Here’s a full breakdown of the 2026 World Cup group stage draw. The World Cup draw will take place at the Kennedy Center in Washington DC on Friday, Dec. 5 at 12 p.m. ET (9 a.m. PT, 5 p.m. GMT).

Nigeria will miss a second successive edition of the World Cup after losing 4-3 on penalties to DR Congo in the African play-off final after a 1-1 draw.

The 2026 World Cup draw will be held before the field is settled in full, as December 5 gives every nation its path to the World Cup Final.

Mauricio Pochettino will make sure to avoid as much heartbreak as possible with the U.S. men’s national team when he names his final squad ahead of the official 2026 World Cup roster.

DR Congo held their nerve in the shootout in Rabat, Morocco and progress to the inter-confederation play-offs in March 2026. After the match, Nigeria manager Eric Chelle confronted several DR Congo staff members and had to be separated.

Meanwhile, DR Congo - after beating Nigeria - will be Africa’s sole representative at the FIFA inter-confederation play-off stage. The inter-confederation play-offs will be conducted in March next year, with six teams from five confederations playing for the final two spots at the World Cup.

Italy lost 4-1 to Norway in the FIFA World Cup qualifying at San Siro on Sunday evening.Italy needed to score at least nine unanswered goals to secure automatic qualification, but after a strong