With the 2026 World Cup drawing closer by the day, excitement for the biggest showcase tournament in FIFA history continues to grow.
As the anticipation builds for next summer's competition, the December draw will go about building the groups and setting the matchups for the finals next June and July.
As main hosts of the competition, fans of the United States are looking forward to the moment they find out which countries will stand in their way of a potentially historic World Cup run on home soil.
AllSportsPeople brings you a look at what pot the USMNT will be pulled from in the group-stage draw, and how the event could shape up.
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USA pot in World Cup draw
The United States will be placed in Pot 1 for the 2026 World Cup draw.
It is tradition that every host at each World Cup is ceremoniously placed in Pot 1, and pre-drawn into specific groups.
This is so FIFA can maximize the host nation's presence at the competition, ensuring they are placed in preferred locations to give them the most effective exposure. In addition, a host's placement in Pot 1 helps them slightly on a competitive level, allowing them a boost in the draw so they are well-placed to advance as far as possible.
USA, for example, cannot be drawn in a group with any other Pot 1 team. This means they cannot be pitted against fellow co-hosts Mexico or Canada, nor any of the top-ranked teams at the tournament, such as world No. 1 Spain, reigning world champions Argentina, or Cristiano Ronaldo's Portugal.
Had the United States been placed in the draw based on their world ranking, FIFA's 14th-ranked nation would have been slotted into Pot 2 and been drawn against a top-10 team.
World Cup 2026 draw pots
The top 12 teams based on the FIFA Rankings go in Pot 1, the next best 12 teams in Pot 2, and so on.
FIFA stated that all remaining to-be-determined qualifiers — the four from the March UEFA playoffs and the two to qualify from the intercontinental playoffs — will be in Pot 4 regardless of their world ranking.
Numbers in parentheses denote FIFA ranking
| Pot 1 | Pot 2 | Pot 3 | Pot 4 |
| Canada* (27) | Croatia (10) | Norway (29) | Jordan (66) |
| Mexico* (15) | Morocco (11) | Panama (30) | Cape Verde (68) |
| USA* (14) | Colombia (13) | Egypt (34) | Ghana (72) |
| Spain (1) | Uruguay (16) | Algeria (35) | Curacao (82) |
| Argentina (2) | Switzerland (17) | Scotland (36) | Haiti (84) |
| France (3) | Japan (18) | Paraguay (39) | New Zealand (86) |
| England (4) | Senegal (19) | Tunisia (40) | UEFA playoff A |
| Brazil (5) | Iran (20) | Ivory Coast (42) | UEFA playoff B |
| Portugal (6) | South Korea (22) | Uzbekistan (50) | UEFA playoff C |
| Netherlands (7) | Ecuador (23) | Qatar (51) | UEFA playoff D |
| Belgium (8) | Austria (24) | Saudi Arabia (60) | Intercontinental playoff 1 |
| Germany (9) | Australia (26) | South Africa (61) | Intercontinental playoff 2 |
*Host nation
Canada and Mexico pots for World Cup draw
Just like the United States, fellow co-hosts Canada and Mexico will both be drawn from Pot 1 at the draw.
The only other time that multiple countries hosted a World Cup was 2002, when co-hosts South Korea and Japan were also placed in Pot 1 automatically.
That year was also the last time that three nations were given automatic passage to Pot 1. Alongside the two co-hosts, France were also placed in Pot 1 as the reigning champions from the 1998 tournament. The defending World Cup champion no longer gains automatic qualification — and therefore Pot 1 placement — as that was done away with starting in the 2006 World Cup.
If not for automatic spots in Pot 1, 15th-ranked Mexico would have been placed in Pot 2, as would 27th-ranked Canada.
Teams in World Cup 2026 playoffs
The below teams are taking part in the World Cup playoffs next March and are therefore still in with a chance of qualifying for the finals.
| Nation | Confederation | FIFA rank | Playoff pathway |
| Italy | UEFA | 12 | UEFA Path A |
| Wales | UEFA | 32 | UEFA Path A |
| Northern Ireland | UEFA | 69 | UEFA Path A |
| Bosnia & Herzegovina | UEFA | 71 | UEFA Path A |
| Ukraine | UEFA | 28 | UEFA Path B |
| Poland | UEFA | 31 | UEFA Path B |
| Sweden | UEFA | 43 | UEFA Path B |
| Albania | UEFA | 63 | UEFA Path B |
| Turkey | UEFA | 25 | UEFA Path C |
| Slovakia | UEFA | 45 | UEFA Path C |
| Romania | UEFA | 47 | UEFA Path C |
| Kosovo | UEFA | 80 | UEFA Path C |
| Denmark | UEFA | 21 | UEFA Path D |
| Czechia | UEFA | 44 | UEFA Path D |
| Rep. Of Ireland | UEFA | 59 | UEFA Path D |
| North Macedonia | UEFA | 65 | UEFA Path D |
| DR Congo | CAF | 56 | Intercontinental Path 1 |
| Jamaica | CONCACAF | 70 | Intercontinental Path 1 |
| New Caledonia | OFC | 149 | Intercontinental Path 1 |
| Iraq | AFC | 58 | Intercontinental Path 2 |
| Bolivia | CONMEBOL | 76 | Intercontinental Path 2 |
| Suriname | CONCACAF | 123 | Intercontinental Path 2 |
MORE: Fixture schedule, dates of UEFA playoffs | Fixture schedule, dates of intercontinental playoffs
How does the World Cup 2026 draw work?
For the 2026 FIFA World Cup, a random draw will be conducted to determine the 12 groups, each consisting of four teams.
Each group consists of one team from each pot.
You can find a full breakdown of how the 2026 FIFA World Cup draw will work here.