What to know about the 2026 FIFA Men’s World Cup draw:
- Forty-eight countries, the largest number in the history of the tournament, will compete in the 2026 FIFA Men’s World Cup.
- The 12 groups of four that make up the World Cup draw were revealed during a draw ceremony on Friday.
- The draw was held at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C.
- President Trump, who attended the ceremony at the Kennedy Center, was awarded the inaugural FIFA Peace Prize.
- Some of the big names who took part in the draw included Kevin Hart, Heidi Klum, Tom Brady, Robbie Williams, Shaquille O’Neal, Rio Ferdinand and Wayne Gretzky.
- Get highlights and analysis at CBSSports.com and on CBS Sports HQ.
The table is set
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.
“Football” vs “soccer”? Trump weighs in
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.
Haiti’s qualification brings a breath of hope
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.
