What's happened
The 2026 FIFA World Cup draw took place at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC, revealing the 12 groups for the expanded 48-team tournament. The event was attended by US President Trump, FIFA President Infantino, and leaders from Canada and Mexico. The tournament will be hosted across North America, with notable matchups and a new format including a round of 32 knockout stage.
What's behind the headline?
The draw at the Kennedy Center underscores FIFA's effort to elevate the tournament's profile amid political spectacle, with US President Trump and FIFA President Infantino in attendance. The expanded format will intensify competition, especially in the 'group of death' which includes top-ranked teams like Brazil, England, and France. The event's political and commercial elements suggest FIFA's strategic push to maximize global engagement and revenue. The inclusion of first-time qualifiers like Cape Verde and Curaçao highlights FIFA's broader reach, but the tournament's success will depend on competitive balance and logistical execution across three nations. The presence of political figures and the emphasis on ticket sales indicate FIFA's focus on spectacle and profitability, potentially overshadowing sporting integrity.
What the papers say
Al Jazeera reports on the event's high-profile attendance and the draw's significance, emphasizing the political spectacle with President Trump and FIFA's peace prize. The Independent highlights the tournament's expansion to 48 teams, the joint hosting across North America, and the competitive stakes for teams like England and Argentina. It also notes FIFA's strategic focus on ticket sales and the new format's implications. Ronald Blum's coverage details the logistical aspects, including venues, ticket pricing, and the qualification process, providing context on the tournament's scale and commercial ambitions. The contrasting perspectives reveal FIFA's balancing act between sporting competition, political spectacle, and commercial interests, with some concern over the tournament's political overtones and logistical complexity.
How we got here
This is the first World Cup with 48 nations, hosted jointly by the US, Canada, and Mexico, from June to July 2026. The draw determines group placements, with 42 teams already qualified and 22 still competing in playoffs. The expansion aims to increase global participation and attendance, with the tournament featuring 16 venues across three countries.
Go deeper
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France, officially the French Republic, is a country consisting of metropolitan France in Western Europe and several overseas regions and territories.
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Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At 8.5 million square kilometers and with over 211 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area and the sixth most
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FIFA is a non-profit organization which describes itself as an international governing body of association football, fútsal, beach soccer, and efootball. It is the highest governing body of football.
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Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country located mostly in the southern half of South America. Sharing the bulk of the Southern Cone with Chile to the west, the country is also bordered by Bolivia and Paraguay to the north, Brazil to the
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Spain, officially the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southwestern Europe with some pockets of territory across the Strait of Gibraltar and the Atlantic Ocean. Its continental European territory is situated on the Iberian Peninsula.
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Giovanni Vincenzo "Gianni" Infantino is a Swiss–Italian football administrator and the current president of FIFA. He was elected President of FIFA during the 2016 FIFA Extraordinary Congress on 26 February 2016.
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Donald John Trump is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021.