelli, Robbie Williams, Nicole Scherzinger and the Village People.
FIFA will also present its inaugural “Peace Prize,” and both Trump and Infantino are expected to speak.
How do I watch?
The draw will be televised live on FOX beginning at 9 a.m.
Local fans will have the opportunity to watch together at events around the Bay Area organized by the Bay Area Host Committee. The official watch party will take place at Thrive City outside Chase Center in San Francisco, with satellite events in San Jose, at PayPal Park, and in Oakland, at The Athletic Club.
However, there will only be so much to celebrate with FIFA delaying the announcement of the schedule of the games until the following day. Fans will learn the group-stage pairings for their teams, but those hoping to attend matches will have to wait to learn which ones will be coming to Santa Clara.
What is different this year from past World Cups?
In past years, FIFA has typically incorporated the schedule announcement into the draw, but the decision to spread the news out over two days isn’t the only difference in this year’s tournament. Previous iterations have featured 32 teams; this will be the first World Cup with 48.
Additionally, FIFA has taken measures to ensure the top teams cannot knock each other out in early rounds. For the first time, the top four teams in the global rankings — Spain, defending champion Argentina, France and England — will be seeded on opposite sides of the bracket, guaranteeing they won’t meet until the semifinals.
How will the Bay Area and Levi’s Stadium be involved?
While it remains to be determined which teams will be coming to Santa Clara, we do know when the matches will take place. Levi’s Stadium will host five group stage matches from June 13 to June 25 (the others on the 16th, the 19th and the 22nd) and one game in the Round of 32, set for July 1.
It’s also assured that none of the three host countries — the U.S., Mexico and Canada — will be assigned to Santa Clara. The Americans are set to play in Los Angeles and Seattle, the Mexicans in Mexico City and Guadalajara and the Canadians in Toronto and Vancouver.