The 2026 World Cup draw in Washington, D.C. is approaching: Date, time, and performing artists

The draw for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which will determine the matches to be played during the tournament — to be held in the United States, Mexico, and Canada — will take place in Washington, D.C. Originally, the event was to be held in Las Vegas, Nevada, as it was in 1994, according to reports. However, plans changed after U.S. President Donald Trump intervened and asked Gianni Infantino, FIFA president, to move the event to the nation’s capital.

The unexpected friendship between Trump and Infantino has caused controversy, not only because of the change of venue for the draw, but also because the FIFA leader has been accused of violating the rules on neutrality that the organization must follow. In addition, he recently announced the creation of a “FIFA peace award,” which will be presented on the same day that the teams competing in the most important tournament in global soccer will be decided. Infantino has not maintained the same relationship with the leaders of the other organizing nations, who will also be present at the draw.

When and at what time is the FIFA draw?

On December 5, 2025, the draw will be held to determine the groups for the 2026 World Cup. On that day, the teams will find out who their rivals are and their path to the final, which will be played on July 19, 2026, in New York–New Jersey. One day later, on December 6, the updated schedule will be published with the stadium and time for each match.

The draw will take place at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., at 12:00 p.m. ET, and at the following times across the United States:

Central Time (CT): 11:00 a.m.

Mountain Time (MT): 10:00 a.m.

Pacific Time (PT): 9:00 a.m.

Alaska Time (AKT): 8:00 a.m.

Hawaii–Aleutian Time (HAT): 7:00 a.m.

Which artists will be performing?

As part of the event, there will be a concert featuring global acts such as the Village People (who will open the show with their hit YMCA, a favorite of Trump’s during his presidential campaign), Britain’s Robbie Williams, and opera icon Andrea Bocelli.

The show will be co-hosted by model Heidi Klum, comedian Kevin Hart, and actor Danny Ramirez.

How does the draw work

The four pots for the draw have been decided for the 48 teams (six of which are still to be decided in the intercontinental and European playoffs). The host countries — Canada, Mexico, and the United States — will be in Pot 1, along with the nine highest-ranked teams in the FIFA rankings on November 19, 2025.

The other qualified teams will be distributed among pots 2, 3, and 4 according to the same ranking. In addition, the two teams that emerge from the intercontinental playoffs and the four that come from the European playoffs in March 2026 will be placed in pot 4.

The name of each country is printed on a piece of paper, which is then folded and placed inside a plastic ball numbered 1 to 4 to represent one of the four pots. The draw representatives mix the balls in large glass bowls and then draw one ball from each to form the groups.

The draw process is simple. First, the teams in pot 1 are assigned to groups A through L, with fixed positions already established for the hosts: Mexico will be A1, Canada B1, and the United States D1, each represented by a different colored ball. The other nine teams in pot 1 will automatically occupy position 1 in their groups. Then, the teams from pots 2, 3, and 4 are drawn in order, according to the allocation pattern defined by FIFA.

Several restrictions apply to maintain the balance of the tournament. The four highest-ranked teams — Spain, Argentina, France, and England — will be distributed across two different paths to the semifinals to prevent them from facing each other before the final if they all win their groups. Confederation rules also apply: there can only be one team per confederation in each group, except in the case of UEFA, which can have up to two per group. The same restrictions apply to teams coming from the playoffs.

The event will also mark the first time that Donald Trump and his Mexican counterpart Claudia Sheinbaum will meet face to face. Despite initial tensions, they have defined their relationship through pragmatism and cordial and respectful bilateral dialogue. To date, they have held at least six direct telephone calls, focusing on key issues such as migration, trade, border security, and the fight against drug trafficking.

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