FIFA announced on Tuesday the official procedure for the final draw of the 2026 World Cup. It will take place on Dec. 5 in Washington and will determine the composition of the 12 groups of four teams, featuring 48 squads. Morocco finds itself in Pot 2, alongside countries such as Croatia, Colombia, Senegal, as well as Switzerland and Japan, according to the FIFA/Coca-Cola world ranking published on Nov. 19. The three host countries, Canada, the United States, and Mexico, are automatically placed in Pot 1 and assigned to positions A1, B1, and D1 for organizational reasons. Other teams in the first pot include Spain, Argentina, France, England, Brazil, Portugal, the Netherlands, Belgium, and Germany. FIFA specifies that the draw will start with Pot 1, then proceed successively with Pots 2, 3, and 4. The competition will also see the arrival of future winners of the European playoffs and the Intercontinental Playoff Tournament, all placed in Pot 4. As in previous editions, geographical constraints will apply: only one representative per confederation can be in each group, except for UEFA, which will have 16 teams and can be represented by two selections per group. However, each group must include at least one European team. To ensure sporting balance, the top four teams in the world ranking will be distributed specifically between the two brackets leading to the semi-finals. Spain (1st) and Argentina (2nd) will be placed in opposite brackets, as will France (3rd) and England (4th), to avoid any confrontation before the final, provided they finish at the top of their group. The match schedule, including stadiums and times, will be published on Dec. 6, the day after the draw. According to FIFA, the scheduling will consider teams' recovery conditions and will aim to facilitate fans' ability to follow the matches despite the time zones involved.
