48 teams will participate in this competition, divided into 12 groups.
The results of the draw:
- Group A: Mexico, South Africa, South Korea, winner of the European playoff path D;
- Group B: Canada, winner of the European playoff path A, Qatar, Switzerland;
- Group C: Brazil, Morocco, Haiti, Scotland;
- Group D: USA, Paraguay, Australia, winner of the European playoff path C;
- Group E: Germany, Curaçao, Ivory Coast, Ecuador;
- Group F: Netherlands, Japan, winner of the European playoff path B, Tunisia;
- Group G: Belgium, Egypt, Iran, New Zealand;
- Group H: Spain, Cape Verde, Saudi Arabia, Uruguay;
- Group I: France, Senegal, winner of the intercontinental playoffs No. 2, Norway;
- Group J: Argentina, Algeria, Austria, Jordan;
- Group K: Portugal, winner of the intercontinental playoffs No. 1, Uzbekistan, Colombia;
- Group L: England, Croatia, Ghana, Panama.
The ceremony, held at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, attracted the attention of the presidents of the USA and Mexico — Donald Trump and Claudia Sheinbaum, as well as the Prime Minister of Canada Mark Carney.
Gianni Infantino, the president of FIFA, presented Donald Trump with a peace award from the federation.
As of now, 42 out of 48 participating teams have been determined. The remaining four spots will be contested in Europe, with two in intercontinental playoffs.
In the European qualifiers, Italy, Northern Ireland, Wales, and Bosnia and Herzegovina (path A) will compete for spots, as well as Ukraine, Sweden, Poland, and Albania (path B), Turkey, Romania, Slovakia, and Kosovo (path C), Denmark, North Macedonia, Czech Republic, and Ireland (path D).
In the intercontinental playoffs, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, New Caledonia, and Jamaica will face off (path No. 1), as well as Iraq, Bolivia, and Suriname (path No. 2).
