When is the 2026 World Cup draw and will Donald Trump be there?

We’re getting closer and closer now to learning the fixtures for the group stages of the 2026 World Cup, set to take place in North America next summer.

The tournament, last held in Qatar in 2022, will now be jointly hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico, starting on June 11th 2026.

There are still a few play-offs to play in order to determine the final teams to quality for the tournament, but most of the names are already in the hat for today’s draw.

Read on for all the info you need on the 2026 World Cup draw schedule and president Donald Trump’s role in it all…

The draw takes place on 5th December from Washington DC, at 5pm UK time. It will be broadcast live on the BBC, so you can follow it on BBC Two or through iPlayer.

The full schedule won’t come out straight away, with those details coming later in the week.

For the venues, dates and kick-off times, there will be a further update from FIFA on Saturday 6th December at 5pm UK time.

The seeding system in place means England will be kept apart from some of the other biggest nations at the World Cup.

The Three Lions cannot play against Spain or Argentina until the semi-finals, and they can’t face France until the final.

However, we could see England and Scotland renew their rivalry, as they are in Pot 1 and Pot 3, respectively, meaning they can be drawn in the same group, as they were at Euro 2020.

There’s also a rule that a maximum of just two European teams can be in the same group, and no group can have more than one team from another single confederation.

See below for the full World Cup playoff fixtures as the likes of Wales and Northern Ireland are still set to find out if they’ll actually make it to the World Cup next summer…

Play-off Path A:
Semi-final: Italy vs Northern Ireland
Semi-final: Wales vs Bosnia and Herzegovina
Final: Wales/Bosnia and Herzegovina vs Italy/Northern Ireland

Play-off Path B:
Semi-final: Ukraine vs Sweden
Semi-final: Poland vs Albania
Final: Ukraine/Sweden vs Poland/Albania

Play-off Path C:
Semi-final: Turkey vs Romania
Semi-final: Slovakia vs Kosovo
Final: Slovakia/Kosovo vs Turkey/Romania

Play-off Path D:
Semi-final: Denmark vs North Macedonia
Semi-final: Czech Republic vs Republic of Ireland
Final: Czech Republic/Republic of Ireland vs Denmark/North Macedonia

Play-off Path A:
Semi-final: New Caledonia vs Jamaica
Final: New Caledonia/Jamaica vs Congo

Play-off Path B:
Semi-final: Bolivia vs Suriname
Final: Bolivia/Suriname vs Iraq

Donald Trump has been right at the front and centre of the States’ preparations for hosting the World Cup, just as he was when Chelsea lifted the Club World Cup trophy in the summer.

Today we can expect to see Trump joined by FIFA president Infantino, as well as former Manchester United and England star Rio Ferdinand.

Other notable sports figures such as Tom Brady, Wayne Gretzky, Aaron Judge and Shaquille O’Neal are also set to feature in the draw.

Meanwhile, we can also look forward to performances from Andrea Bocelli, Robbie Williams, Nicole Scherzinger and Village People to really get you in the mood!

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