The 2026 FIFA World Cup draw took place on Friday morning, determining the 12 groups for the quadrennial tournament. The match schedule, to see which teams will play where and when, will be released Saturday morning (check back for updates).
A record 64 nations were included in the draw at the JFK Center in Washington, D.C., more than 30% of the organization’s members, as soccer’s leaders insist a bigger tournament is better.
At 11 a.m. CT on Saturday, we will find out which teams will play at AT&T Stadium in June 2026 when the kickoff times and locations for Group Stage matches are released.
Here’s how it works:
Of the 42 qualified teams, 39 are split into four pots based on FIFA’s Nov. 2025 men’s world rankings. The three hosts — the U.S., Canada, and Mexico — will enter Pot one.
Pot two will include the next 12 highest-ranking qualifying teams. The same goes for Pots three and four.
The last six teams, determined by playoff qualifications, will enter Pot 4 and play at a later date.
There will be 12 groups, each comprising four teams, similar to previous tournaments. Games will be played in a round-robin format, with the top two teams and the eight best third-place teams advancing to the round of 32.
From there, it will be single-elimination games until the final. The teams that make the final four, including the third-place game, will play a total of eight matches now instead of seven. In total, there will be 104 games instead of 64 across the tournament.
Additionally, teams from the same confederation cannot draw each other in the group stage. The only exception is some European teams due to the number of nations involved, but only two max.
Preparations for the games are ongoing across North Texas, from airports to possible practice facilities.
Dallas will host the international broadcast center at the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center. Fair Park will host the volunteer center. All of this will lead to nine matches being played at AT&T Stadium.
The world will be watching the draw in Washington, D.C. at 11 a.m. Saturday CT, including right here in North Texas.
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