The scenario first appeared at the 2026 World Cup

The 2026 World Cup will see 48 teams compete.

The draw will be held by FIFA at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Arts and all 48 teams will know where they stand on their journey to the final at MetLife Stadium, New Jersey in July 2026.

FIFA has completed the list of 4 seeding groups based on the rankings on November 19, 2025. The biggest difference this time is the arrangement of seeding group No. 1. The three hosts Mexico, Canada and the United States are separated by 3 special colored balls and are pre-assigned to positions including Mexico in group A1, Canada in B1 and the United States in D1.

The remaining nine strongest teams in this group, including Spain, Argentina, France, England, Brazil, Portugal, the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany, will be assigned to the number 1 position in the remaining groups. The draw will go from group 1 to group 4 to complete the 12 AL groups.

FIFA has introduced the first-ever branching principle. Under the new Wimbledon-style draw mechanism, the top four teams in the FIFA rankings, including Spain (1), Argentina (2), France (3) and England (4), will be pushed into two different branches.

The tennis-style bracket system was originally designed to allow the top players to meet in the final. In football, the similar goal is to maximize the likelihood of a final between the world's two best teams. "The four highest-ranked teams cannot meet before the semi-finals if they are group winners," FIFA confirmed.

The 2026 World Cup draw takes place at 0:00 on December 6.

In terms of geography, FIFA has kept the familiar rule of having a maximum of one team per group from each continent, except Europe. With 16 representatives, European football is forced to spread evenly. There, each group must have at least one, but not more than two European teams. The positions of pot 4 – consisting of the winners of the European and intercontinental play-offs – must also strictly adhere to this principle.

The detailed schedule, including the stadium and match times, will be announced by FIFA one day after the draw. With a series of new regulations, this year's draw is expected to create dramatic groups of death.

Currently, 42 of the 48 teams have officially qualified for the tournament in the US, Canada and Mexico next summer. The final six spots – including four from Europe and two from the intercontinental play-offs – will complete the 48-team picture for the 2026 World Cup.

Source: https://znews.vn/kich-ban-lan-dau-tien-xuat-hien-o-world-cup-2026-post1608618.html