The three host nations—Canada, Mexico, and the United States—will share Pot 1 with the top nine teams from the FIFA ranking published on November 19: Spain, Argentina, France, England, Brazil, Portugal, the Netherlands, Belgium, and Germany. With this update, FIFA confirmed that Belgium will be among the twelve seeded teams for the 2026 World Cup draw, which will take place on December 5 in Washington. 

The ranking will also serve as the basis for allocating the remaining qualified teams into Pots 2, 3, and 4, while the six winners of the March playoffs will be placed directly into Pot 4. In this first edition with 48 teams, the tournament format introduces two separate knockout brackets starting from the semifinals to ensure competitive balance. To support this structure, the two highest-ranked nations—Spain and Argentina—will be assigned to opposite sides of the bracket and, as long as they finish first in their groups, will not be able to meet before a potential final.

The same rule applies to the teams ranked third and fourth, France and England, so that the major contenders are fairly distributed and do not accumulate on one side of the competition. Geographical distribution will also play a major role in the draw. Only one team per confederation may be placed in each group, with the sole exception of UEFA, which will have 16 representatives.

European teams must be distributed so that each group contains at least one but no more than two. Through these guidelines, FIFA aims to create a World Cup draw that balances sporting fairness, geographic diversity, and excitement throughout the entire tournament.